Frequently Asked Questions
What is NYLT?
Course objective: To teach participants the leadership skills necessary to be effective leaders in their home units, while helping them experience the fun and challenge of Scouting at its very best.
This is an intense, week long leadership training course for Scouts. As the third step in the Boy Scout program for Youth Leader development, this course provides your Scouts with the Leadership skills they need to be truly effective. It is the most advanced Youth Leader Training that Scouting offers.
The first step in Youth Leader training is the "Introduction to Leadership." This is the individual counseling that the Scoutmaster does with a youth when he undertakes a new position.It is the training in the specific functions of his new position.
The second phase of Youth Leader training is "Troop Leader Training." This is training at the troop level to help the youths to do a better job of working together. It addresses many very practical situations a Youth Leader may encounter. This training can only be effectively carried out at the Troop level.
The third phaseof training is "National Youth Leadership Training" (NYLT). The interaction among scouts from all over the Council is a major ingredient in the course. That is why it is not able to be provided at the Unit level alone. NYLT supports the training done by the home Troop.
All three types of training are necessary to develop the Scouts' potential fully.
We've never sent anyone before...Why should we send scouts to NYLT now?
Sending Scouts to NYLT helps them develop their leadership potential. This results in a smoother running unit. If your Troop is committed to having a true boy run Troop, your youth leaders need the skills presented in this course.
What Will It Cost?
Fee: $210.00
A non refundable $50.00 deposit per Scout is required with the registration form to hold the reservation. The remaining fee is to be paid by May 7th 2010.
Deposits and fees are Non-Refundable. Fees paid are transferable to another fully eligible scout who has his Scoutmasters recommendation etc. and will be handled internally within the unit. The NYLT Scoutmaster must be contacted in advance if this were to take place.
Scouts with unpaid fees will be contacted around May 7th however after May 10th if fees remain unpaid they will be dropped from the course.
Space is limited, so sign up early! If someone wants to register and pay fees in full they may end up "bumping" a scout whose fees are not paid in full. The course is limited to the first 48 Fully Paid participants. Make a decision and make the commitment to attend.
There will be a "Stand-By List" for scouts who may become bumped or register after the course is full. Scouts on Stand-By will be contacted shortly after July 3rd there is an opportunity becomes available for them to attend NYLT.
For more information contact the NYLT Scoutmaster:
Bill Whealton baldeagle82@bellsouth.net or (706) 325-2084
Isn't the Troop or Scoutmaster Training Enough?
NYLT builds on and enhances the skills and ideas introduced at the other levels of training. NYLT is not designed to replace Troop Leader Training done by the Scoutmaster which is the first step in BSA's youth leadership training continuum. NYLT is the second step in the training continuum and it is designed to provide additional leadership skills and enhance the scouts' ability to lead within the troop.
What Will the Scout Learn?
The Scout will learn the fundamentals of good leadership. These include the skills of motivating people and getting the job done. They are presented in a form that encourages the Scout to practice these skills as they are learned. The Scout will learn the importance of forming a group into a unit that is working together because they want to. The tools of communications, identifying and using resources, representing the group and dealing with problems will all be presented. Your Scout will have an opportunity to practice these skills while learning the kinds of results they can bring. The skills related to planning, effective teaching, and sharing leadership also will be presented. These tools are the ones that will get the job done. Scouts are challenged through various Patrol activities to provide practical, hands on, experience in the use of these skills. The Scout leaves with a "Leadership Tool Kit" to aid him in applying his newly acquired skills back in the Troop.
Does NYLT Teach Scoutcraft Skills Like the Old JLTC?
Our focus at NYLT is on the leadership skills and providing an opportunity to use and strengthen those skills. Participants must have achieved the rank of First Class or higher prior to attending NYLT. It is presumed they possess skills in the areas of cooking, fire building, camping, knot tying, safety and first aid required by the First Class rank. They will have to prepare some of their own meals as a patrol during the course. They will be introduced to navigating with a Global Positioning System unit and Wilderness First Aid which both are a part of the curriculum.
How Is the Course Organized?
The course is set up to represent a month in the life of a Scout Troop. Patrols experience the stages of team development. Scouts discover that leadership requires vision, goals, and planning. They learn how to define a vision, set goals for achieving it, and plan for accomplishing those goals. Built on the legacy of past youth leader training courses, NYLT integrates the best of modern leadership theory with the traditional strengths of the Scouting experience. Through activities, presentations, challenges, discussions, and audio-visual support NYLT participants will be engaged in a unified approach to leadership that will give them the skills and confidence to lead well. A wide range of activities, events, games and adventures will cause the NYLT participants to work and play together as they put into action the best that Scouting has to offer. The National Youth Leadership Training Conference is a week long outdoor adventure. It is fun, intense, and challenging.
Which Scouts Do We Send?
Send the Scouts who are now in leadership positions or will be soon based on eligibility requirements and the home Scoutmasters recommendation. This would include the positions of Assistant Patrol Leader, Patrol Leader, Assistant Senior Patrol Leader, Senior Patrol Leader, and Troop Guide to name the most obvious. The real answer to the question of "who and how many" Scouts to send. It is more a question of the Scoutmaster and parents both deciding, "Is this scout (my son) mature enough to take part in a week long intensive training course?" The Scoutmaster should also ask himself, "Does this scout have the potential to become a leader in the troop this year?" This is where the Scoutmaster's recommendation is important!
It is always best to take advantage of the benefits of the Buddy System in Scouting and send two or more Scouts to share the information and support each other upon returning to the troop.
Scouts have also attended NYLT by themselves, without fellow troop member; and have done well in previous courses. Don't let the lack of a buddy from the same troop attending become the deciding factor for a scout not to attend. Scouts will make new friends at this course.
Are Camperships Available?
Many units sponsor youth to attend NYLT by paying all or part of the course fee. Limited camperships may be available. Please contact our Course Director directly. Bill Whealton: baldeagle82@bellsouth.net
A Final Thought:
Some may think that a week at camp isn't long enough to teach a youth how to become a leader. Others believe a week dedicated to attending NYLT is just too long. There is no correct answer. Becoming a leader is an evolutionary process. The more practice they get using their leadership skills the better leaders they become. The NYLT course gets Scouts started on the right path by presenting leadership skills, helps identify and strengthens the skills they already possess and gives them an opportunity to try out and hone those skill in a controlled, training environment. The Scout truly learns leadership by applying the skills he learns back in his home Troop under the guidance of his Scoutmaster. The training of youth leaders is the responsibility of the Scoutmaster. NYLT is designed to support, not replace, the Scoutmaster's role in the training process.
Each scout who attends will do so as a representative of his home troop and is required to wear the full scout uniform and insignia properly. Anything other than an Official BSA Field Uniform is unacceptable. No jeans or "off-brand green" shorts or pants. Only Official BSA Uniforms!!