InquisitiveScouter

A little tongue-in-cheek, bit maybe something along these lines, instead? Be a Decent and Stand-up Scout Merit Badge (aka BADASS MB) 1. Show that you can currently repeat the Scout Oath from memory. 2. Show that you can currently repeat the Scout Law from memory. 3. Define tolerance and acceptance. Explain the difference. Give an example of a belief or practice held by someone else that you tolerate, but do not accept. Then, tie a square knot. 4. List five different categories people often classify others or themselves into. Explain how excluding people based on categories can violate the Scout Oath and Law. Then, tie a bowline. 5. Define stereotypes. List one stereotype associated with the five different categories you named in requirement 4, and explain how each one of those stereotypes violates the Scout Oath and Law. Then, tie a sheet bend. 6. Define discrimination. Give an example of how someone in each of the five categories you chose in requirement 4 may have been discriminated against. Give one example of illegal discrimination. Then, tie a two half hitches. 7. Recite from memory the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States. Explain its meaning in your own words. Then, tie a taut line hitch. 8. Recite from memory the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States. Explain its meaning in your own words. Then, tie a timber hitch. 9. Explain the concept of freedom of association and how it is based on the First and Fourteenth Amendments. Explain how freedom of association allows for discrimination. Give an example of legal discrimination. Then, tie a clove hitch. 10. With a parent or guardian, explain how something can be legal, but still immoral, according to your faith. Give to your parent or guardian an example of legal discrimination that is immoral, according to your faith. Then, without help, and within five degrees, plot a magnetic course between two points on a topographic map. Anyone want to add anything else?

The real question is, what is the minimum number of adults to charter a unit? Four, in five positions. 1 x COR (dual hatted as a MC) 1 x CC 1 x Additional MC 1 x Unit Leader (SM, CM, etc.) Everyone else is icing on the cake

@Chadamus, an SM/ASM cannot be dual registered in the same unit in a committee position. You can be an ASM in one unit, and a committee member of another unit. So, for your original post, the answer is NO. The Registrar will not register one person in both those positions in the same unit. Now, theory and practice are two separate things. Are there SM/ASMs out there who fulfill functions of the committee (like advancement chair) simultaneously? You betcha. As @yknot points out, "We made decisions that kept our units alive and going. "

No, it shouldn't.

Now you know why the Merit Badge Mills around here are SSOOOOO popular

Our council sent out their newsletter a few minutes ago. Zero mention of D,E, & I.

I will remain council-anonymous. Over the past few years, I have filed about 30 forms for parents in the Troop to serve as MBCs. The process here is 1. You must file a new Adult Application, as this is a District (not Council) vs Unit position. The position is no-fee. (I think this is standard across the country.?) 2. With the Application, you must also file your MBC Info Form 34405. (Also standard...) 3. The Registrar looks over the form and, when all is in order, then gives it to SE, who has to sign it. Once SE approves, it goes back to Registrar. It is unknown how long this part of the process takes, or whether the council runs the background check again. (I suspect not, due to cost.) 4. Once the Registrar gets the SE-approved App, the MBC Info Form goes to the District advancement volunteer who "vets" the MBCs. On several occasions, when I inquired on status for some applicants, the Registrar told me our District volunteer had not yet come to the office to physically pick up forms. (Yes, I know we live in the digital age.) This is, imho, a single point of failure in the system here. 5. Once our District vol gets the Info Forms, they review them and contact the individual if there are any qualifications for the MBs. Anecdotally, this only seems to happen with Eagle required and "restricted" badges. These contact calls usually occur about 4 to 8 weeks into the process. 6. Once District approved, the forms physically go back to the Registrar, who enters them into ScoutNet. Previously, a pdf MBC list went out annually to unit leaders. You could request one "out-of-cycle", but it usually wasn't updated. Our lists were not in Scoutbook until about one year ago. Scoutbook (SB) has helped the process tremendously. 7. It appears the Registrar holds the forms (from all Districts) to do a batch entry about once per month. I have not inquired as to the frequency here... 8. You get no notification your App or form are approved. You have to check SB. This process also applies when filing a new Info Form for Add‐Drop. 9. If your YPT expires, you get no notice...you just drop from SB. 10. Once a year, the Registrar sends out an email to all MBCs to re-register them. If you do not answer the email, or make sure your YPT or other clearances are up to date, you are automatically dropped. I do know that MBC forms are lowest on our Registrar's to‐do list. We have one Registrar. They used to have an Admin assistant who would come in part-time for data entry, but she left over a year ago (pre-Covid). No replacement.. Many of our MBCs also do not use SB. I have several (not associated with our unit) who strictly use printed blue cards. There are also a few who simply email me when Scouts are complete. I mark those in complete and approved in SB and tell the Scout to print a blue card from SB for their records. Also, no one, other than unit leaders (me), checks to see if Scouts complete a badge with registered MBCs. Complicating this calculus, we live near the border of two other councils, and our Scouts go to some of their MB events throughout the year. Those councils approve MBs with registrations in Tentaroo. (Yes, I know this is not allowed. I have already Quixotied that windmill.) So, you can see why most unit leaders around here just use unit level MBCs and sign off stuff in SB. It's not ridiculous...it's insane.

In a video previously cited, I think the folks at National said the requirements would not be in Scoutbook until May? Anyone else glean that from the Office Hours session?

The MBC approval and listing process takes about 10 to 16 weeks in our council. Once I have an Adult Application and MBC form submitted to council, I have the counselor go ahead and counsel badges "in good faith", and I sign them off in Scoutbook if the MBC approves one. I do not do this for any badges requiring a special qualification, like Climbing, some aquatics or shooting sports badges...those listed in G2A.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again... @DuctTapefor National Commissioner!

I live in PA. The fallout from the Jerry Sandusky (Penn State) trial was a state law requiring certain volunteers to obtain three clearances: 1. A PA State Police Criminal Background Check 2. A PA Child Abuse History Check 3. Either an FBI Background Check (at volunteer expense) based on fingerprints OR an affidavit stating you have committed no offenses if you have been a PA resident >= 10 years. Each must be renewed every 5 years. The law also states that organizations (COs) sponsoring youth groups must retain copies of these clearances. This is where CO's have been remiss since the law went into effect 5 years ago. https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:5BbDkevwjAMJ:https://www.pennlive.com/news/2020/01/groups-are-skirting-pa-law-intended-to-protect-children-from-abuse-in-wake-of-penn-state-scandal.html+&cd=5&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us Most units in our council are not keeping their own records, nor helping their CO's with this either, as they should...it is not Loyal, Helpful, or Obedient (imho) The new CO arrangement would most likely relieve them of this requirement as well. Our council does maintain these records.

Also, no insurance policy or indemnification clause provides coverage due to negligence. Plaintiff's lawyer could argue the CO was negligent in selecting abusing leader, since the CO's representative was required to approve the application. The court will have to decide 1. Did the CO have a duty of care in selecting appropriate leaders? (I think we would agree, Yes.) 2. Did the CO breach that duty in selecting the offending leader? (this one will be hard to prove, unless the plaintiff can present evidence the CO somehow knew.) 3. Did the CO's breach cause an injury? (once 2 is proven, this domino could easily fall.) 4. Were there, in fact, damages as a result of CO's breach and subsequent injury? (3 and 4 go hand in hand, but must be proven in court.)

@markT262, The Scout earned Cycling, so completed 150 miles. I think you are saying that, in addition to Cycling MB, this Scout also completed another 100 miles above and beyond Cycling MB, so has compiled a total of 250 miles. 1. This Scout has met the 200 mile riding requirement in requirement three. (Basic award is 200 miles.) 2. If the Scout wishes to earn a first gold device, the Scout must ride an additional 50 miles over what is already done. So, the total mileage personally completed at that point would be 300 miles. 200 miles (for basic award), plus 100 additional miles (for gold device) for personal total of 300 miles. 3. Second gold device would be at 400 miles, as you deduced.

Snowplow parenting mode...good on the Dad for realizing it and putting the responsibility on his son's shoulders. Our community is rife with this parenting style. (snowplow, helicopter, lawnmower...choose whatever machine you wish )

The more I think about this, the more I think I will advise our COR to recommend this to our CO. The BSA already does (or is supposed to do) background checks on leaders. Most CO's don't do this, that I know of. Some states also require additional background checks and information. The CO's may not be informed of the background provided in these checks. This may remove an element of info they could/should use in selecting leaders. I believe the original paradigm intent was for CO's to select leaders from their own membership to serve as adult leaders in a Scouting program they used as a service to their local community. This model was not followed in most units I have been a part of... I can't ever recall a COR or CO interviewing me before signing my application as an adult leader. But, my circumstances may have been different, due to my profession...

No flaming or down votes. Most of us feel a level of frustration with this. I hope it isn't as ominous as it seems to be from this stop-start rollout.

