The scoutmaster and merit badges...

[Beavah]

Beavah, I think the rural comment is out of place, assuming where are the people involved located... Now, that's opening another can of worms with the hole internet involvement on this, is not good all the time and teaching a young lad to use this technology can backfire. be carefull what you say...

 

Hi wolfmama! I'm a country boy myself. I was basin' the rural comment on da fact that the nearest reading MBC counselor was over 45 minutes away. In my state, anyway, rural school systems are big investors in distance learning technology, eh? Just seemed like a natural fit. And as John pointed out, it ain't just rural schools! Kids are pretty savvy about this stuff.

 

I'm not sure how teachin' a lad to make a videoconference call on Skype to a registered merit badge counselor would backfire (?). It's just a telephone with video. Plus, if you're livin' on a base that's seen a lot of deployments overseas, I'm willing to bet that those families are familiar with Skype. It's probably the favorite way for such families to keep in touch.

 

When you live in an area when people come and go as a military base and the MBC's list is not always up to date what are you going to do...

 

I reckon you do the same thing you'd do if a lad came and wanted to work on Geology MB, eh? You'd go find a (non-parent) counselor for the boy. Yah, sure, in some remote locations it might happen that a parent really is the only available person with real expertise in one of da more obscure merit badges. Then I reckon yeh go with what you've got. But for Readin'? