University of Scouting
What is University of Scouting? UoS is an all-day event focused on providing lots of Supplemental Training classes for Adult Leaders. Over 60 class offerings are included in our catalog, focused on Scouts BSA and Cub Scouts,. Learn how to tie unique knots, successfully recruit more youth, plan an amazing outing, run an awesome unit meeting, and fix unit problems that never quite get solved in the all too frequent “parking lot” and ‘water cooler’ meetings.
It’s been 4 years since the last UoS that means there are Bear leaders that have not had the chance to hear in an interactive way from previous Bear leaders. This is an adult leader opportunity to interact face to face with the ENTIRE council; where we can ask questions, listen to others, present problems and seek solutions. If there is one objective of 2023, it would be to build our rolodex of ‘go to’ people.
Our program is not only going to be in the class but in the halls, during lunch and in breakouts.
We are bringing in people who are “in the know” with advancement, training, program, council camps at ALL levels of scouting. They will all be here for you.
Contacts: The members of our staff of the UoS are here to help, answer questions, and make course participation at UoS as informative (and as FUN/SAFE) as possible. Do not hesitate to contact us.
PLEASE NOTE: THIS IS NOT MERIT BADGE COLLEGE.
NO MERIT BADGES ARE BEING OFFERED TO YOUTH MEMBERS.
Registration for UoS is only available online. The basic registration fee is $15.00 per participant (including faculty and staff) which includes a patch. THERE IS NO PLANNED LUNCH SERVICE – Please bring your own food and snacks. Be cognizant that we are in a school and nut allergies can be severe. We also do not know the health conditions of the region in advance as well as food service requirements. Because of this there will be no child care.
We WILL have coffee, tea, juice as well as hot and cold water with appropriate cups.
We will NOT have access to microwaves, refrigeration or food warming at the school.
Participants will be asked to make all course selections when registering online.
A limited edition 7 inch jacket patch for UoS can also be purchased when checking in on March 14th ($15.00).
Note this is a training event and all extra proceeds from the UoS will go to a scholarship fund to offset the expenses for scouts participating in our National Youth Leadership Training (NYLT) program.
LOCATION: Easton Country Day School, 660 Morehouse Rd, Easton, CT 06612
It is vital that you include a valid email address when registering for UoS. We will use your email address to communicate any schedule changes (or weather delays) as well as send you a transcript of completed courses AFTER the event. Schedule changes and other current information will be sent routinely.
When you check-in at the registration desk on the day of the event, you will be given a schedule of the courses you selected online, along with room assignments. To make sure we have an accurate record of your participation, instructors will take attendance in each class.
Youth Protection Training for all participants 18 years and older MUST BE CURRENT (completed on or after January 1, 2022) when registering. UoS registration will be rejected for any adult who is not current in their Youth Protection Training. Please contact the Registrar with any questions about this requirement.
Welcome
On behalf of the Connecticut Yankee Council, I would like to welcome you to the University of Scouting, an OUTSTANDING DAY OF TRAINING FOR ADULTS LEADERS Our faculty and staff have put together an amazing program again this year, with a wide range of useful courses to choose from. I know you will find some great nuggets of knowledge and skill to take back and enhance your program, and definitely make some new Scouting friends.
Please take the time to browse ALL the course offerings from both Cub Scouts and Scouts BSA. While the courses are listed by program, everyone is free to take any course. We’ve tried to make this catalog easy to read and understand, and more handy when planning your time with us.
As chair of this great event, I know that our Deans have worked tirelessly to select excellent course content, refine the schedules and recruit the best instructors possible. Our instructors are passionate about Scouting and about improving the program for our youth, and it will show in the way they deliver the program. Our administrative staff has worked for months making sure those things we all take for granted are working for us when we arrive.
This year marks the 6th time that Connecticut Yankee Council is offering the University of Scouting – after a massive 4 year gap. I promise that we will do our best to make this a memorable experience (the GOOD kind of memorable). For those many Leaders who attended the UoS in past years, we heard your feedback. We have continued to make changes, added courses, and improved our processes. We have focused exclusively on the Cubs and Scouts BSA as these programs need us more now than ever.
I look forward to meeting each of you in March!
