The Purpose

National Youth Leadership Training (NYLT) is an exciting, action-packed program designed to provide youth members of the Boy Scouts of America or Venturing with leadership skills and experiences they can use in their home troops or Crews and in other situations demanding knowledge, responsibility, and leadership of self and others. The NYLT course centers around the concepts of what a leader must BE, what he must KNOW, and what he must DO. The key elements are then taught with a clear focus on HOW TO. The skills come alive during the week as each scout goes on a Quest for the Meaning of Leadership. Most of all, the purpose of NYLT is to HAVE FUN!

What is National Youth Leadership Training?

National Youth Leadership Training is a six-day experience conducted by North Florida Council designed to provide each Scout with a meaningful experience in Scouting that will enhance his knowledge and create a deeper understanding of his role and responsibilities as a leader, a teacher, and role model in his/her unit, any team, and his life.

The course includes useful management and planning skills training, instruction on how to be an effective communicator, and guidelines for making ethical decisions that affect the leader and those around him. Sometimes referred to as "Wood Badge for Youth," NYLT corresponds with the learning principles taught in the new Wood Badge for the 21st Century course, so that youth and adult leaders will be speaking the same leadership language. In summary, NYLT is a comprehensive program designed to equip scouts with everything they will need to become a successful leader.

Course Overview

This is one of the Advanced Youth Training courses of the BSA. It is a Leadership Development program utilizing both classroom and outdoor activities as teaching methods conducted by a youth staff of trained NYLT graduates.

Patrols / teams are challenged early in the week to present to the troop at the end of the week their "Quest for the Meaning of Leadership." While the challenge is designed to have them go through the four stages of team development, it will help patrols and individual Scouts grasp and utilize the leadership skills and concepts being presented to them along the way.

Throughout the course, the staff will be modeling the concepts and skills that are the core content of the course. The focus of each session is not only knowledge but giving the youth a "Toolbox of Skills" that equips them with the "How to Lead."

The course begins with the patrols finding their team vision and ends with the individuals refining a personal vision of how to take the skills back to their home units and communicate what he/she has learned.

The course models a month in the life of a troop (and crew) three meetings (one each day for the first three days) all leading up to the big outdoor experience (an overnight outpost camp). The course uses the patrol method and presents model leadership planning meetings.

Course participants will experience:

Course Objectives

Skills Taught

Communicating Well - Understand that the skills of communicating well are not just for presentations but can be used whenever one is sharing ideas. Learn to communicate with adults.

Finding Your Vision - Vision as what future success looks like (team or personal)

Setting Your Goals - What are SMART Goals and how to use them to achieve your vision

Preparing Your Plans - Use of planning as a step in reaching goals and fulfilling visions

Forming Your Team - Describe the phases that a patrol or team will experience as members move toward achieving goals or learning new skills (Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing)

Problem Solving - Discuss the similarities between Planning and Problem Solving

Leading EDGE - Describe the four leadership approaches included in the leading Edge (Explaining, Demonstrating, Guiding, Enabling) and apply them to team development

Teaching EDGE - Describe the four steps of the Teaching Edge (Explain, Demonstrate, Guide, Enable) and how to use effective communications skills as a tool for teaching

Resolving Conflicts - Describe ways that a good leader minimizes conflict. Learn how to use EAR as a tool for resolving conflict (Express, Address, Resolve). When is adult involvement needed.

Making Ethical Decisions - Give a definition for ethics and discuss the importance of ethical decision-making (use the Scout Oath and Law)

Leading Yourself - Discuss the importance of having a personal vision and the phases of personal development (Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing)

Valuing People - Use the Scout Oath and Law as a guide in valuing other people. How to act in an ethical manner in our dealings with people whose core values differ from ours. Use ROPE (Reach, Organize, Practice, Experience) to strengthen the patrols/troops programs

Who Should Attend

NYLT is not summer camp! Rather, it is an outdoor leadership training course. There are no rank advancement opportunities during the week. The purpose of the course is to develop leadership skills which Scouts can use in their home units and throughout their lives. Scouts who attend should be experienced in outdoor skills including camping, hiking, and cooking.

Youth who meet the following requirements may attend:

Boy Scouts

Venturing / Varsity Youth / Sea Scouts

Participants do not have to be currently serving in a leadership role, but should have the skills and abilities to do so in the future. Units should encourage those Scouts who hold leadership positions to attend.

Registration Process

To apply, complete this application and send it to North Florida Council.

Applications submitted without the Scoutmaster's approval and/or without an accompanying deposit cannot be guaranteed a spot. Full payment is transferable but not refundable after June 1, 2012. Final and full payment is due by June 1, 2012!

When The Course Is

The North Florida Council's 31st NYLT will be held July 22-38, 2012 at Camp Shands.

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