Wood Badge
Lead with Purpose. Inspire the Next Generation.
Wood Badge provides advanced leadership training for adult volunteers and professionals throughout Scouting America. Whether you serve a unit, district, or council, the course can help you become a stronger leader.
Participants come from every Scouting program and leadership role. For example, assistant den leaders, Cubmasters, Scoutmasters, Venturing Advisors, committee members, and commissioners can all benefit from the course.
Most importantly, Wood Badge creates a fun, energetic, and inspiring learning experience. Through the course, participants develop skills that help them strengthen their units and deliver meaningful programs for young people.
Wood Badge combines nearly a century of Scouting experience with leadership practices used by businesses, schools, and successful organizations. As a result, participants gain practical tools they can use in Scouting, at work, at home, and in their communities.
Throughout the course, participants explore leadership, team building, communication, problem-solving, and project planning. They can then bring these skills back to their packs, troops, crews, ships, districts, and councils.
What Should I Expect?
Wood Badge takes place over two weekends and includes five days of training. During that time, participants explore more than a dozen leadership tools.
Although the course offers training comparable to many professional leadership programs, it uses the Scouting environment to make learning engaging and enjoyable. In addition, participants build lasting connections with Scouters from across the region.
Through presentations, discussions, games, and hands-on activities, participants explore topics such as:
- Effective listening
- Managing conflict
- Leading change
- Project planning
- Stages of team development
- Coaching and mentoring
- Servant leadership
- Additional leadership skills
After completing the course sessions, participants continue applying what they learned through personal goals developed during the training.
FAQ
Who should attend?
Wood Badge is an advanced national leadership training course open to all Scouting America adult volunteers and professionals. Every adult in Cub Scouts, Scouts BSA, Venturing, Sea Scouts, and Exploring is welcome to attend, whether you are new to your adult role or have been Scouting for decades. Everyone is welcome to learn and to sharpen your leadership tools to enable our youth to enjoy and deliver the best Scouting program. We all belong at Wood Badge to train ourselves to be the best leaders for our youth in our units.
Why should I attend?
Leaders should attend Wood Badge training because it helps adults become more effective leaders, mentors, and role models for youth. Whether someone is brand new to Scouting or has years of experience, Wood Badge provides practical tools for communication, teamwork, goal setting, problem solving, and leading through the patrol method. It helps leaders better understand how to support a Scout-led program, strengthen their unit, and create a more meaningful experience for the youth they serve.
Wood Badge is also valuable beyond Scouting. The leadership skills developed during the course apply directly to family, work, and community life. Participants learn how to build stronger teams, manage conflict, set clear priorities, and turn vision into action. For many adults, Wood Badge is not just another training course; it is an opportunity to grow personally and professionally while becoming better prepared to serve Scouts with confidence and purpose.
What are the requirements to attend?
- Be a registered member of Scouting America and age 18 or older.
- Have completed the basic position specific training courses for your Scouting role.
- Be capable of functioning safely in an outdoor environment.
- Complete Parts A, B, C of the annual health record.
- Once registered, complete the pre-course assignment.
