NYLT will be presented August 15 - 20, 2010.  Follow this link for a brochure.

 

What Is National Youth Leadership Training (NYLT)?

The NYLT course simulates a month in the life of a troop. It is a six-day course, usually held at a council camp or other outdoor setting. It reinforces and expands upon Be-Know-Do leadership. Scouts learn a number of leadership skills and concepts summarized on the memory tips card. The youth learn about the stages of team development and how to match the most appropriate leadership style with the developmental stage of the individual or team. The course has many challenges for the youths, including its culmination where they undergo a quest for the meaning of leadership, which they then present to the entire NYLT troop.

The NYLT course has Eight Key Elements

1. A Month in the Life of a Troop

NYLT is a six-day course where the Scouts live and work in an outdoor setting as part of a patrol within the NYLT troop. They experience the simulation of a month in the life of a troop, complete with patrol leaders' council meetings and planning for the big monthly outing (the outpost overnight trip at the end of the course). They use the patrol method throughout the course and rotate leadership positions so that each can experience different roles. There is an immediate application of learning in a variety of structured and fun events.

The first days of the course equal three weeks of a troop, including troop and patrol leaders' council meetings, and a wide range of activities and games such as a campwide geocache game and a session on realistic first aid. They learn to set a vision, with goals and plans, and use this process to plan for the big troop event, which gives them a chance to test their plans. They experience learning through action at its best.

Each patrol is also given a challenge to create a shared vision of success. They use this shared vision throughout the course to help achieve all they can as a patrol. Each patrol works on the quest for the meaning of leadership and, at the end of the course, presents their understanding of this and other concepts they have learned throughout the week as a skit, song, or something they build—the possibilities are endless.

2. Four Stages of Team Development

All teams (and individuals) go through development stages when facing any new task or project. They begin as highly enthusiastic but relatively low-skilled team members. As they begin to realize the task may be harder than they thought, and that their skills may need some work, their enthusiasm dips. Soon, however, they begin to gain some expertise in the skill, and their confidence begins to grow. Finally, they get it, and are a highly capable and enthusiastic team.

3. Leadership Requires Vision, Goals, and Plans

The boys are shown several video clips with the theme of Finding Your Vision/Creating a Future. They learn that "if you can see it, you can be it." Each Scout develops his personal vision for what future success looks like.

4. Toolbox of Leadership Skills

Each skill is summarized on the memory tips card as follows:

1.       Vision—Goals—Planning: Creating Future Success
The participants learn the process of creating a powerful vision, and then building goals and plans to accomplish that vision.
 

2.      SMART Goals—Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Timely
This method of setting goals keeps them tight and focused, and thus ensures that the goals can be accomplished by the youth and the patrol.
 

3.      Planning and Problem Solving Tool—What, How, When, Who
Setting priorities, assigning tasks, deciding how to actually carry out a plan are simplified for the youth with this easy-to-follow planning guide.
 

4.      Assessment Tool—SSC—Start, Stop, Continue
SSC provides a nonthreatening and highly effective tool to assess progress of a team and/or an individual. By looking for new things to try, stopping actions that are not effective, and ending on a "what are we doing well" note, this tool keeps projects (and behavior) on track.
 

5.       Teaching EDGE(TM)—Explain, Demonstrate, Guide, Enable
The Teaching EDGE(TM) tool is a simple four-step process used for teaching any skill.

o        Explain—The trainer explains how something is done.

o        Demonstrate—The trainer demonstrates while explaining again.

o        Guide—The learner tries the skill while the trainer guides him through it.

o        Enable—The learner works on his own under the eye of the trainer.

 

6.      Leading EDGE(TM)—Matching the leader's behavior is to the team's stage
As described above, all teams (and individuals) go through stages when facing any new task or project. The Scouts learn to diagnose the stage that their team is in and then use the most effective leadership style for that stage.

Leadership behavior depends on the group:

o        EXPLAIN when the group is in the FORMING phase.

o        DEMONSTRATE when the group is in the STORMING phase.

o        GUIDE when the group is in the NORMING phase.

o        ENABLE when the group is in the PERFORMING phase.

