Westchester-Putnam Council, BSA

Because every boy deserves trained leaders
Every Scout deserves a trained leader. Are you fulfilling your promise to help deliver an outstanding Scouting experience to your Scouts?

Proper training doesn't happen by reading a book, or attending every Scout meeting. The BSA has developed great training courses to help you as a new leader to deliver a program and calendar that will be exciting, educational, and safe.

Every leader needs to take the New Leader Essentials course, and the Youth Protection Guidelines course. These basic courses help you to understand your role, and to learn the Aims and Mission of the Boy Scouts of America. To make the training easier, we now have the Youth Protection course available online below.

The next step is to complete the specific course for your part in the Scouting movement. Cub leaders have a specific training to help them learn the details of the Cub program. Boy Scout leaders have a different course, and deal with an older Scout with different needs, and a different program. Venturing leaders, or Committee members have their own course too.

Taking training once does not make you trained forever. When you change your position in Scouting, you need to take the specific training for your new position. As an example, you can't be a trained Scoutmaster if you have only taken Cub Scout training. Each training course helps you to understand the unique needs of your new position, and the Scouts that you will support. You can gain a lot from participating in specific training, even for Scouters that have been involved in our program for many years.

Your Scouts deserve the best leader you can be. Take the full training course for your position, and make your investment in Scouting count. If you have questions about training, please contact your District Training Chairman or the Council Service Center at (914) 773-1135 x234.

Youth Protection Training
Fast Start
National Youth Leader Training
University of Scouting
Outdoor Leader Skills for Webelos Leaders
Basic Adult Leader Outdoor Orientation (BALOO)
New Leader Essentials

Den Chief Training
Scouter Wood Badge
Cub Scout Leader Roundtable
Scoutmaster & Asst. Scoutmaster Specific Training
Troop Committee Training
Venture Leadership Training
Safe Swim and Safety Afloat Training

Youth Protection Training - Now Online!
A registered adult leader with Youth Protection Training is required on all unit trips and outings.

In order to facilitate the number of people who can get this training and to make it as convenient as possible Youth Protection Training can be taken online. When the participant completes the training they will be able to print a certificate. Also, they will also be able to print a letter from the Scout Executive congratulating them on completing the training. The Council office is notified of the successful completion of the training. The participant will need their BSA registration card for proper record of the training.

Online Youth Protection Training

Contact your Commissioner, District Committee Chairperson, or District Executive for additional course offerings.

Remember: Recognize, Resist, Report

Attention Youth Protection Guideline Trainers
The new requirement for a Youth Protection trained person on all Unit outings (hikes, campouts, and other activities) has introduced some solvable record keeping problems. Many of those who have been trained by watching the 65- minute videotape and being involved in the discussion part of the training, are not in the Council records. It is, therefore, imperative that anytime a course is run either for a group or an individual who is a "trained facilitator," a list must be forwarded to the Council Service Center, Attention Maryellen, with the names, Unit (Pack, Troop, Crew or other Scout group), town, date, position in Scouting, home address and telephone number of each person. This will then be entered into the Council records. Your cooperation will be appreciated.

Fast Start Training
Fast Start is a short, video-based training program designed to provide specific information related to a leader's volunteer position. This is the first and prerequisite training to the training opportunities that follow. A viewer guide is used with the video to enhance learning and provide an additional resource that stays with the leader. Fast start training should take place within forty-eight hours of the time a new leader accepts the position. Most units have Fast Start videos that can be loaned to new leaders. Additional viewer guides may be purchased from the Scout Shop. The unit training coordinator or district training committee staff can assist with this training. If your unit does not have a copy of the Fast Start video, please contact the Council office for assistance.

Online Fast Start Training

Cub Scout Fast Start Training Guide [PDF, 612K]

Fast Start is a beginning. Sometime soon you will want to participate in Basic Leader Training to gain additional information that will support you throughout the year. And, for a wealth of theme related material, be sure to check out your district's monthly leader roundtable.

Troop Committee Training
The Troop Committee Challenge - Boy Scout Troop Committee Training, No. 33643, is a course for members of the troop committee. If a committee member later registers as a Scoutmaster or as an Assistant Scoutmaster (or desires to be actively involved in troop meetings and activities), the individual will need to take Scoutmaster and Assistant Scoutmaster Leader Specific Training and Introduction to Outdoor Leader Skills. The Troop Committee Challenge is designed to help troop committee members better understand their roles and responsibilities through interactive learning.

Troop Committee Challenge

Venture Leadership Training
This course is designed to provide all youth and adult leaders with a series of simple but effective training opportunities that will meet the varying needs of Venturing leaders. All sessions are flexible so that the council training team can construct the best plan to meet local conditions. The plan requires a minimum of equipment and materials and is scripted to support those instructors with limited Venturing experience.

Safe Swim and Safety Afloat
Safe Swim and Safety Afloat training offered by National.

Cub Scout Leader Roundtable
Roundtables are conducted monthly on the district level by the District Cub Roundtable Commissioner and Staff for the purpose of giving adult leaders the skills and ideas they need to deliver an exciting Cub Scout program to boys. The Roundtable serves also to renew each leader's enthusiasm and dedication. The subject of each roundtable is selected to emphasize important aspects of Cub Scouting and follows the annual Pack Planning Calendar and Cub Scout and Webelos Scout Program Guides.

See the calendar on the right side of this page for upcoming Roundtables for each district.

Training Course Records
Attention: All Training Course Directors, Trainers, Instructors and Coaches.

It is requested that the course sign-in forms be used instead of the old pre-carboned forms so that more useful information can be available to Council personnel to be entered in the National Scoutnet system. The trainees enter their name, position, unit (pack, troop, crew or post), unit town, home address, telephone number and email address. The top line of the form, which includes the course name, date, location and page number should be filled in depending on the number of trainees expected. All members of the training staff should sign the bottom part of the last numbered sheet. The "total in attendance" is to include the training course staff and all trainees.

It is appropriate that the position indicated by each trainee be the subject of the training that he or she receives.

The "Who's What" sheets for pack leaders, and for troop leaders, are to be prominently displayed so that all will learn the appropriate designations for the various positions, which are to be indicated on the sign-in sheet. A CM is a Cubmaster, not a committee member. An MC is a Unit Committee Member.

The "What's What" sheet is to make clear the Unit designation to be indicated on the sign-in sheet. The unit number is to be included, for example P-1234, T-5678, C-9876.

This system is intended to simplify the record keeping and lead to less confusion and more accurate information to facilitate the entry of correct data in Scoutnet and to have a permanent written record for the Council files.

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