University of Scouting Resources
Scouts BSA and Venturing Focus
Also see the Scouts BSA Resources page
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University of Scouting Resources
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| Advising of Co-Ed Programs | PowerPoint Presentation |
| Backpacking | See:
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| Backpacking - 10 Essentials (and more) | See Ten Essentials and More |
| Basic Canoe Handling Skills - Get the skills you need to feel secure, and instill confidence in your group! Actual in-the-water instruction - bring swim suit and towel! | Program Handout - PDF |
| Beginning E.D.G.E. - How do you organize a class when teaching a skill? How do you keep on track and avoid confusion? Would you like to help improve the quality of teaching in your Troop, Crew, or Pack? "The Beginning EDGE" offers you clear direction and a concrete method that you can apply to teaching or helping to teach skills. You will learn about the EDGE methodology and see it applied in practice. | Basic EDGE - PDF
Basic EDGE notes - PDF |
| Bike Touring and the Cycling MB | See Hiking on Two Wheels |
| Boots, Socks, Footwear and Footcare - Your feet are your primary method of travel in the backcountry. We'll discuss selecting appropriate footwear for various scouting activities (boots, shoes). We'll talk about socks (wool vs. synthetic vs. cotton; liners or not?). Care of the feet, including how to avoid blisters, how to treat them if you get them, and first aid for feet. If time allows, we'll talk about boot care to extend the life of your gear. | REI Articles (web links): |
| Campfires - Light up your outdoor activities and events with the spark of great campfires! This session gives you everything from songs to s'mores. | Campfire
Ideas Websites - pdf Campfire Planner - PDF Campfire Magic - PDF Campfire Program - PDF Campfire Program Extras - PDF Fire Lays - PDF Grey Areas - PDF Walk-Ons - PDF Internet Links: See the General page for: Campfire materials and Songbooks See Bringing Duty to God to Your Unit for Scouts' Own materials |
| Conducting Your Introduction to Leadership Skills for Troops/Crews: The Unit is responsible for training youth leaders and the BSA provides an excellent framework for this training in ILST/C. Learn how your unit can use this course to inspire and facilitate effective youth leadership | See National Training Courses |
| Conducting the Venturing Leadership Seminar - For Advisors and Presidents: | See Venturing Leadership Training |
| Do It Yourself Backpacking Gear: This course will focus on "Do It Yourself (DIY)" gear for backpacking. Learn how to make your own stoves and stuff sacks, and even more complex items like tents, sleeping bags, and backpacks. Techniques and materials will be discussed, and time will also be allotted for brainstorming new projects. Attendees are encouraged to bring in their own DIY backpacking gear to share with the class. | 2009 PowerPoint
presentation
- Repair & Maintenance 2009 PowerPoint presentation - Making Gear 2008 University of Scouting PowerPoint Presentation |
| Dutch Oven Cooking - Practical hands -on experience in preparing and cooking a variety of Dutch oven meals, desserts, and other fun foods. | Dutch Oven
Cookbook - PDF Dutch Oven Recipes - PDF International Dutch Oven Society (web link) |
| Duty to God | See "Bringing Duty to God to Your Unit" |
| Electronics in the Outdoors - More and more often we find electronic devices accompanying us on the trail. How do you keep them safe, dry, and fed? When are they useful, what are their limits? | Introduction
to Electrical Principles - PDF Introduction to Electronics - PDF Excerpt from 1911 BSA Handbook on
Wireless Telegraphy - PDF Link to American Radio Relay
League - web page for Scouts |
| Goal Setting and Time Management: Youth today are pulled in many different directions. Between School, Sports, Social, and Scouts there are competing voices and offerings. This course offers concrete and helpful techniques for setting priorities and managing time. It includes suggestions for predicting time wasters, modeling priority assignments, and the importance of using a planning tool. Youth and Adults who want to more effectively manage their time inside and outside of scouting will find these materials valuable and Life Scouts advancing to Eagle will find this material both relevant and helpful. |
Goal
Setting and Time Management - Power Point Presentation |