Wow, reading the comments at the link above...sheesh...much worse than here...lol

Our District Advancement Chair put out the plea yesterday for counselors. I'll wait until the requirements come out to inform my decision. ---------------------------------------------------- Dear [DISTRICT] Merit Badge Counselors, Advancement Coords, Com Chairs & Unit Leaders, I am sure by now you have heard that as of January 1, 2021 a new Eagle required merit badge will be introduced called, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. It will become required for Eagle effective May 1, 2021. There will now be 14 Eagle required badges and 7 electives, still totaling 21 required for the rank of Eagle. Although Scouts can begin taking the badge on Jan 1, there are two important issues that will not make this possible: 1) The requirements have not yet been released 2) There are no approved Merit Badge Counselors in our District The reason for sending you this email, is it to get out in front of this upcoming need to support our Scouts. As they say, Be Prepared! The link below will take you to a 6 minute video explaining much more about the new merit badge. I would hope that one of you may volunteer for counseling this badge or using your network to find individuals who would like to. https://youtu.be/gbnKVnRqVQQ I will share more with you as information is released from National. Also, be sure to subscribe to Bryan On Scouting to receive that one email per day that will most likely be one of the first vehicles to introduce the new badge. My wishes for a Healthy and Happy New Year. [DISTRICT ADVANCEMENT GUY]

Ask, and you shall receive...??? You can now transfer and multiple between units using your My.Scouting account National 11/16/2020 Now users are able to transfer from one Scout unit to another without having to take a new application into the Scout office. On the “My Application” tab you can transfer yourself as an adult volunteer or your youth member from unit to unit. Unit leaders will be able to transfer youth by going to the new “Roster” feature in “Member Manager” and “Organization Manager” and select the youth who need to be transferred, then click the “Transfer” icon. This will create a transfer application which will be sent to the new unit with the ability to be approved in “Application Manager”.Transfers will take 48 hours to sync with the new unit. The “Roster tool” also allows unit leaders to email other leaders in the unit directly from the tool. Editing youth/adult profiles, and printing rosters/membership cards is also available in the updated tool.

This goes to the lament of our brethren to the north.... The Scouter.com equivalent in Canada posted what went "wrong" with Scouts Canada. https://scouteh.ca/about.php https://scouteh.ca/rally/rescue-rally-pamphlet.pdf

After being involved with the program since the late 70's, and earning Eagle Scout myself, I always, I mean ALWAYS, smh at those stories of "Scout earns every Merit Badge" Sorry...off topic... Do you think the gender separation is what has kept BSA on life support these past few decades? https://virtueonline.org/canada-death-canadian-scouting

About 10 years ago, some families (US citizens) living in Ottawa, Canada, (who had a member working at the US Embassy) wanted to have a Girl Scout troop. (Lone Scouting with BSA is alive and well for US citizens there.) They called up the national office in Manhattan, NY, to inquire about it, and were told they could not start a GSUSA unit there. The staff at GSUSA suggested they all join Girl Guides of Canada (GGC). The parents pushed back, citing GSUSA units at other embassies around the world, through USA Girls Scouts Overseas https://www.usagso.org/ A staff member (who wished to remain anonymous) revealed that GSUSA has an agreement with Girl Guides of Canada that GSUSA will not sell cookies in Canada and compete with GGC https://www.girlguides.ca/web/ The parents asked if they could start a unit, with a written agreement with national office that they would not sell cookies. Their girls wanted to camp, hike, and earn badges...not sell cookies. The national office agreed. It is all about the money. Unfortunately, three years later, the Troop folded when the only parents who would take them camping transferred to a new assignment.

@CynicalScouter, good read, thanks. I do believe they have a strong case. If the court decides in their favor, one could also then make the argument for a new Scouting organization, with application for a Congressional Charter, which would be open to all, regardless of sex or gender. If Congress denied the charter, one could sue under the 14th Amendment's equal protections clause. Of course, the sad reality in our country is that access to the justice system requires prohibitive sums of money.

From the GSUSA Charter... §80302. Purposes The purposes of the corporation are— (1) to promote the qualities of truth, loyalty, helpfulness, friendliness, courtesy, purity, kindness, obedience, cheerfulness, thriftiness, and kindred virtues among girls, as a preparation for their responsibilities in the home and for service to the community; (2) to direct and coordinate the Girl Scout movement in the United States and territories and possessions of the United States; and (3) to fix and maintain standards for the movement that will inspire the rising generation with the highest ideals of character, patriotism, conduct, and attainment. https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?path=/prelim@title36/subtitle2/partB/chapter803&edition=prelim One could make the case that, even by marketing to girls as "scouts", the BSA is infringing on the Congressional Charter of the GSUSA.