OSG TRAINING
Training is the lifeblood of any scouting organization. First and foremost, our ability to run our program safely depends on having leaders confident in what they should do, and not do. Leaders come to scouting from a very wide variety of backgrounds, some with no previous scouting experience, and others with considerable scouting resumes. Our basic leader/scout training must serve both groups.
OSG offers differing tiers of training, from one-day events to full weekend training sessions. We are acutely interested in the specific needs of each group, within all of our disparate regions. The heart of this training schema is our Brownsea Training Camp. These “BTC” training events are two-night intensive training sessions in all program elements, policies, and best practices. BTCs are for Rovers, taught by Rovers, outdoors in an intentional community. Rovers are forming patrols and going through the program from Otter to Timberwolf, Pathfinder to Rover, ultimately leaving the training having earned a Rover Tenderfoot and gaining experience that will clarify and strengthen a Rover’s group upon their return. Having attended a BTC gives a Rover an exciting opportunity to share that knowledge and serve their own group, Rover crew, and community.
Hosting a Brownsea Training in your area will bolster your own group’s growth and prospects, but serves a far broader need when it is also able to attract and welcome leaders from outside your immediate area. Our Association is still young; the connections and friendships that are formed at these weekends have an added value that is difficult to overstate.
All other questions, clarifications, and policy information should be obtained by your Group Scoutmaster or Regional Commissioner.
History
In 1907, from August 1 through 8, Lord Baden-Powell brought a group of twenty-two boys to Brownsea Island in Poole Harbour in southern England to test out his ideas for what would become Scouting for Boys. The activities ran from 6 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. each day and involved a different theme each day. This event eventually became recognized as the origin of the worldwide Scouting movement. Since that time, Brownsea Island has come under the ownership of the National Trust and Scouts continue to visit and camp on the island to this day. In honor of this event, we have adopted the name “Brownsea Training Camp” and offer a weekend-long (two nights) camping trip run by Rovers who teach new Rover/Scouter applicants all the necessary skills to pass the Tenderfoot tests and teach them to others.
For all information about planning or attending the nearest Brownsea Training Camp, please email training@osg-us.org.
Upcoming Training Events
Our Training Weekends are run by volunteers on an as-needed basis. The need is determined by Regional Commissioners who work with the Training Team to create and run BTC events across the country. We strive to host these events in multiple locations each year so that those who want to participate in our leader training can attend. It is required before starting a new group, that all prospective Group Scoutmasters attend a BTC.
Training events for spring 2023:
For more information on upcoming trainings, contact training@osg-us.org or your Regional Commissioner. Sign-up is required and there is a reasonable fee to cover your food and campsite for the weekend.