| Got games? - Every unit can use some teambuilding ideas! Ice-breakers, gathering activities, games… This course will present different ways of building and encouraging your unit's youth leadership. | 2019 Teambuilding
while on the Trail handout - PDF
Team Building Games (all PDF) UK Scout Association on Team Building PDF |
| Gourmet Cookouts - Encourage your Scouts to try a more elaborate outdoor cooking experience. | Gourmet Cookouts
- PDF
Gourmet Cookout Recipes
- PDF |
| GPS and Geocaching - We'll learn about the basics of GPS and then how to use your GPS to join in the fun worldwide Geocaching game as you locate hidden cache sites and log your successes. | Geocaching to Promote Scouting - PDF |
| GPS to UTM to Map - Learn how to move from "I'm somewhere around there" to "This is where I am" by adding the Universal Traverse Mercator Grid to your arsenal of tricks. | Course
Handout - PDF
A
Practical Guide to GPS-UTM - Internet Link |
| Group Dynamics for Outdoor Leadership - Effective outdoor leaders understand the dynamic phases of the people they are leading. In this session, you’ll be introduced to the “Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing and Transforming” group dynamics model and will discuss how leaders should respond to each phase in an outdoor or patrol setting. The concepts covered in this session will be geared towards older scouts with leadership experience and adult leaders. | PowerPoint Presentation |
| Hiking | See "Backpacking" |
| Hiking on Two Wheels -- Bike Touring: Learn how to plan and lead bike tours as a fun and challenging twist on hiking or as requirements for the cycling merit badge. Get some ideas on great places to go riding and bring home a checklist which you can use for inspecting your unit's bicycles prior to a ride. | PowerPoint Presentation from 2014 |
| How to be a Mentor: A mentor is neither a coach nor an advisor. Mentoring is a type of leadership which develops both the person receiving it and the person giving it. It supports personal growth in a variety of circumstances and if it is done correctly it helps the receiver to grow and to lead in ways that they never expected. The mentor shares experience and helps the "mentee" to find a path that uses his or her own unique personal strengths and abilities. This is a great course for youth in leadership positions ! | Mentoring for
Venturing Crews presentation - PDF Mentoring for Venturing Crews - Appendix - PDF |
| Incorporating Backpacking into your Unit Program: How do you plan a Backpack Outing? What do you need to take? What about Logistics, transport, and routing? Learn how to prepare your Unit to carry-in ad carry-out in the great outdoors! | 2018 Presentation
notes - DOCX 2017 PowerPoint Presentation 2017 Notes Handout - PDF Weight Worksheet for Backpacking - XLS Personal Packing List - MSW Troop 4 Campout Plan - PDF XLS Pre- and Post-Trip Itinerary Form - PDF Internet Links:
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| Intervention Connection: Sometimes our youth come to us from difficult or unhealthy situations. Other times a youth (or adult) may use physical or mental bullying to control another youth. Learn how to spot the warning signs of abuse, neglect, and unhealthy situations and how and when to intervene effectively. Learn how to spot and redirect bullying, teasing, and unhealthy behavior in the Unit | |
| Introduction to GPS and Geocaching | See GPS and Geocaching |
| Introduction to Map & Compass: Boring, irrelevant, outdated? Come and learn how and why a map and compass will still remain our most useful and reliable tools for finding our way even in the internet age! | 2012 PowerPoint
Presentation 2009 PowerPoint Presentation Declination Map - PDF Download Topgraphical Maps
from the USCGS |
| Keeping Scouts interested in a Virtual World: For the foreseeable future, Zoom Meetings and Online Activities will be an integral part of Scouting. While we look forward to returning to the face-to-face environment, we need to appropriately plan for online Scouting. Discuss and share ways to engage Scouts over their internet connection -- many skill instruction topics work well, as do fun contests. Learn how to include short videos / slideshows / Zoom breakout rooms for advancement groups and inter-patrol competitions. Conduct virtual Courts of Honor, campfires, and campouts. Our challenge is to electronically engage Scouts and their families and this course will help prime you with ideas ! |
2020
