Every great youth organization has solid support from dedicated adults. Scouting exemplifies the idea of many hands make light work. But not everyone has to wear the tan shirt.
Adult Participation
Not every adult needs to be registered, but we ask that every adult participate in supporting the troop in some way.
How to register to be able to drive, camp, and otherwise interact with youth: Adult Participation Policy
Volunteer
We have are a number of volunteer “small bite” jobs that actually do approach the famous “one hour per week” that every over-stretched volunteer laughs about. The more people who do a small amount, the better program we can deliver for our scouts. And it’s more fun for everyone!
Volunteers do not interact with scouts, and as such do not need to be registered.
Please reach out to a member of leadership for the list of volunteer jobs, as it is highly subject to change according to needs.
Be a Leader
No, being a leader does not fall under “one hour per week”, but yes, it is a lot of fun and rewarding. Leaders are registered with BSA, fingerprinted and registered with the State of California, take online Youth Protection training, and Trained Leaders do a number of online classes as well as in-person training. But, we also go camping and hiking trips, and even get to go to Summer Camp!
We especially need female leaders to ensure opportunities can happen for our girls’ troop, 782G, since statistics show that having a female leader present makes girls safer, and therefore BSA requires it.
Adult Training Opportunities
BSA offers a number of training opportunities for adult leaders, for a more reasonable cost than the same training anywhere else.
Online training on training.scouting.org is the easiest way to understand what scouting is all about, free and from the comfort of your own home. Youth Protection Training is the first training you should take.
Introduction to Outdoor Leadership Training (IOLS) is the first in-person class for adult leaders. It has a lot of information about how Scouting works. It is usually offered as a weekend class at a location hosted by Council, or also at Summer Camp for those who can attend. It is a great way to connect with adults of various experience levels in other troops, and can offer really fun experiences. For example, groups from an IOLS class at Summer Camp also participated in the dutch oven cooking contest. IOLS is required to have your Trained patch on your uniform.
High Adventure Training is advanced training to support certain types of treks. The San Diego High Adventure Team teaches classes on a regular basis for High Adventure Leader Trek Training (HALTT), Water Trek, Climbing, plus others. Sierra Trek and Philmont require leaders with HALTT, and Canoe Trek requires leaders with Water Trek, and the lack of a trained leader means the trek can’t happen. Please see also https://www.sdicscouting.org/programs/high-adventure
Wilderness First Aid is advanced first aid training required for going on high adventure treks. This is in addition to a regular first aid certification. Again, the lack of a trained leader means the trek can’t happen. This is offered locally and at some Summer Camps.
Wood Badge is Advanced Leadership Training for scouters. It delves into leadership, communication, train them/trust them/let them lead, and most importantly helps adults extract their “help” from the scouting experience so that scouts have the space to figure it out on their own. It is a five-day class (sequential or split into 3-day and 2-day weekends), plus five “tickets” or projects completed over the course of 18 months. Wood Badge graduates earn a pair of wooden beads worn on a cord and a Wood Badge neckerchief.