I've edited this message a couple times... sorry for anyone who was reading it..

Each region and area has some slight variations on the same theme.

S refers to Southern Region... beyond that, the numbers are an encoding of the region, council number, and occasionally, the sequence number of the course for the year.


Just guessing:

7 = Area 7

425 = Cape Fear Council

That's more or less based on cross referencing some of the info in your signature...


My course was WE4-10-2-07, which was Western Area 4, Council 10, Course 2, 2007.(This message has been edited by eolesen)

Okay, that helped me figure it out.

S We are in the southern region

425 My council's number is 425 Cape Fear Council

12 It is the year 2012

7 is still a mystery as my council will only teach one WB class every two years.

7 is the area that Cape Fear falls into within Southern Region

I may have been editing that as you were typing your reply...


And congratulation, by the way. Signing up is sometimes the hardest part. It's a huge commitment, but certainly doable if I could finish... (This message has been edited by eolesen)

Thanks eolesen as I never knew what those letters and numbers meant... *laughing

Scoutfish.. Have FUN with Wood Badge!!.. *grins

Mine was two weekends too, either September or October.

Yeah, I would have thought you course would more be S7-425-1-12 not S7-425-12.. The -1- is indicating yours is the first course you council is holding this year.

Do they remove the 1 if you only hold one every other year?.. That wouldn't make sense, it still is the first one of this year.

Your analysis of the numbering system is correct. I don't think that the region drops the -1 on the end. Our Council does because we only hold a course every 18 months.

Wow- I didn't know Wood Badge was so scarce in some areas (every other year ?) Our council holds three courses a year and still has waiting lists.

I guess it comes down to a basic, yet very common problem:

The 20/80 rule: 20 percent do for the other 80 percent. Guess it works that way in instruction too. Your core group of regular volunteers are also the same ones putting on 3 weeks of resident camp, 3 weeks of parent son, 4 weeks of summer camp (adult staff as well as 2 deep unit leadership) venturing activities, the spring and fall camporees, BALOO courses, Pow-Wows, IOLS courses,running PWD's any other events that I can't think of right now.

Then on top of that, those same group of volunteers have other outside activities: coaching football, basketball, soccer, baseball, softball lacross, den/pack/troop/crew/venterure meetings......Girl scouts, AHG, church stuff...


Our council only does it every two years because the same people running the course are also ticket counselors, so they do not teach while acting as ticket counselors.

I'm surprised they have time to work or eat too!


But again, the 20/80 rule definantly applies in my district,( based on RT appearances and staff at events) and seems like it aplies to my council too.

Fish, I see a ticket item in the making! Interview your units' 80%.

Sure it's half baked, but be prepared to dozens of ideas like that coursing through your mind.

Enjoy the experience, love your patrol.

I think it may depend on the size of the council also. We normally do one a year, rarely do we fill it though we have yet to have to cancel it. This year we are doing 2 (one being very specialized for LDS (no Sundays) plus people who can't not go during the normal Fall offering)..

The normal Fall WB course director is a little nervous that we may have stolen some participants she could have gotten, and she will therefore not get enough to hold her course. I think we did good pulling our intended audience. We have 50, 38 are LDS, one is Jewish (Fall one hits on a major Jewish holiday).. The few others I know of could not attend the Fall course. For LDS, we are also pulling from surrounding councils..


Went to a Regional workshop and found most were surprised by us doing one a year, as they only offer it every 2 years.. All I can think is that while our council is large geographically, many other Councils are small.. It makes it easy for people to go out of council for woodbadge.. So if 3 Councils that are 50 miles apart from each other all hold WB yearly, they are all competing with one another for participants.

Well it's a theory anyway.

SF: When and by whom a course (WB,IOLS, OWLS, First aid, matters not)is taught is dependant on two dictums, which I have found true in any setting:

"The work is done by whoever shows up"
and

"Not everyone should be a teacher" even tho everyone should learn.

Your 20-80 rule is a good observation , but again, not everyone can or should be a teacher. I know good, dedicated Scouters that don't know which end of an axe to hold. I know knowledgeable folks that I would trust with my life but can't easily communicate their knowledge. Watch them, work with them, absorb decades of experience. but , God lov'em, they could never sit folks down and do it in an organized way.
Doesn't mean one shouldn't urge folks to get involved and "do your best" at something new. Follow the passion. It is, however, a Good Thing when folks recognize their own limitations. It is not a Good Thing when others do not recognize someones skill and encourage them to pass it on to the next generation.
Do the encouraging.

SSS I agree with what you are saying. Not everybody can or should teach.

Just on a smaller perspective, I can look at my pack committee and leaders.

Our CC is a very smart and knowledgable man. Put in in front of everybody at a pack meeting for annouincements and he almost sounds like : " Beuller?...Beuller?, Beuller?....

Some leaders work great with their dens, but again, as they pass out awards to the scouts at pack meetings, trhese guys are sweating bullits and almost stuttereing.

Me? I can do it. I can stand up in front of people and do almost anything. I guess I passed that test when I dressed up like a ballerina for my cubs.

I also know some leaders who, put in a specific situation, can do what they need to do, but could not tell anybody else how to do it. For example, we used to have a MacGyver of a DL. Give the man a pocket knife, a paperclip and a pencil, and some string, he'd make a 5 story elevator to his treetop penthouse in the woods. ASk him how to make a paper airplane...he couldn't even tell you how to make the very first fold in the paper!

So north star council hosts woodbadge three times a year....that is crazy.....

Yeah, sounds like Wood Badge Mill to me! LOL!