Presentation (PDF) 2020 PowerPoint Presentation by Jery Stedinger (PPTX) Creating Virtual Content - a guide by John Udall - MSWord PDF Zoom Tips from Stormageddon McRabbit (PPTX) Looking for a fun thing to do at a Zoom meeting? Check out the video "Dumb Ways to Die" - it's a good safety moment, and then after you've shown it, have the Scouts list as many of the Dumb Ways that they can remember (Kim's Game and a video, all in one). Looking for a virtual guest speaker? Check out the Baden-Powell Council Merit Counselor list. There are a number of on-line video conferencing systems you can use:
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| Leading a Successful High Adventure Activity - High Adventure is whatever you and your older Scouts define it to be. It can have many venues which will be discussed in this course. We will also cover the basics of what you need to know to lead a successful high adventure program -- planning, training, organizing a cooperative group, discipline, and physical preparation. | BSA TAP
("The Adventure Plan") website
"Planning High Adventure Trips"
Presentations: Links to High Adventure - PDF Avoiding
Bears - PDF |
| Leave No Trace - LNT should be part of every Scout activity, but the LNT ethic has to be learned, adapted, adopted, and practiced. This course will help you take the first step to helping your Unit to become a LNT Unit. | 2023
Bringing LNT to Your Unit Presentation (PDF) 2008 Leave No Trace presentation (web page) Teaching
Leave No Trace (BSA website) Leave No Trace website |
| Map & Compass - Introduction | See Introduction to Map and Compass |
| Map & Compass Games - Scouts love to play games, so make Map & Compass fun by teaching them to use a compass, take bearings and follow directions. Learn how to set up a simple compass game your youth can play outside in a den or patrol meeting or during an outdoor activity. | 2012 PowerPoint
Presentation 2009 PowerPoint Presentation 2023 Course Handout - PDF Map Symbol Relay
- PDF |
| Menu Planning for All Occasions - This course will identify various cooking scenarios, cost objectives, proper planning of food quantities, and packaging to protect from animals. Cooking scenarios will include backpacking, patrol cooking, trail lunches, fast troop meals for the road, camporee cooking, and banquet meals. Finally, learn how these scenarios will affect choice of cooking equipment, menus, and method of food storage | 2011 Power Point Presentation 2014 Power Point Presentation - PPTX Cooking Merit Badge Menu Planning - PPTX Meal
Planning for All Occasions - MSW Calorie Count Chart - XLSX |
| Nova/Supernova/STEM for Scouts and Venturers - BSA's NOVA Awards program incorporates learning with cool activities and exposure to STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) for Scouts BSAs and Venturers. Learn all about this program. | PowerPoint presentation
from 2017
Link to National Website STEM page |
| Outdoor Clothing - Keeping comfortable in the outdoors often has a lot to do with clothing choices. We'll talk about layering systems (shells, insulating layers, base layers) and the principles of dynamic layering. We'll look at various fabrics and materials - synthetics (nylon, polyester, Gore-Tex, etc.) and natural fibers (wool, cotton). Clothing options will be compared across a range of features (performance, quality and price.) and we'll be talking about what to wear and what NOT to wear | Links to REI Expert Advice web pages: |
| Plan an Expedition: What is an expedition and how does it differ from a weekend trip ? What might you do and how do you prepare? What logistics and transport requirements will surprise you? Come and experience the essentials of an expedition plan. | 2020
Presentation (PDF)
See also "Take your unit on a Touring Trip" |
| Plan and Lead a Hike: Whether it's a one mile hike for your Cub Pack or a twenty mile hike for Hiking Merit Badge, learn how to properly plan and prepare your scouts to go take a hike. Nearly 200 miles of NY's famed Finger Lakes Trail passes through the Baden-Powell Council, we’ll also discuss how to make use of this great resource for your unit's hiking program. | 2022 PowerPoint Presentation - Google Docs link |
| Plan for Success! - Explore your options for building an exciting and challenging year of activities by incorporating local and council resources in your annual plan. | Baden-Powell
Council Planning Calendar - for January 2024-June 2026 - a
fillable PDF calendar containing BSA National, Council and District
activities and events for the 2023-24, 2024-25 and 2025-26 Scouting
Years. You can add your unit's activities to the calendar and distribute
it to your unit's leaders, members and parents for them to print and
use.
