2021 Central Region Symposium SEABADGE FROM FACE-TO-FACE TO VIRTUAL

SEA OVERVIEW • SEA SCOUTS SHIPS ARE WIDELY SCATTERED. MANY COUNCILS HAVE NO SHIPS. FEW COUNCILS HAVE MORE THAN ONE SHIP. Area 2/Michigan Crossroads Council - 7 Ships Area 5 - 7 Ships in 7 Councils (added 5 Ships in 2020) Area 6 – 3 Councils have 2 Ships, 1 Council has 1 Ship Pathway to Adventure Council (Chicago area) – 6 Ships Greater St. Louis Area Council has 3 Ships • CENTRAL REGION SEA SCOUTS HAVE A WELL-DEVELOPED INFORMAL VOLUNTEER ORGANIZATION. • WE ACT AS IF THE CENTRAL REGION IS OUR COUNCIL AND THE AREAS ARE OUR DISTRICTS

SEABADGE IS OUR ADVANCED LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM. • SEABADGE IS NOT ON THE WATER • SEABADGE IS A NATION COURSE DELEGATED TO THE REGIONS TO CONDUCT. • IT IS NOT SKILLS TRAINING LIKE KNOT TYING OR SAILING. • IT IS AN INTENSE WEEKEND FROM NOON ON FRIDAY TO NOON ON SUNDAY TO ALLOW TRAVEL TIME TO AND FROM THE COURSE. • SOME FAR FLUNG SEA SCOUTS MUST TRAVEL ON THURSDAY AND MONDAY TO ATTEND A COURSE. • MINIMUM COURSE SIZE IS 16 PARTICIPANTS, MAXIMUM IS 36. • A CREW PROJECT, PLANNING AN INTER-UNIT EVENT IS PART OF THE COURSE. • A PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT LOGBOOK (TICKET) MUST BE COMPLETED WITHIN 18 MONTHS AFTER THE COURSE WEEKEND. • SEABADGE IS OPEN TO ALL REGISTERED SCOUTS AND SCOUTERS OVER 18 AND BSA’S AFFILIATED ORGANIZATIONS. Like the Power Squadron and Coast Guard Auxiliary.

OUR 2020 SPRING SEABADGE WAS PLANNED FOR THE FIRST WEEKEND OF MARCH AT CAMP ROTARY IN CENTRAL MICHIGAN. • IN MID-FEBRUARY, MICHIGAN CAMPS WERE CLOSED. • WE SCRAMBLED AND FOUND AN ALTERNATE DATE AT THE SAME LOCATION ON THE FIRST WEEKEND IN JUNE. ONLY ONE PARTICIPANT DROPPED OUT. • IN MID APRIL, IT SEEMED OBVIOUS THAT CAMP WOULD NOT RE-OPENED IN TIME FOR OUR COURSE. • WE CONSIDERED OUR OPTIONS AND DECIDED TO DEVELOP A VIRTUAL COURSE TO BE CONDUCTED ON THE SAME WEEKEND IN JUNE. SB-52-MI-2020 was the first virtual Seabadge. • SEVEN ADDITIONAL PARTICIPANTS WERE ADDED WHEN WE ANNOUNCED THE COURSE WOULD BE CONDUCTED VIRTUALLY. Six were from Area 5 – Kansas, Nebraska, and Iowa. One was from Tennessee. • THE MICHIGAN CAMPS WERE CLOSED FOR THE SUMMER ON MAY 5TH.

2021 Central Region Symposium SEABADGE FROM FACE-TO-FACE TO VIRTUAL

KEY FACTORS IN DEVELOPING A VIRTUAL SEABADGE WERE: • BE ABSOLUTELY CONVINCED THAT WE COULD CONDUCT SEABADGE VIRTUALLY. • FOCUS ON SOLUTIONS TO PERCEIVED PROBLEMS AND OBSTACLES • ACCEPT NO DOUBTS FROM STAFFERS (failure is not an option) • DO NOT CHANGE THE COURSE SYLLABUS OR ITS CONTENT.

MODIFY THE SCHEDULE • LIMIT CONSECUTIVE SCREEN TIME TO TWO-HOUR SEGMENTS, • TWO TOPICS EACH. • MAKE IT AS INTERACTIVE AS POSSIBLE, NOT A LECTURE. • ADD 15 MINUTE BREAKS EVERY TWO HOURS. • SCHEDULE 45 MINUTES FOR LUNCH AND 60 MINUTES FOR DINNER.

