Buckeye Council’s annual Baden Powel Institute (BPI) was first presented in 2000 and was held at the facilities of Stark State College with 84 Scouters attending. The event was initiated by Buckeye Council’s Program director at the time, Don Schneck.  He along with the Council Training Chair determined there was need to give Scout Leaders additional training that would prepare them to attend Wood Badge Courses.

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To meet that goal, the overriding principle for BPI courses was to provide training on topics that the Scout Leader could take back to their Units that was not being provided in their position specific training. We asked Scout Leaders to “become a student for one day in a college-like atmosphere that provides a no-nonsense look at Scouting.” 

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During the first year, Mr. Schneck recruited several Scout leaders from the Council to establish a Committee that would oversee the event and by the third year the event was completely planned, managed and executed by the Committee with oversight from a Council Staff Representative.

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A recognition system was devised for the first BPI event that awarded a color loop cord that was intended to be worn as a shoulder loop.  After each subsequent year of attendance a different color cord was awarded and with “graduation” after the four years and a special brown cord with a wooden toggle was award.  In subsequent years of participation after graduation, different colored wooden beads were awarded that could be added to the graduation cord.  A Special shoulder loop has been designed for the 2021 course with a toggle that provides a mask to commemorate this unusual year.

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In 2003 BPI moved to the Kent State Stark Convention Center and remained there through 2017. In 2018 the event moved to the Dalton Middle School in Dalton, Ohio to provide a centralized location for the event.  This year, of course with the ongoing pandemic the event has been hybridized, utilizing a virtual format and an in person event. 

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A Look Through Past Baden Powell Institutes