Apply Skills at Home

Another thing that makes White Stag distinctive is that we require all participants to write a contract for applying at home what they learn during camp. This can be within the family, at school, within their religious education or church, or in a sports or youth group.

We call this a "Leadership Growth Agreement" (LGA). This is the learner's contract to apply what he learns. Every member reviews their LGA with a staff member and prepares a copy that we give to their youth leader.

Our goal is to motivate candidate participants to take home their newly acquired skills, knowledge, and abilities and apply them in a helpful, productive way immediately, while they are still fresh.

Why we require Leadership Growth Agreements

The Leadership Growth Agreement concept was devised by our founder Béla Bánáthy.

1. We believe leadership development cannot be completed in a single training course. It is not a one-shot event, but must be a continuous sequence of closely chained and systematically organized learning and experience building opportunities.
2. If we accept the premise that White Stag is not a "one-shot" event, then we must provide a means for application as part of our model.
3. The test of any leadership program is not, and never should be, the training situation itself, but its applied manifestation. There comes when the trainee has returned to his group and performs the leadership role.
4. ...The leader-in-training is...required to engage in further self-development and self-evaluation. He must write a report on his leadership achievements.

Individuals formulate operational and measurable objectives for the application of the newly-acquired competence in the back-home situation in and out of Scouting.

Learn more about leadership. Find out which phase is right for you or apply for camp today.