2012 Presentation Outline in PDF Form Boys' Life Annual
Program Planning - PDF Troop
162 - Activities and Fundraisers - PDF |
| Planning and Logistics for First Time Backpackers | See "Incorporating Backpacking into your Unit Program" |
| Preparing for Philmont | 2018 Presentation Notes - DOCX |
| Project Management for Youth and Adults: Eating an elephant and effective planning begin with little steps, but those steps aren't obvious to everyone. This course is for older youth and adults and will teach basic skills of organization that will serve in Scouting and beyond. Youth preparing for college, as well as Scouts working on their Eagle, Venturing Summit or Sea Scout Quartermaster awards, will find this course an excellent preparation. | Project
Management for Crews - PowerPoint presentation Project Management Appendix - PDF |
| The "Right" Knife - A discussion of knife designs, sizes, weights, features, uses, performance characteristics, different blade metals and handle materials, ease of care and sharpening, scabbard designs, specialty knives, is there a perfect knife, reasons why people choose their favorite knife, and more… | REI page on "Knives and Tools: How to Choose" (internet link) |
| Safety Considerations in the Backcountry - We'll tie together the various BSA safety courses as they relate to leading successful trips in the outdoors. From keeping your group together to watching for hazardous weather, this course will cover many of the safety considerations you need to always keep in mind when taking groups outdoors. |
PowerPoint
presentation
First Aid Preparedness and Injury Prevention for the Wilderness and Beyond - web page from a firm of Injury Lawyers with useful information and links. Guide to Wilderness Medicine for Outdoor Professionals and First Responders - off-site web page from University of North Dakota |
| Scout Knots - Learn how to tie and how to use the basic knots for Webelos through Scouts BSA requirements | 2011 PowerPoint
Presentation 2009 PowerPoint Presentation Knot Wall Chart and Knot
Handout (PDF) Internet Links:
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| Shooting Sports Program for Your Troop / Venturing Crew: Archery, rifle, shotgun — learning to use this equipment safely and accurately interests almost every Scout. This course lays out the rules, offers guidelines for preparing your Youth and Leaders, and helps you to understand how to use Council and other Resources to add Shooting Sports to your Unit Program | 2023 Handout - PDF |
| Stay Away Yogi! -- Camping in Bear Country - Bear Country is a lot closer than you expect! This session will get you thinking about how to critter-proof your food supply whether you are Car Camping or Backpacking. Learn how to hang a bear bag and keep your 'vittles to yourself! | Protecting your food and keeping safe - PDF |
| Stoves - Compressed or liquid fuel, lightweight or traditional? What's new in stove technology? A detailed look at and discussion of cooking stoves suitable for backpacking | 2008
University of Scouting PowerPoint Presentation REI Guide to Cooking
Stoves |
| Tabletop Pioneering - This hands-on workshop will show you how to build simple structures using dowels or pencils and string on a tabletop. As time allows, we'll go further and try monkey bridges, water tripods, and more complicated things. Practice on a table, so in the wilds you're able! | Scale model pioneering projects for troop meetings - PDF |
| Talking to Youth about Youth Protection: Talking about Youth Protection to the youth in your Unit is an important responsibility, but it can be hard to open that conversation. Come and learn about the resources that are available, but also how to enlist your Leadership and Unit Parents in making these discussions non-threatening and helpful. | Presenting Youth Protection for Youth - PDF |
| The Ten Essentials and More! - Whenever you head for the woods or water, there are certain things that make for health, safety, and peace-of-mind. This course will help you develop your own list of Ten Essentials. | 2017 Presentation -
PDF Backpacking 101 from 2010 University - PDF 2004 PowerPoint Presentation Ten Essentials List by
John Udall - PDF Off-site Links:
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| Trek Safely - This course is required for at least one adult accompanying any Unit planning an activity off an established Scouting property. | 2015 PowerPoint Presentation - PPSX |
| Understanding the Exploring/Venturing Program - Learn all about the Venturing program from going on activities to advancement, uniforming and running the crew. | 2007 PowerPoint
Presentation 2006 PowerPoint Presentation Adult Leadership
PowerPoint Crew 951 Constitution - MSWord |
| Uniforming - Uniforming? Why is it important? Who's in charge? How do I know what I can wear on my uniform and what shouldn't be word on it? How about the Scouts? How do I know what goes where? If you've asked yourself any of these questions and you'd like to get the right information, come join this class and "Understand Uniforming the Scout way". | 2010 PowerPoint Presentation |
