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That’s an okay protest. But I think she can do better. Here’s what I would do … Get some dark blue fabric and stitch into a “star chart” medallion. Sew/paint the local horizon around the edges, as if laying down looking up. Get some phosphorescent thread and sew images of the moon as observed unaided on four days in the same week. Sew this temporary insignia on the back of the sash as a memento of her scouting experience this year. Obviously, this is a suggestion that would have suited my talents at the time. She could whittle/3D print a neckerchief slide of her observations, stamp a leatherwork belt buckle, etc … The only way to protest being denied an award is to demonstrate having done the requirement as written and then refuse to complete the partial.

@nolesrule, I can respect how this feels like your scout caught the hot potato. But, if indeed other scouts were shortchanged of actual scouting for three years because of misguided intentions of very nice camp staff, she’s the one that’s coming out ahead in this. I wish her well in her observations of the moon (as soon as God grants her four clear nights/mornings in a week), and may it lead her to a lifetime of noting our sky’s wanderers!

Hope the interview went well. If I were you, I’d wear the pin and your square knot on your uniform for the parade. But, the parade organizers might have a specific “look” in mind. That might include your MB sash as well. Remember to not forget the most important part of a scout’s uniform: his smile!

@ShadyRhoads welcome to the forums. Some of us manage aquatics areas. Our priority is forestalling death. Being liked is nice when it happens. Your contempt of deadlines is not a good tell. I’m sorry that your unit and your camp has fallen prey to skating by without using the Merit Badge Application (a.k.a., blue cards). The easiest solution is for the scout to find a counselor ASAP and complete the MB using the traditional paperwork. If he has mastered the skills, he should be able to knock this out in a couple afternoons at a local pool. More importantly, the scout should make sure he has certificates for all of the other MBs he thinks he has completed.

Let me push back, @nolesrule. “Better” is the determining factor. The very word “scouting” is synonymous with “observing and reporting.” Your scout should not take anyone else’s word for it when completing her observations. Who knows what she would have noted had she not relied on some programmer of a night sky app to collect the data? It sounds like the camp deprived her of that better opportunity. The SM is defending her right to go scouting. Not only her right … by bringing it up at the district level, he/she is making clear to the camp, the district (and, thanks to you, all of us) that he/she expects better. And, yes it is very easy for folks like you and I to grow complacent and expect less. We owe debts of gratitude to the SMs and ACs who remind us to expect more.

Welcome! And thanks for all you’ve done and continue to do for our youth!

I’m just thinking of he poor scouter who takes what we say as gospel and now has MCs in spades!

Council events justify the need for unit numbers. It makes it a lot easier to help that lost Cub. But, it is possible to find a week at camp with units from two councils with the same number. I do believe ornate CSPs have outlived their usefulness. Defunding the World Crest is a non-starter. You might not feel it, but your scout benefits from the World Organization of Scouting Movement supporting scouts in nations with financial issues more prohibitive than only the poorest of Americans will ever experience. Because of WOSM, your scout might one day find himself with a hiking buddy from the farthest corner of the earth.

Typo (for anyone who reads this in the future) Should be “At least 2 committe members”

@InquisitiveScouter, scouts love paperwork! But I have a funny feeling this SM would see the need for such as an affront. @Jmatt0613, welcome to the forums! And thanks in advance for all you do for the youth. You gave us a lot to unpack. But, let me paint with a broad brush. A scout is kind. Boys or girls who are unkind are not scouts. Such a youth should be suspended from the troop until he/she decides to live up to his/her vows. No paperwork necessary. Now, it is tough when adults are at loggerheads about what should be straightforward. But, the important thing is to set your own compass so that you can courteously explain to others what you’re observing.

Like many league sports, Cub scouting may need sponsors besides COs. My teams baseball uniforms were purchased by a local insurance agent. A local company interested in garnering business from families might want to underwrite registration fees, and a sticker with their logo should be affixed to the scouts’ book for that year. The sticker might include a Q-R code for a discount or other special offer at that business. A thrift store with a department for new-to-you uniform parts — sold exclusively to registered BSA members — would be a boon for many communities.

‘Skip, I lived in UK during one of your parliamentary elections. They were as hot as any race in the states. During my stay, I came to admire how the royals embodied the aspirations of the many Brits. That was mostly Elizabeth’s doing. But I’d never wished the Americans to have the same. We’d probably make a hash of it. Among my friends are monarchists who covet the stability that a royal family may bring. The grass is always greener, I suppose.

Ya know, that “free money” involves hours of writing and persistence on the part of a scout. It’s kinda like lawyering without seeing the judge.

