Information for Parents

White Stag Leadership Development has a long history of teaching youth leadership. We have taught more than 20,000 youth leadership since our founding in 1958.

Leadership Skills

White Stag led the way for the National Council of the Boy Scouts of America when in the 1960s they stopped teaching outdoor and wood craft skills to adults and youth and began teaching eleven leadership skills.

We believe leadership development by design. We continue to focus on the basics, teaching eleven leadership competencies.

Program Structure

White Stag is structured to meet the needs of youth age 11-18. Depending on your child's age, maturity, and outdoors experience, you may choose from three phases:

• For youth 11-13, Patrol Member Development (Phase 1)
• For youth 13-15, Patrol Leader Development (Phase 2)
• For youth 16-18, Troop Leader Development (Phase 3)

What Makes White Stag Distinctive

We recognize that youth learn best when their whole body and mind is engaged. We provide a hands-on, outdoors, physically challenging experiental education focus.

We create an environment where it's safe for youth to try out new behaviors, to be the best they can be. We teach that the opposite of success is not failure, but to quit.

Mirroring the real world, we offer a coeducational learning opportunity. Youth are fully supervised at all times.

We take a holistic approach to learning, giving participants an experience that affects their hands via outdoor skills, head via leadership skills, and heart via our spirit and traditions.

Health and Safety

Our adult leaders are all fully trained Scout leaders. Every adult must complete youth protection training, and where appropriate, additional training specific to their role. We have a fully qualified medical staff on hand at all events, including a licensed nurse and trained emergency medical technicians (EMT).

We are sensitive to the needs of individuals of varying capacities and skill levels. Our staff is trained to recognize individual differences and to value everyone's ability to contribute.

Our youth staff are fully supervised at all times. When in the field, they are always accompanied by adults and trained medical staff. In the event of an emergency, we maintain contingency plans for transporting or evacuating candidates.