Returning as a leader

Adventsparky

Hey guys, 25 now, came up from beavers through to Venturers, but haven't been involved for many years now, 6 maybe.

I know I have to be vetted and there is some training involved, my question is regards the training, I am tight for time at the moment, moving house, getting married, job etc etc, I'm sure you understand, so really I am wondering about the courses, how long are they, I think I saw some are overnight, or sometimes over 2 nights like some of the ones in Mellary. Is there any standard here or is it down to each region/unit?

conorod

To work as a leader, all you need to do is get your Garda vetting, references, etc. and do the first 2 training courses. The first course (Stage 1 of 6) is an introduction to scouting - this course is done in an evening, taking 2.5 hours in total. The second is Child Protection - this takes around 5 hours.

The rest of the courses are working towards a qualification called the Woodbadge. There is really no time pressure to get them done, the Woodbadge qualification is not needed to register as a leader. Specifically, the stages are:

Stage 3 - 7 hours - Foundations in Scouting
Stage 4 - 7.5 hours - Practical Skills in Scouting
Stage 5 - 7 hours - Event Planning & Creativity
Stage 6 - 15 hours - Personal Development

To answer your question about the standard: yes, there is a national standard. The programme has changed in the last year, and included in the new programme (called the ONE programme) is a national standard for Woodbadge training.

Adventsparky

Perfect, that's all the information I was looking for. Thanks a lot