Wood Badge is an advanced, national leadership course. Scouters from Cub Scouting, Scouts BSA, Venturing, Sea Scouts, and Explorers, and district and council Scouters all are welcome and belong here.
Wood Badge takes its name from wooden beads that are awarded after completing the course, a tradition that started with the first Wood Badge course in 1919 offered by Baden Powell.
Wood Badge is not about Scout skills. The course focuses on leadership topics like:
Listening
Managing conflict
Leading change
Stages of team development
Coaching & Mentoring
Leadership for different stages
Servant leadership
Project planning
Wood Badge is intended for all adults in Scouting, as well as national, council, and district volunteers and professionals. It focuses on leadership. The objective is to demonstrate the aims and methods of Scouting through the presentation of leadership skills, organizational tools, and a variety of activities based on the best of Scouting traditions. In addition, participants will enjoy the fellowship of sharing the experience with volunteer and professional Scouters while having a great deal of just plain fun. I invite you to participate in our upcoming Wood Badge course.
This will be a tremendous opportunity for you to:
• Understand Scouting as a family of interrelated, values-based programs providing age-appropriate activities for youth.
• Recognize leadership concepts used in America and discover how those concepts are relevant to our values-based movement.
• Apply the skills you learn to your Scouting role, at work, at home, and elsewhere.
• Revitalize your commitment to Scouting by sharing an inspirational experience that helps to provide Scouting with renewed leadership to accomplish its mission.
Many Scouters consider Wood Badge to be the peak experience of their Scouting careers. It has served as a source of inspiration to thousands. In return, Wood Badge participants have positively affected the lives of millions of America’s youth. Wood Badge will help you perform your Scouting functions more effectively and with less time and trouble, improving your unit for your child and all the other members.
The course will be held at Camp Robert Drake for two weekend sessions.
The dates are September 18-20 & October 3-4, 2026.
You must attend and participate in all five days, and after the course, you will do some projects to help your unit and Scouting in general. You design the projects and complete them within 18 months after the course.
During the Wood Badge course, you must wear the full uniform of your primary position in Scouting (scout shirt & pants). The first weekend will be filled with instruction in various leadership skills. All meals will be prepared by our outstanding culinary staff. The second weekend will be your “outdoor experience,” which you will plan by the conclusion of the first weekend. You will camp and cook as a patrol using the “Leave No Trace” principles. There will be a relatively short hike to the outdoor experience area, and we will make accommodations as required based on physical limitations.
Limited scholarship assistance is available. Please contact Josh Kittle, our course director, if you have any concerns about attending due to cost or would like to request an alternative payment schedule. Many units or employers will also provide financial support for leadership courses.
Course enrollment is limited. I encourage you to register as soon as possible to reserve your spot. I sincerely hope that you can participate. You will enjoy it fully and benefit from it immensely. You are to be commended for the work you are doing now in Scouting. The Wood Badge experience will enable you to make an even greater contribution as you help deliver the promise of Scouting.
Should you need more information, one of our Wood Badge Scouters will be glad to visit with you. Please feel free to contact Josh Kittle at 217-474-8014 (text or call) or jkittle@gmail.com.
Fees:
$200 Early-Bird discount (must be paid in full by July 1)
$250 After July 1
A $50 deposit must be made to reserve your spot.
Yours in Scouting,
Josh Kittle
CST6-117-26 Course Director
Please register here: https://prairielands.tentaroo.com/woodbadge
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