They aren’t mean-spirited. They just want to save you from unintended consequences. All, regarding handwriting … my 11th grade English teacher (often a guest at many courts of honor because he also counseled Communications MB) freed us from any obligation to use cursive. He was a veteran clerk in WWII and the Cold War and realized how badly requisitions could be fouled if one didn’t write in block letters. From that point on, he left cursive behind. Many students took his message to heart. I learned to type on account of my atrocious handwriting that would do little besides qualify me for medical school. But for his class, it was fine to use a mix of cursive and block lettering on essays for the sake of legibility, and that made the rest of my academic career so much easier. (It’s amazing how much better one studies when one can read one’s own notes!) All that say, it’s a big country. if you really think your scouts will benefit from pre-filling their own cards, have at it. And, give them props if their QM has them carve their own set of auto fill stamps from spent tires, boil down indigo for their own ink, and fold some old neckerchiefs for stamp pads.

@curious_scouter ignore the naysayers. Soon enough, scouts will able to 3-D print a stack of blue cards from an STL file generated after clicking a checkbox of the badges that they'd like to earn. Until then, your plan might help you manage chaos better. My one suggestion is that you only pre-fill the name of the MB, your troop #, district, and council. Don't bother numbering the reverse of the Applicant Record (the middle portion of the card) because sometimes requirements are re-numbered. That portion would only be used on the rare occasion that the scout doesn't complete the badge with a given counselor, and the entire MB Application gets returned to the scout ... In other words, that list serves to remind the scout what he/she needs to do when he/she decides to meet with the next counselor. If there is unlikely to be a next counselor and the scout is likely to earn the badge within a week or two, the counselor need only sign off on the Counselor's Record and front of the Applicant's Record, and leave his/her contact info on the unit copy,

... including noble tutu wearing scouts.

As someone who consults on such propositions, I can assure you that it would be very labor intensive to develop and would work with questionable results that would have a high degree of measurement error. (Think of the AI developed for facial recognition that wound up disproportionately singling out minorities, and you get the idea.) It would take decades to develop a method that would prove trusted by all parties. In the best of circumstances some legitimate claims would be tagged as "rotten fish". Do we really want to inflict that pain on victims whose claims were hastily assembled just so we can suss out fraud? The "true" victims will not benefit because recapture from any false claims would have been spent on sussing them out.

For most parents in the area, it's scouting+. E.g., scouting+sports, scouting+religion, scouting+music, scouting+lifesaving, scouting+vocational tech, etc ... So, absent BSA, I see that equation reversing, just imagine: sports leagues whose away teams camp on the opponents' practice field before/after the game church youth camps with more primitive camping opportunities recitals in outdoor amphitheaters 48-hour preparedness drills week long vehicle assembly classes, clothing design camps with fashion shows, etc ... overnight dodge-ball tournaments! In other words, scouting doesn't disappear, it just finds its way into other venues. I don't think BSA will sell the rights to Eagle Scout or rank advancement in general ... mainly because there are too few organizations who would purchase the program wholesale. Instead, it will find ways (a la Lone Scout program) to market it to individual organizations without being bogged down in the nitty-gritty of screening adult supervisors. For parents, this will come with a laundry list of caveat emptor. On the other hand it has the potential for international appeal, not unlike the Duke of Edinburgh's award. This is only one possibility off of the top of my head, but it's one possible way that creditors can recoup some of their losses.

Took grandson #1-1 to the Erie zoo. First time since last year. Sad to see the exotic bird exhibit was closed because of the avian flu. Bob Kings story was an uplifting counterpoint.

The answer might just be that you’re the first scouter to do that! We never had the need because, if we are swamped with requests to apply for the same badge, we give the scouts blank cards, they fill them in with the MBs they want to try and earn, and we meet with each scout and sign the cards that they pre-filled accordingly.

@CPT_Wesleywelcome to the forums! And, no matter if you manage to get hold of the insignia device, congratulations on your hard work toward an award of distinction. After the dust settles on all of this, let us know your impressions of this program.

There are well controlled national surveys (e.g. https://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/data/yrbs/index.htm) of high school students, but they aren’t exactly asking all of your questions. Even if they did, communities have quirks, and very few answers from the best surveys will capture exactly what the youth in yours are up to.

Sooner or later, one runs afoul of uniform specifications. Someone doesn’t like how scouts or scouters apply insignia, and go on about a “third world general look.” Be that as it may, someone violates my rule #1 and asks for a rule about it, and all of a sudden that sixth and seventh row of knots is non-standard. Now, someone like @Mrjeff isn’t merely flamboyantly leading a small army of scouts in messaging peace, he’s treating the Insignia Guide as, well, a guide. Oh, the humanity!

@Cambridgeskip, growing up, our local airport had some wooded property beyond the runways. It was great for camping either as a troop or a district. On occasion we would visit the facilities. I loved those opportunities. Unfortunately, like land around many airports here, that property has been converted to industrial park.

Let me give you three words: Friends With Farms The best outings IMHO have been on someone’s back nine. We ask the farmer what project would be a couple dozen boys could help with. Often, we are asked if we could burn some brush and scrap lumber not worth chopping for firewood. They usually can knock that out in an hour, and then we have the coals we need for Dutch ovens.