National Youth Leadership Training

The training of youth leaders in Scouting is important to promote the growth of the individual youth and a leadership model for the Scout BSA, Venturing and Sea Scouting (unit) programs. The unit leader is the primary source of youth leader training. As a supplement to that training, the National Youth Leader Training course provides youth with a one-week or two-weekend-long experience – a month in the life of a model unit - designed to give potential youth leaders the skills they can use to lead their units. The objectives of the course are:

• Develop a youth’s confidence and knowledge in leading the unit’s program.
• Gain a working understanding of the resources, skills and methods needed to undertake further unit leadership responsibility.
• Share ideas and learn from the experiences of other youths from units across the council.
• Support adult unit leaders in training youth leaders in the unit.
• Reinforce a youth’s relationship with his unit leader and other adult leaders.
• Experience Scouting/Venturing at its very best.

Who is Eligible to Attend NYLT?

NYLT is designed for those Scouts/Venturers/Sea Scouts that are likely to serve in senior leadership roles in their unit in the near future.  Scouts selected should be made aware that this is NOT a summer camp program and does involve classroom style and hands on training sessions. 

In order to attend an NYLT course, a youth must have the following qualifications by the beginning of the course:

• Must be a registered member of a Scouting unit.
• Must have a current BSA Health and Medical Record form parts A, B, and C.
• Scouts BSA must be 13 years of age and fall within the maximum age allowance for their program registration. They must be a First Class Scout and have completed Introduction to Leadership Skills for Troops.
• Venturers and Sea Scouts must be at least 14, or 13 and have completed eighth grade, and fall within the maximum age allowance for their program. They must have completed Introduction to Leadership Skills for Crews or Ships. It is recommended that they have had at least one year of camping experience.