History

Upon completion, a Scouter receives a certificate and two beads, and becomes a permanent member of
Troop 1, Gilwell.

The two wooden beads replicate the beads obtained by Baden-Powell during a campaign in Africa in 1888.
These originally belonged to Dinizulu, an African chieftain. In searching for a suitable recognition for the men
who completed his first course, Baden-Powell remembers the beads and decided to present a bead to each
participant. From then on, the course was called “Wood Badge.”

The course first came to the United States in 1936. Held at the Schiff Scout Reservation in New Jersey, it still
had a strong British flavor, complete with menus heavy on foods that had been boiled for several hours. The
Americans were less than enthusiastic, and a war intervened.

In 1948, a revised American course was offered for the first time at Schiff. It was The 21st Century Wood
Badge course, revised in 2001, brings together leaders There are two parts to Wood Badge training:
experiential learning during two 3-d A key area of the process is team development and learning to recognize the sta This course will help you understand the full values-based family of Scouting pro Wood Badge give leaders the skills they need to strengthen Scouting in meaning