Family, Fun, and Learning at the Philmont Training Center

Photographs by John R. Fulton Jr.

Combine a family vacation with some of Scouting‘s best volunteer training for leadership in units, districts, and councils.
While adult volunteers are busy learning new Scouting methods, Philmont staff members lead the participants' children in games, day hikes, overnight camp-outs, and even five-day backpacking treks.

The Philmont Training Center (PTC), the BSA national facility at Philmont Scout Ranch near Cimarron, N.M., offers weeklong training conferences from June through September for council, district, and unit volunteers, professional Scouters, and junior leaders. Also available are age-specific activities for family members, including (except during weeks 1 and 12) a Mountain Trek hiking program for youth 14 to 20 years old.

Except for two Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) Relationships Weeks, families arrive on Sunday and depart the following Saturday. Meals are served in dining halls; housing is in large, two-person wall tents on platforms, equipped with electricity and located near showers and restrooms, medical facilities, and recreation areas.

Conferences are led by a faculty of experienced Scouters and utilize the latest BSA literature, resources, and audiovisuals.

Fees include meals, lodging, and conference and family program materials: conference participants, $420; spouses and children over 20, $300; children ages 6 to 20, $240; ages 3 to 5, $150; 2 and under, $55; Mountain Trek, $320; and National Advanced Youth Leadership Experience (NAYLE), $320.

Participants must obtain an invitation to attend a conference from their local council Scout executive.

More information is available on the Web at www.philmonttrainingcenter.org; or by e-mail, trainingcenter@philmontscoutranch.org.

2008 PTC Summer/Fall Schedule

June 1-7: Boy Scouting. Teaching Basic Outdoor Skills; Webelos Scout to First Class Scout; Strictly for Scoutmasters; Boy Scout Advancement; Building Strong Scout Troops; Troop Operations—The Relation Between the Committee; Scoutmaster and Scout; Recruit, Train, and Retain; Ethical Leadership—The Oath and Law in Action

June 8-14: Leadership Support Service. District Key 3—A Leadership Team; Commissioner Administration for Quality Scouting; The Unit Commissioner—Meeting Unit Needs; District Committees That Work; Training Management Seminar; Membership Growth Ideas for Districts and Councils; New Youth Leadership Training Continuum; Special Needs Scouting; Advanced Unit Commissioner

June 15-21: Boy Scouting/Scoutreach/NAYLE. Scoutreach; OA Adviser Training; New Youth Leadership Training Continuum; Developing Supplemental Training Courses;
Strictly for the Troop Committee; The Trainer’s EDGE; Putting More Outing in Scouting; Volunteer/Professional Relationship—Delivering the Promise Together; Geocache and Scouting; National Advanced Youth Leadership Experience

June 22-28: Cub Scouting/NAYLE/International. International Scouting; Cub Scout Leader Extravaganza; National Advanced Youth Leadership Experience

June 28-July 4: LDS Relationships Week/NAYLE. Scouting in the LDS Church **;
National Advanced Youth Leadership Experience

July 5-11: LDS Relationships Week/NAYLE. Scouting in the LDS Church **; National Advanced Youth Leadership Experience

July 13-19: Boy Scouting/Professional Development/NAYLE/Leadership Support Service/Finance. Strictly for Varsity Coaches; Boy Scout Roundtables; Teaching Basic Outdoor Skills; Strictly for Scoutmasters; Health and Safety / Risk Management; Boy Scout Advancement; Troop Operations—The Relation Between the Committee, Scoutmaster, and Scout; Endowment Fellowship Week; Fundamentals of Major Gifts and Endowment; Advanced District Administration; National Advanced Youth Leadership Experience

July 20-26: Leadership Support Service/NAYLE/Professional Development. Professional Development Level 2; People Management 1; Council Key 3—Lead Scouting Into the Future; District Key 3—A Leadership Team; Advanced Commissioner Service; The Unit Commissioner—Meeting Unit Needs; Becoming a Stronger Executive Board Member; District Committees That Work; National Advanced Youth Leadership Experience

July 27-August 2: Leadership Support Service/Relationships/NAYLE. District Key 3—A Leadership Team; Council Key 3—Lead Scouting Into the Future; Scouting in the Catholic Church; Scouting: A Home School Resource; Scouting in the Lutheran Church; Membership Through Religious Emblems; Scouting in the Church of Christ; United Methodist Scouters’ Workshop; Scouting Serves the Jewish Community; National Advanced Youth Leadership Experience

August 3-9: Venturing/NAYLE. Council and District Activities; How to Develop Crews That Thrive; Training Venturing Leaders—Youth and Adults; Incorporating Venturing Into Your Troop; Delivering Venturing to Your District and Council; High Adventure Programs for Crews; Teaching Basic Outdoor Skills; The Unit Commissioner—Meeting Unit Needs; National Advanced Youth Leadership Experience

August 10-16: Cub Scouting. Cub Scout Leader Extravaganza

September 21-27: Fall Conference Week. Boy Scouting/Properties/High Adventure; Strictly for Scoutmasters; Teaching Advanced Outdoor Skills; High Adventure Trek Planning; The Trainer’s EDGE; Philmont Leadership Challenge; Creating High Adventures That Last a Lifetime; Climbing and Rappelling; Project COPE Director Training; The Properties Course; Wilderness First Aid; Scouting and Conservation USA

** By Division Invitation Only

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