| Using Smartphones in the Outdoors: Most people carry a Smartphone of one kind or another and there are many tools and apps available for these devices. This course looks at some of the more useful Scouting and Outdoors apps and discusses the pros and cons of using your Smartphone as a tool — or backup tool — in the great outdoors. | 2022 PowerPoint presentation (PPTX) |
| Using the Venturing Advancement Program: National has revamped the Venturing Advancement program. Come and learn what is happening and how you can use the new program to inject new life and variety into your Unit. | Internet Links:
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| Venture Program Planning - Learn how to set up a crew program for the entire year that will excite the youth members and keep them interested! | PowerPoint Presentation
- and another
Planning PowerPoint Presentations - Part1 Part2 Venturing Activity
Ideas - PDF |
| Venturing Recruiting & Getting Crews Up to Speed: Learn how to recruit new crew members and get everyone up to speed as quickly as possible. | Recruiting Venturers - PDF Venturing Marketing Guide - PDF |
| Venturing Leadership Training |
Power Point Presentations: Session 1 - Vision Session 2 - Communication Session 3 - Communication / Empathetic Listening Session 4 - Planning Session 5 - Organization / Delegation Session 6 - Synergism Session 7 - Team Building / Ranking Session 8 - Tangle Knot Session 9 - Five Styles of Leadership Materials and Notes: Crew Nametags - PDF VSALT Organization
and Leadership (from Mark Ritter) |
| Water Treatment - (Primitive Skills -- Water Treatment in the outdoors): It is essential to treat or purify water to make it safe to drink. This session will review the various problems of back country water (parasites, protozoa, chemicals and other gross stuff) and will offer hands-on demonstrations of many ways to make water drinkable, especially when faced with a situation where you are without the means or equipment to utilize advanced chemical or filtering methods. |
Water
Treatment and Purification by Bill Miller - PDF
Purifying Filthy Detritus-Filled Water for Drinking - PDF REI Guide to Water Purifiers and Filters |
| Weather and Risk Management - Despite the forecast, units might experience unexpected hazardous weather situations including thunderstorms, floods, or even a microburst or tornado. Learn how to be prepared and reduce vulnerability, signs that indicate you are in trouble, and what to do when things do not look good. | 2013 PowerPoint Presentation |
| Where to Go Hiking And Backpacking - Starting with the Finger Lakes Trail, there are hundreds of miles of hiking trails here in our own backyard. Come learn about some of these, as well as trails in the Catskills, the Adirondacks and north-central Pennsylvania, which boasts some of the most scenic hiking trails anywhere! | 2019 PowerPoint
presentation 2016 PowerPoint presentation Hike Recommendations -- Baden-Powell Council Area - a sampling of the many hiking trail systems found in and near the Baden-Powell Council Area -- primarily the counties of Susquehanna in Pennsylvania, and Broome, Tioga, Chenango, Cortland, and Tompkins in New York. You’ll find all of these trails ideal for hikes by Scouts of all ages -- Cub Scouts, Scouts BSAs, and Venturers alike -- and for whatever distances you are looking for ! Tuscarora
Trail System Overview - PowerPoint Hike the Finger Lakes
Trail - 2011 PowerPoint Internet Links: |
| Whittlin' Wood - Don't cut corners! - It's fun to use your pocketknife to make a pointy stick, but it's even more fun to whittle a fun or useful object. It's even more fun if you still have ten fingers when you are finished! Come and learn knife safety and the basic techniques of whittling. | Neckerchief Slides - PDF |
| Wilderness Survival Food - A beginning course in finding edible wild plants that you can use to survive during the Spring, Summer and Fall. The course includes food basics to bring along on a longer outing. You will receive handouts, book references, and some food samples from our area in the Spring period; the handout will tell how to handle wild plants to eat at different times of the year. | Internet links:
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| Winter Mountaineering - Topics covered: snowshoeing & skiing, backpacking with sleds, snow shelters. | Beginning Cold Weather Camping - PowerPoint from BSBLT |
| Youth With Special Needs - Working with Scouts with Special Needs, such as ADHD, physical limitations or mental disabilities, presents special challenges, as well as special rewards. Here's how you can make their Scouting days more successful, and preserve your sanity | 2023
University of Scouting Presentation on Advancement for Special Needs
Scouts - PDF 2023 University of Scouting Notes on Advancement for Special Needs Scouts - PDF BSA Guide to Working with Scouts with Special Needs and Disabilities - PDF Disability Models - PDF
Supporting
Scouts with ADHD from 2011 BSBLT (also notes
in PDF) 2008 Handouts (PDF): "Accommodating ADD"
- reprint from CASP Today |
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