National Youth Leadership Training

What is National Youth Leadership Training (NYLT)?

The National Youth Leaderhip Training (NYLT) course simulates a month in the life of a troop. It is a six-day course, held in an outdoor setting that reinforces and expands upon Be-Know-Do leadership ideals learned in the Scoutmaster ran Troop Leadership Training (TLT). Scouts learn a number of leadership skills and concepts, 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
2. The Four Stages of Team Development
3. Leadership Requires Vision, Goals, and Planning
4. Toolbox of Leadership Skills
5. Consistent Leadership Modeling
6. Scout Oat and Law
7. It’s Fun
8. The Traditions

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 to 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 of how to put 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.

Who May Participate?

The course is open to any Boy Scouts who meet the following criteria: Is at least 13 years old by June 1, 2010, is at least First Class, and is recommended and approved by his Scoutmaster

• Have experience or are currently serving in a troop position of responsibility
• Have previous long term camping experience
• Have mastered outdoor skills prior to coming to the course all of which are required to be First Class rank.

Experience tells us that the amount of benefits a young man will get from the course is directly proportional to his level of maturity, attitude, and focus.

Is the home Scoutmaster Involved?

It is expected that the home troop Scoutmaster, or other designated adult Scout leader, will work with the Scouts prior to NYLT to provide him with the basics of leadership and will have gone over the current Troop Leadership Training (national item #34306A) course with the Scout. The Scoutmasters role is critical to the success of the youth Scout leader in implementing their goals.
On Sunday, April 25, Scoutmasters are asked to attend a debriefing session where we will review everything that has been done during the course and what he/she can do to support and utilize the newly trained youth leaders. Following the review the Scoutmaster is invited to stay for our feast afterwards and attend the closing. The Scoutmaster, or designated adult leader, is also invited to attend the Orientation Meeting.

What is the Orientation Meeting?

The Orientation Meeting is an informational meeting that allows participants and parents to meet the staff and ask questions. At this meeting we will complete the registration process and make sure that all forms have been turned in. We will take identification photos of all the participants, and they will have the opportunity to get to know their Senior Patrol Leader and his assistants.