About the WAVES Theme

Make a difference, one Scout at a time.  

As you experience Wood Badge, it's important to remember why Wood Badge itself and the Scouting program exists.  It's because of the Scouts.  Wood Badge teaches the importance of remembering that everything we do - meetings, activities, campouts, gatherings - is to be done with the benefit of the Scout in mind.  Every Scout matters.  

The starfish represents that one Scout who will benefit because of your effort.  Throughout this course, the image of the starfish is prevalent to remind us that with all the fun, excitement, relationships, and incredible food that is the hallmark of our Wood Badge course, if we aren't making a difference to that Scout, we are just another program, just another training, and we will have missed the opportunity to have a real impact.

 We may not be able to make a difference to every young person, but we can make a difference to one.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Embrace your calling. 
Recognizing that you've been called to your leadership role lends a sense of gravity to your efforts.  You serve a purpose that is greater than yourself.  It's been said that you are God's masterpiece and you were created with purpose.  What you do matters - you aren't just filling in space.   You have skills, experience, and perspectives that are unique to you.  Understanding your values will help you understand your purpose, your passion.  With that knowledge, you will be effectively able to Engage with others.  There are those who need what you have.  

Engage with others.
Building meaningful relationships with Scouts and Scouters is the best way to find our common values and learn from one another.   Engaging means being available when that person has a question, needs to learn a new skill, is looking for direction.  Set some time aside to focus on getting to know those around you better.  Transparency on your part will help them feel more comfortable being open with you.  You can be part of their story by building into them from your knowledge and experience when you take the the time to engage. 

Encourage others in personal growth.
As you get to know your Scouts , Scouters, and others in your sphere of influence, you'll begin to see the areas where they struggle.  They need to know it's okay to take that next unsure step knowing they might fail.  When we fail, we learn valuable lessons that will  help us succeed the next time.   Failure can be discouraging, though.  In those discouraging times, we need someone to tell us to pick ourselves up and dust ourselves off, that it will be okay.  Sometimes, that unexpected greeting when the Scout shows up to meeting is the first encouraging thing they've heard that day.   Whether learning to tie knots , cook in a Dutch oven, or rappelling down a cliff face, encourage is often the only thing that keeps us going.  

Empower them as they strive to succeed.
Empowering others means to step back and let them lead.  You've laid the foundation through  time spent together, working toward a common purpose, and helped them find their vision.  You've given them the information and training, now step back and let them do it.   Seeing a Scout finally pass the 1st Class swimming requirement after failing for a year-and-a-half (true story) is  unbelievably rewarding.   You've helped them establish themselves on the way to  their success, and they won't forget it. 

~EMBRACE ~ ENGAGE ~ ENCOURAGE ~ EMPOWER~
can be explained simply as making a difference to someone today.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The compass is the symbol of National Youth Leadership Training (NYLT), often called the youth version of Wood Badge.   NYLT provides Scouts with the opportunity to learn the same leadership language that adults learn in Wood Badge: team building, communication, conflict resolution, planning, and much more in a fun and high energy environment guided by more experienced Scouts.  

This experience transforms an inexperienced Scout into a leader.  After completing NYLT, Scouts talk and lead with more confidence and capability than when they started.  Many parents have asked at the end of course, "what did you do to my (son or daughter) - they are so different."   What a testimony for their personal growth!

When a Scout returns to NYLT as a staff member, they grow even more because they are now the ones teaching the material to a new group of inexperienced Scouts.  NYLT is a program that works.  Just as every Scout deserves a trained leader, every unit deserves trained Scouts.  

Units with both NYLT trained Scouts and Wood Badge trained adults speak the same leadership language and can work together to create a more successful program.

When Lord Robert Baden-Powell was training solders in the British Army in outdoor skills such as camping, tracking, and surviving, he adorned the uniforms of those who had been through his program with a fleur-de-lis, the symbol the cartographers of old used to designate North.

The mission of Scouting America is to prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetimes by instilling in them the values of the Scout Oath and Law.  

In Scouting the Fleur-de-lis is on every uniform as a reminder of where our moral compass always points - to the Scout Oath and Scout Law.  The three lobes of the fleur-de-lis represent the three points of the Scout Oath: our duty to God and country, duty to others, and our duty to ourselves.  We will always conduct ourselves in a manner worthy of that calling.

The Wood Badge Pentagon 

The five colors represent the five themes of Wood Badge: Growing, Connecting, Guiding, Empowering, and Living the Values

The open sides of the pentagon represent the idea that learning is never complete.  Through lifelong learning we will continue to expand our knowledge.

The Wood Badge beads represents the completed Ticket, the satisfaction and recognition that comes with accomplishing our goals and making an impact.

The Fleur-de-lis is the symbol of Scouting, always pointing to the source of our values - the Scout Oath and Scout Law

The official national course number of LHC-WAVES is Wood Badge 14-205-25 where 14 is the region, 205 is the Council, and 25 is the year in which the course took place.  Outside of Lincoln Heritage Council, this number is how this course will be known.

If you've every watched a the sun set over the Caribbean Sea, it is one of the most beautiful sights in nature.  It is the artwork of our Creator on full display.  Each sunset is unique, and the beauty of each sunset is to be enjoyed in that moment because that same sunset will not happen again.  

It's surprising how quickly the sun drops below the waves.  One minute, it's blinding in its brightness, and the next minute the waves have seemed to engulf it, and along with it, the light.

Our time on Earth is not limitless, and neither is our time in Scouting.  Tomorrow is not guaranteed.  The opportunities of today may not be afforded us tomorrow, but we have today.  As leaders we have been called, and the time is right now to make a difference.  Our Scouts are here today.  We are here today.  

The sun will set on this course on April 19, 2027.  Don't miss the opportunity you have in this season that you will never have again.  Let us always remember that the ripples of today will be the WAVES of tomorrow.  Let us never regret the ripple we didn't make.