For the April 9-10 weekend, we BETA-tested the new Crew Leadership Training (CLT) course which was provided to us by the BSA National Leadership Task Force.  CLT is the intended replacement for the introductory Venturing Leadership Skills Course (VLSC).  Due to some last minute logistics, the venue was changed from our normal meeting place to one of the Venturing family homes, including filling the back yard with the tents of the Crew and their visitors from Crews 898, 1504, and 1561.  The garage was emptied and turned into a cozy multimedia "learning center".

The new CLT course is broken into three modules that cover Unit Organization (previously overlooked in VLSC), Tools of the Trade, and Leadership and Teamwork.  Each learning point in the course is then reinforced with an "activity exercise", or game that reflect the objective of what needs to be learned.  As an example, learning about how your Crew is organized, the duties of each of the Crew officers, advisors, and supporting committee members requires a clear understanding of each position's roles and responsibilities.  No one person can do it all....thus the game is learning about How to Delegate.  You can't carry ALL the balloons and be effective, right?

Another change to the training is that common terms that match all of the different leadership courses in Scouting are now present in CLT.  The EDGE method (Explain, Demonstrate, Guide, Enable) is matched up to the Stages of Team Development (Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing), just as it is presented in National Youth Leadership Training, National Advanced Youth Leadership Experience, and of course, Wood Badge.  Common goals, common language, common understanding.  Whoda thunk?