Tickets

Wood Badge Ticket
A Personal Vision of Success

One of the great traditions of Wood Badge is the ticket. In Baden-Powell’s day, those in the military were expected to pay their own way back to England at the end of their service. To economize, soldiers nearing completion of their duties would seek assignments at posts increasingly close to home—a process known as working your ticket.


During this course, you will be asked to develop a ticket—a list of goals that will allow you to use your new leadership skills in ways that strengthens Scouting in your home unit, district, and council.

Your answers on the precourse assignment, ‘Twenty Questions,’ will have helped you think through what is important to you, what roles you play in Scouting and in your life, and where you see yourself in the future. That deepened awareness forms a pool of information you can use as you begin to formulate your ticket. You will develop a vision and consider a plan that will allow you to make that vision a reality. That’s at the heart of the Wood Badge ticket. Along the way, you are very likely to discover that the values of Scouting form the foundation for your vision.

A Wood Badge ticket is Your ticket and should be guided by

  • A commitment
  • Your personal values
  • A vision of personal improvement
  • The organization’s mission
  • A vision of how the Scouter will lead
  • Your vision of success
  • A series of goals in your role

Your ticket will include five significant goals.

  • The goals will be written in support of your current Scouting responsibilities and should be designed to provide maximum positive impact for youth membership.
  • At least one of the five goals will incorporate some aspect of diversity. Possibilities include goals that promote diversity in units, districts, and/or councils; that encourage a more diverse BSA membership; or that help young people better understand the nature and importance of diversity in Scouting and in America.

The goals written for your ticket should be SMART:

S—Specific: Is it specific in targeting an objective?

M—Measurable: What are the measurable indicators of progress or success?

A—Attainable: Is it attainable by someone on the team?

R— Relevant: Can it be achieved within the resources and time allowed?s

T—Time-based: When will the project be completed?

For each task, you will also indicate

Who

What

Where

When

Why

How

How you will determine the task is complete

The troop guide assigned to your patrol will help you prepare your ticket and will approve it when it is complete. Upon returning home after your Wood Badge course, you will have a ticket counselor assigned to you. The ticket counselor will be familiar with the material currently presented in Wood Badge courses. You will meet with your counselor to finalize your ticket and establish a review plan. The five goals of the ticket must be completed within 18 months of the end of the Wood Badge course. (In those rare instances when circumstances such as extended medical or family emergencies prevent the completion of the ticket within 18 months, council Scout executives may allow an extension of up to six additional months.) When you and your counselor have agreed that you have fulfilled all the items on your ticket, you will receive your Wood Badge certificate, beads, neckerchief, and woggle.