SILVER BARS RECOGNITION
the story behind the silver bars

After successfully completing the course, each participant is awarded, among other things, a thin leather necklace with a single "silver bar" strung from it.  This recognition is unique to our course (tracing its history back only to 1999) and it is only the first step in the recognition process.

Wear your silver bar necklace with pride -- it cost you a week of your life to earn -- that's valuable stuff.  Think of it as a permanent addition to your official Scout uniform.  Less than 300 people have that honor.  And look to the ways you can earn additional silver bars to hang from that necklace.

At the end of course, each JLTC participant was expected to develop a set of personal goals, three to be exact.  The three goals consist of one from each of the following three categories:  troop leadership, community leadership and personal leadership.  Upon the successful completion of these personal goals, your second silver bar is awarded.

But participating in the Silver Bars JLTC course, and completing your personal goals is still only part of the picture.  The experience is complete when you return on staff.  Staffing a Silver Bars JLTC course is an experience more unique than being a participant.  It's more work for sure, a much greater commitment level, and you get to see the operation from a whole new perspective that seals the learning experience you had as a participant.  Returning on staff earns you the third silver bar for your necklace.

Four silver bars are reserved for the senior adult staff member(s) and earned only by serving as Scoutmaster and/or Course Director of a Silver Bars JLTC course. 

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Revised 11/03/2002
(c)  2002 Lawrence Zimbler