In 1911, four years after Scouting began in Great Britain, Lord Baden-
Powell began training Scouters through a series of lectures. This led to
the first Wood Badge training course for Scoutmasters, held eight years
later at Gilwell Park near London. In 1936, an experimental Wood Badge
course was conducted in the United States at the Schiff Scout Reservation.
Then, in 1948, the first American Wood Badge course was introduced in
the United States as advanced training for trainers of Boy Scout leaders.
Later, the program was extended to include troop committee members,
commissioners, and Explorer leaders.
Experiments began in the late 1960s with a leadership development
Wood Badge course emphasizing 11 leadership skills or “competencies.”
This program was launched in 1972 in support of a major revision of the
Boy Scout phase of the program. In 1978, an evaluation of the Boy Scout
Leader Wood Badge course revealed a need for greater emphasis on the
practical aspects of good troop operation. The result was the development
of a course that would provide a blend of Scoutcraft skills and practical
troop operation, mixed with a variety of leadership exercises.
In 2001, the new Wood Badge for the 21st Century was introduced. It
was developed for all Scouters: Cub Scout leaders, Boy Scout leaders,
Venturing leaders, and council and district leaders. The focus is on
leadership skills, not outdoor skills. The first part of the new Wood Badge
course reflects unit meetings, while the second part of the course uses a
troop camping activity as its delivery model.
