I’m out again this weekend for my second weekend of Wood Badge fun. Over the weekend you’ll see a few blasts from the past as well as a few new items. Since this is a full three days, I’ll catch up with everyone on Tuesday.
Wood Badge is an international adult leadership program for the Scouting movement developed initially by Scouting’s founder Sir Robert Baden-Powell. Lord Baden-Powell was a Lieutenant-General in the British Army who served in the Second Boer War. Based on his experience as a Cavalry officer he wrote several books for military training. After finding out that boys had been reading his works, he penned, “Scouting for Boys.” This led to the first Scout camp in England at Brownsea Island and later to a leadership development program at Gilwell Park for adults.
In order to recognize the graduates of this training program, BP turned to one of his war trophies. He had captured a necklace belonging to Chief Dinizulu while pursuing him in Zululand. The necklace was 12-foot-long with more than a thousand acacia beads which were used to denote a warrior. BP awarded beads from this necklace to the graduates of the adult leader training. In modern times Wood Badge graduates are awarded a leather thing with wooden beads.
