“Success begets success”, “The good get better”, “The wheat separates from the chaff”, and so on. The reason some people are successful is that they work at it. The reason some scout leaders are successful is that they too work at it. The major part of being a successful scout leader is being trained in your scouting job and successful leaders do not stop with basic training but continue on with supplemental and update training. There is no reason for a leader to not become a better leader because LHAC offers many opportunities to become trained and become the successful leader. Becoming a better leader is an excellent recruiting and retention tool to keep the youth in scouting.

If you ask any adult who has been in scouting as a youth what are his favorite memories of scouting and chances are very good it will be about camping and/or outdoor experiences. When you ask any youth what they like about scouting and in each case they will talk about their camping, canoeing, hiking, boating and such outdoor activities. With this in mind every unit needs to review what they are doing with regard to outdoor activities to determine how they can add more. In April LHAC is offering a combined OLS/WOLF leadership training in outdoor activities. This course is open to all Webelos, Boy Scout and Venture leaders and is a real must to improve unit outdoor programs.

Another great leader training coming up is the Wood Badge Course. This will be offered over two week ends, one in August and one in September. The emphasis of Wood Badge is on developing leadership skills in the youth with which you work and in the adults with which you have contact. The major side bar is that you too become a better leader.

Want to be a better “trainer”? Scouting has now introduced a new trainer development program called EDGE (Explain, Demonstrate, Guide, Enable) and LHAC is offering it on the first week end of March. Every unit leader can benefit from this excellent course. It helps a person know how to focus on the central points in teaching skills, plus how to access if your teaching is effective. This course is required for anyone who will be on staff for NYLT and for Wood Badge.

Enjoy scouting and think camping, canoeing, hiking, biking, spelunking, backpacking COPE activities and remember do all you can to keep the “outing” in scouting.