THE RESULTING SCHEDULE WAS LONG AND INTENSE • FRIDAY AND SATURDAY 9:00AM TO 10:00PM • SUNDAY 9:00AM TO 6:00PM (START AFTER BREAKFAST, END BEFORE DINNER)

HOW DID THE PARTICIPANTS REACT TO THE VIRTUAL COURSE? SURVEY RESULTS : • WAS A THREE-DAY COURSE ASKING TOO MUCH? 18/24 SAID “NO”; ONLY 4 SAID “YES” 1 “not sure”; 1 “no response” • AFTER EXPERIENCING VIRTUAL SEABADGE, AND KNOWING WHAT IT WOULD BE LIKE, WOULD YOU HAVE SIGNED UP? 21/24 SAID “YES”; NO ONE SAID “NO” 2 “not sure”; 1 “no response” • DID YOU DEVELOP RELATIONSHIPS WITH CREW MATES? 20/24 SAID “YES”; 2 SAID “NO” 1 “not sure”; 1 “no response” • DID YOU DEVELOP RELATIONSHIPS WITH OTHER PARTICIPANTS AND STAFF? 15/24 SAID “YES”; 6 SAID “NO” 2 “not sure”; 1 “no response” (RESULTS ARE BETTER THAN A FACE-TO-FACE COURSE) At a face-to-face Seabadge, almost all time is spent with one’s crew. There is little opportunity to mingle with other participants. The virtual course actually improved that experience. o Was a two-hour ZOOM meeting too long, about right or too short? 3 - “too long”; 18 - “ about right”; 3 – “no response” o Were the breaks between ZOOM sessions too long, about right or too short? 19 - “ about right”; 4 – “too short”; 1 – “no response” o Were the breaks for lunch and dinner too long, about right or too short? 1 – “too long”; 21 - “ about right”; 2 – “no response” o Did the presenter’s inexperience with ZOOM affect your participation in Seabadge? 1 – “YES very much”; 9 – YES a little; 12 “not all all”; 1 – “not sure”, 1 – “no response” I think the response to this question will become harsher as we all become more experienced with virtual training.

2021 Central Region Symposium SEABADGE FROM FACE-TO-FACE TO VIRTUAL

WHAT DID WE LEARN? • AN EXPERIENCED ZOOM OPERATOR IS INVALUABLE TO THE COURSE. • PRESENTING VIRTUALLY IS MUCH DIFFERENT THAT FACE-TO-FACE. • LOTS OF PRACTICE IS NEEDED, IN FRONT OF AN AUDIENCE, TO FEEL COMFORTABLE AND CONFIDENT IN PRESENTING VIRTUALLY. • MANAGING ONE’S OWN SLIDES IS DIFFICULT. A “SLIDE WRANGLER” IS NEEDED. • VIRTUAL CREW MEETINGS CAN AND SHOULD BE REMOVED FROM THE COURSE WEEKEND AND CONDUCTED SEPARATELY BEFORE THE COURSE WEEKEND. • VIRTUAL STAFF MEETINGS RESOLVED PREVIOUS STAFF DEVELOPMENT ISSUES. FACE-TO-FACE STAFF MEETINGS PRIOR TO A COURSE WERE NEVER POSSIBLE DUE TO DISTANCES TO BE TRAVELED. • SOMEONE MUST MONITOR THE WAITING ROOM TO ASSURE NO ONE IS LEFT OUT OF THE COURSE. Moving participants into and out of break rooms must be managed. • SOMEONE MUST MONITOR THE CHAT FOR QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS. • DISTANCE IS NO LONGER RELEVANT, BUT TIME ZONES MUST BE CONSIDERED. • WEARING FULL UNIFORMS IS ESSENTIAL TO LEND CREDIBILITY TO THE COURSE. • THE STAFF MUST SET THE EXAMPLE. • THEY MUST BE SEEN ON SCREEN LIVE WHEN PRESENTING. • MONITORING ATTENDANCE IS CHALLENGING BUT POSSIBLE. Crew Advisors do it. • COURSE COST IS REDUCED BY ELIMINATING TRAVEL, FOOD AND HOUSING COSTS. Bling is now optional but available for individual purchase through arrangement with S&G Trading Post in Fort Wayne Indiana. (S&G is a Nationally Approved supplier who produces both standard and custom-made clothing and products for Sea Scouts.)

THE SEABADGE SYLLABUS WAS RE-WRITTEN AS A TWO-WEEKEND WITH TWO- DAYS PER WEEKEND COURSE. IT HAS AN 8AM TO 1:00PM SCHEDULE. TWO CREW MEETINGS ARE MANDATORY PRIOR TO THE COURSE. CREWS CAN AND DO CONDUCT ADDITIONAL CREW MEETING AT THEIR DISCRETION. The Transatlantic Council (TAC) and the Northeast Region conducted virtual courses using the new syllabus and schedule following the Central Region’s first virtual Seabadge. The TAC Seabadge had 90+ registrants and 65 participants setting a record for Seabadge. It had participants from Hawaii to Puerto Rico, Dubai, and Germany, covering nine time zones.

CENTRAL REGION PRESENTED THE NEW SYLLABUS AS A THREE-DAY COURSE IN THE FALL OF 2020 IN ANTICIPATION OF PRESENTING SEABADGE FACE-TO-FACE IN THE FUTURE. OFFERING TRAINING THRU U IN 2014 CHANGED TRAINING IN THE WORLD OF SEA SCOUTING. VIRTUAL SEABADGE HAS DONE IT AGAIN.

I DOUBT THAT FACE-TO-FACE SEABADGE WILL EVER BE CONDUCTED AGAIN. Virtual Seabadge resolved many logistic problems for us by eliminating travel time. I AM FACINATED WITH THE IDEA OF A HYBRID COURSE.