Ed Gratrix
Chancellor, University of Scouting 2023
Schedule for the day
START |
END |
EVENT |
LOCATION |
| 7:30 AM | 8:30 AM | Registration and Midway Displays | Entry |
| 8:30 AM | 8:45 AM | Opening Ceremony | Gymnasium |
| 9:00 AM | 9:50 AM | Class Period 1 | Class Rooms |
| 10:00 AM | 10:50 AM | Class Period 2 | Class Rooms |
| 11:00 AM | 11:50 AM | Class Period 3 | Class Rooms |
| 12:00 PM | 12:30 PM | Lunch | Cafeteria |
| 12:00 PM | 1:20 PM | Midway Displays | Entry |
| 12:30 PM | 1:20 PM | Position Specific Breakout Sessions | Class Rooms |
| 1:30 PM | 2:20 PM | Class Period 4 | Class Rooms |
| 2:30 PM | 3:20 PM | Class Period 5 | Class Rooms |
| 3:30 PM | 4:20 PM | Class Period 6 | Class Rooms |
| 4:30 PM | 4:45 PM | Wood Badge Beading Ceremony | Gymnasium |
Note 1: University of Scouting concludes immediately after the 6th class period. There is no closing ceremony.
Note 2: Everyone is invited to attend a Wood Badge Beading ceremony in the Cafeteria, at 4:30 PM.
Thank you for your dedication to effective Scouting. Your participation in this training event illustrates that you care about the quality of the Scouting program that you are able to deliver for the youth whom you serve. The ability of Scouting to make a difference for our youth depends on volunteers like you who participate in training programs to seek broader knowledge and continual improvement. This event provides the broadest variety of Scouting course offerings under one roof available for Scouters and Scouts in our area.
Please enjoy your visit with us today. Absorb all that you can, and then relay what you have learned back to your units and districts. This is your primary responsibility as a UoS participant. But please don’t stop there. Scouting needs you to help our program be even more effective next year. There are three key ways that YOU can help. As a UoS participant, we have the following requests to ask of you.
- Feedback is a gift. Your feedback for each class taken and for the UoS as a whole helps to guide the staff to improve the program for next year. Any and all constructive feedback is greatly appreciated. We will email a link to an online survey after UoS is completed. Please complete the evaluation form for each course to let us know what you liked and what you didn’t. The gift of your feedback enables us to ensure that we continue to meet your needs as a Scouting leader. And if your instructor did a good job, remember to say “thank you”.
- Spread the Word. Did you know that it takes almost the same time for the staff to prepare this event whether we draw 75 or 175 participants? Or that it takes our instructors the same time to prepare whether 3 or 23 participants register for the class? Therefore, the effectiveness of this event to have a positive impact on the youth in Scouting is directly proportional to the number of seats filled in the classrooms. YOU are our best channel for promotion. If you are interested in being a participant, so might others in your unit and in your district. So tell others. Please. And bring a friend (or two or five) to this year’s UoS.
- Share what you know. What’s the difference between a faculty or staff member and a class participant? NOTHING! We are all Scouting volunteers. All staff members have “real” Scouting jobs just like you. And we are ALL attending UoS to learn. For any individual course to succeed, we need and want an exchange of ideas. Very few of our classes are designed as one sided lectures. So ask questions and share your ideas during class. Don’t simply attend UoS, please, please, please PARTICIPATE.
Dress Code: The full BSA field uniform (AKA Class A Uniform) associated with your unit and program is the appropriate attire for all UoS participants and faculty. For members of unit committees or unregistered parents – the proper attire is what you would wear to one of your unit meetings. Please note that some classes will be held out of doors, rain (snow) or shine. So BE PREPARED for the weather. Remember, this is New England….in March.
Cell Phone Use: Cell phone courtesy is expected at all times. There will be very limited service at the Easton Location. Texting during class is prohibited (please) and phones must be on vibrate-only mode. We know that life does not stop while attending a Scouting event. If you must make or take a call, please exit the classroom quietly. Note that the UoS staff may use their cell phones for urgent communications during the event. This is key to our event day communications.
Entry: Wheelchair access is available to all floors of the school.
Code of Conduct: All participants, staff, and guests are expected to conduct themselves in accordance with the principles set forth in the Scout Oath and Law. Scouts (and Scouters) always leave their environment better than they found it and we encourage everyone to clean up after themselves and others. We need your help in practicing Leave No Trace throughout the day. Youth protection measures are in effect at all times.
-
Welcome!
-
Welcome
On behalf of the Connecticut Yankee Council, I would like to welcome you to the University of Scouting, an OUTSTANDING DAY OF TRAINING FOR ADULTS LEADERS Our faculty and staff have put together an amazing program again this year, with a wide range of useful courses to choose from. I know you will find some great nuggets of knowledge and skill to take back and enhance your program, and definitely make some new Scouting friends.
Please take the time to browse ALL the course offerings from both Cub Scouts and Scouts BSA. While the courses are listed by program, everyone is free to take any course. We’ve tried to make this catalog easy to read and understand, and more handy when planning your time with us.
As chair of this great event, I know that our Deans have worked tirelessly to select excellent course content, refine the schedules and recruit the best instructors possible. Our instructors are passionate about Scouting and about improving the program for our youth, and it will show in the way they deliver the program. Our administrative staff has worked for months making sure those things we all take for granted are working for us when we arrive.