 

7.      Valuing People—ROPE—Reach out, Organize, Practice, Experience
Recognizing diversity allows the youth to learn to appreciate the differences and leverage the strengths of all of the team's members.
 

8.      Conflict Resolution Tool—EAR—Express, Address, Resolve
No one likes conflict, and yet all of us face conflict at some point in our lives. Learning to effectively resolve conflict is a lifelong skill that many people are not very good at. NYLT teaches youths how to listen to all sides, address each party's concerns, and then work to effectively resolve the conflict.
 

9.      Ethical Decisions—Right vs. Wrong, Right vs. Right, Trivial
We face ethical decisions every day. Some are easy to resolve, clearly right or wrong. The NYLT course goes a step further, teaching the participants how to use the Scout Oath and Law to make ethical decisions in situations where there seem to be multiple right answers.
 

10.   Communication—MaSeR—Message, Sender, Receiver
Communication is essential to all, yet so often we fail at it. Why? We teach the participants the steps of effective two-way communication so that misunderstandings are avoided and real communication occurs. As with all of the other tools, this is a skill that will provide lifelong value.
 

5. Consistent Leadership Modeling

The adults and staff of the NYLT courses are wonderful role models who continuously set the example using the NYLT skills for the participants. They work hard to ensure that they use effective communication skills, model EDGE(TM) throughout the course, share their own visions with the troop, and demonstrate servant leadership throughout the week. They create a rich learning environment that focuses on the Scouts so that each participant comes away from the course with a full learning experience.

6. Scout Oath and Law

The course is always centered around the Scout Oath and Law and all of the values of the Scouting program.

7. Have Fun!

This course is a blast! The boys are constantly busy with so many fun activities that they are always doing something new and exciting. The best part is that they are learning all of the leadership skills while having a great time.

8. Traditions

Many of the traditions of past Junior Leader Training courses can continue. The Scoutmaster and the staff simply need to be sure that they are aligned with the spirit of the new NYLT skills and philosophy.

What will the Scouts learn?

The Scouts come away from their NYLT experience with exposure to the best of the best of leadership techniques. They have learned so many invaluable skills about how create a vision of success, how to set goals and make plans, how to listen and solve problems, and how to teach and lead. Most of all, they learn the bigger picture of how to put the needs of others first in order to be a truly great leader. They learn to use the Scout Oath and Law to make hard decisions and to remain true to Scouting's values.

How can they use this to support our Unit's program in a Troop Setting?

The applications to a home troop are immediate and obvious. The Scout comes home from NYLT with a new toolbox of skills at his disposal. He has lived the patrol method and has spent the week thinking about his own quest for the meaning of leadership. He will provide great value to the troop with his ability to coach and mentor the other scouts, using the Leading and Teaching EDGE(TM). In addition, while at NYLT the Scout has made a commitment to take on a challenge to better his home troop. He needs to share his challenge with the troop's leaders upon his return from training and enlist their aid in evaluating his effort.

How can they use this at home, school, or church?

All of these skills are applicable to every part of a Scout's life. They will follow him to adulthood, enabling him to be the most effective leader—and follower—in any setting.

How can I help the Scout become the best leader he can be?

First of all, encourage every Scout in your troop to attend NYLT. Plan your troop calendar so that the dates do not conflict with your council's course, and make it a priority for every Scout to experience the course. Parents, look at the calendar and plan your personal vacations so that you son is free to attend this course. Read the syllabus—this will help you fully understand the course!

Conducting a National Youth Leadership Training course takes a great deal of planning, plenty of inspiration, and the enthusiastic participation of many dedicated people. The rewards for participants, staff, and the Scouting movement are tremendous.

For more information contact:

Bill Strong, Course Scoutmaster - (631) 265-5009  Wrstrong1@aol.com

 

or

 

Patrick Kelly - (631) 821-9087 - pcknpk@optonline.net

 

 

Follow this link for photos of the April 2010 course