A Wood Badge Ceremony is a very special event. It is not only special for the person who is finally receiving his/her Wood Badge regalia, but it is also special for all Wood Badgers who attend. A Wood Badge ceremony re-kindles that Wood Badge spirit inside each Wood Badger as they remember their own Wood Badge experiences. It is also a recruiting opportunity for those who have not attended Wood Badge. When a participant has completed his ticket to the satisfaction of himself and his ticket counselor he is awarded is Wood Badge beads or regalia.  This presentation should be made in front of his/her peers or preferably that of their own unit.  When I have done presentations in a unit setting, I like to tell the boys that their Scoutmaster (or other) has usually worked several hundred hours to achieve this award and it would be like them working 3 or 4 Eagle projects. This really builds the respect of the boys toward their leader. The Wood Badge regalia consists of two simple wooden beads knotted on a leather thong, the Gilwell neckerchief with the MacLaren tartan, the woggle, and the Wood Badge certificate. (see the traditional ceremony for an explanation of the regalia and its meaning). Although there is no standard way that the Wood Badge ceremony needs to be conducted, many Wood Badge ceremonies are similar. This may be due to tradition, or the fact that prior ceremonies have been very special when a similar format was used. A Wood Badge ceremony should be planned in any manner that is appropriate for the person receiving the regalia. Remember, such a great accomplishment deserves special recognition. The pages linked here contain two Wood Badge ceremonies. One is a traditional full version ceremony which is usually used when the Wood Badge ceremony is the only event of the evening. The other ceremony is a shortened version which has been used when the Wood Badge ceremony was conducted during a Court of Honor, Round Table, or other event. Thanks to Jim Wink of Orange County for suggesting we add this page, and to Leo Beecher for his written ceremonies. If you have other ceremonies to share please share them.

Views expressed on these pages may not necessarily represent those of the Boy Scouts of America. While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of this information, nothing here should be interpreted as official policy. Copyright © 1996-2009, Mike Barnard. All rights reserved. This material is for personal use only. Republication and redissemination, including posting to news groups, is expressly prohibited without prior written consent.