Cub Scout Leadership Training
Adult Leaders in the Cub Scout program work with boys in grades 1 through 5. The younger age of the scouts, and the nature of the program requires a much higher level of adult participation. To help make this possible, the Boy Scouts of America has developed a fairly comprehensive collection of training classes, to prepare adult leaders to effectively and safely deliver the program to the boys.
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Types
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Adult leader training within the Cub Scouts comes in several flavors. There are very basic training programs which are aimed at any and all adult leaders regardless of what branch of Scouting they are in; there are position-specific classes designed to provide a leader with the specific goals and expectations of their leadership role; and there are outdoor and camping safety classes. The first two varieties of training are offered through the Internet, via the Boy Scout website's online learning center. Many of the outdoor safety courses are also available online, though the more advanced classes are delivered only in a facilitator-led environment.
Time Frames
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All adult Cub Scout leaders are required to take certain courses. The first course, which all adults involved in Scouting, even parents with no official role within the pack, are strongly encouraged to take is "This is Scouting". A quick overview of the whole Scouting program, it is an effective way of letting the learner know what he is getting involved in. The next course, which is required of all leaders within all of the different divisions of the Boy Scouts of America is Youth Protection. This course must be taken before a prospective leader can even submit an application.
her designated-position-specific training. The Cub Scout program has more adult involvement than the other branches of Scouting, and each role is provided for.Before an adult leader may take boys on an outing, he must complete certain outdoor safety related courses. The BALOO (Basic Adult Leaders Outdoor Orientation) must be completed by one adult before the pack can go anywhere, and other courses such as Safety Afloat, Safe Swim Defense and Weather Hazards are required for aquatic adventures.
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Benefits
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Because the Cub Scout program requires so many adults to be involved, it is not unusual for moms, who may never have gone camping or hiking before, to find themselves leading a den of enthusiastic boys on an overnight camping adventure. The Cub Scout leader training programs are designed to help that intrepid mom succeed in her adventure, and prepare her for the different situations that might arise.
Many of the courses that are available online are offered as a means of providing safety guidelines and methods to administer those guidelines effectively. Safe Swim Defense for instance is geared not to teach swimming, but rather how to set up a safe swimming area and how best to keep everyone safe in the water.
Costs
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The vast majority of the leadership training that is available to Cub Scout leaders is offered online and is completely free of charge. The Boy Scout website has an online learning center which anyone can create an online ID for. Anyone, regardless of whether he is a leader , can take some of the courses offered there, such as This is Scouting and Youth Protection. All other courses require a registered leader to enter her Scouting ID number before they become available.
Some outdoor courses, such as BALOO and OWL (Outdoor Webelos Leader training) are available only in a facilitator-led capacity, but even these are free of charge.
Only the most advanced training courses, such as Wood Badge and the high adventure leadership training offered at the Philmont Ranch have any cost associated with them, and typically very few Cub Scout leaders take these in their first several years of involvement.
Advanced Leader Training
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Some leaders will continue on with their pack for several years and then move on to Boy Scouts with their boy. Many of these leaders may choose to take on a more active leadership role and expand and enhance their knowledge by completing the Wood Badge program or even by spending a week out at the Philmont Ranch in Cimmaron, Arizona. Each of these training opportunities offers the leader an intense experience that will stay with them for the rest of their lives.
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References
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