This year marks the 6th time that Connecticut Yankee Council is offering the University of Scouting – after a massive 4 year gap. I promise that we will do our best to make this a memorable experience (the GOOD kind of memorable). For those many Leaders who attended the UoS in past years, we heard your feedback. We have continued to make changes, added courses, and improved our processes. We have focused exclusively on the Cubs and Scouts BSA as these programs need us more now than ever.
I look forward to meeting each of you in March!
Ed Gratrix
Chancellor, University of Scouting 2023
-
Overall Schedule
-
Schedule for the day
START
END
EVENT
LOCATION
7:30 AM 8:30 AM Registration and Midway Displays Entry 8:30 AM 8:45 AM Opening Ceremony Gymnasium 9:00 AM 9:50 AM Class Period 1 Class Rooms 10:00 AM 10:50 AM Class Period 2 Class Rooms 11:00 AM 11:50 AM Class Period 3 Class Rooms 12:00 PM 12:30 PM Lunch Cafeteria 12:00 PM 1:20 PM Midway Displays Entry 12:30 PM 1:20 PM Position Specific Breakout Sessions Class Rooms 1:30 PM 2:20 PM Class Period 4 Class Rooms 2:30 PM 3:20 PM Class Period 5 Class Rooms 3:30 PM 4:20 PM Class Period 6 Class Rooms 4:30 PM 4:45 PM Wood Badge Beading Ceremony Gymnasium Note 1: University of Scouting concludes immediately after the 6th class period. There is no closing ceremony.
Note 2: Everyone is invited to attend a Wood Badge Beading ceremony in the Cafeteria, at 4:30 PM.
-
Information
-
Thank you for your dedication to effective Scouting. Your participation in this training event illustrates that you care about the quality of the Scouting program that you are able to deliver for the youth whom you serve. The ability of Scouting to make a difference for our youth depends on volunteers like you who participate in training programs to seek broader knowledge and continual improvement. This event provides the broadest variety of Scouting course offerings under one roof available for Scouters and Scouts in our area.
Please enjoy your visit with us today. Absorb all that you can, and then relay what you have learned back to your units and districts. This is your primary responsibility as a UoS participant. But please don’t stop there. Scouting needs you to help our program be even more effective next year. There are three key ways that YOU can help. As a UoS participant, we have the following requests to ask of you.
- Feedback is a gift. Your feedback for each class taken and for the UoS as a whole helps to guide the staff to improve the program for next year. Any and all constructive feedback is greatly appreciated. We will email a link to an online survey after UoS is completed. Please complete the evaluation form for each course to let us know what you liked and what you didn’t. The gift of your feedback enables us to ensure that we continue to meet your needs as a Scouting leader. And if your instructor did a good job, remember to say “thank you”.
- Spread the Word. Did you know that it takes almost the same time for the staff to prepare this event whether we draw 75 or 175 participants? Or that it takes our instructors the same time to prepare whether 3 or 23 participants register for the class? Therefore, the effectiveness of this event to have a positive impact on the youth in Scouting is directly proportional to the number of seats filled in the classrooms. YOU are our best channel for promotion. If you are interested in being a participant, so might others in your unit and in your district. So tell others. Please. And bring a friend (or two or five) to this year’s UoS.
- Share what you know. What’s the difference between a faculty or staff member and a class participant? NOTHING! We are all Scouting volunteers. All staff members have “real” Scouting jobs just like you. And we are ALL attending UoS to learn. For any individual course to succeed, we need and want an exchange of ideas. Very few of our classes are designed as one sided lectures. So ask questions and share your ideas during class. Don’t simply attend UoS, please, please, please PARTICIPATE.
Dress Code: The full BSA field uniform (AKA Class A Uniform) associated with your unit and program is the appropriate attire for all UoS participants and faculty. For members of unit committees or unregistered parents – the proper attire is what you would wear to one of your unit meetings. Please note that some classes will be held out of doors, rain (snow) or shine. So BE PREPARED for the weather. Remember, this is New England….in March.
Cell Phone Use: Cell phone courtesy is expected at all times. There will be very limited service at the Easton Location. Texting during class is prohibited (please) and phones must be on vibrate-only mode. We know that life does not stop while attending a Scouting event. If you must make or take a call, please exit the classroom quietly. Note that the UoS staff may use their cell phones for urgent communications during the event. This is key to our event day communications.
Entry: Wheelchair access is available to all floors of the school.
Code of Conduct: All participants, staff, and guests are expected to conduct themselves in accordance with the principles set forth in the Scout Oath and Law. Scouts (and Scouters) always leave their environment better than they found it and we encourage everyone to clean up after themselves and others. We need your help in practicing Leave No Trace throughout the day. Youth protection measures are in effect at all times.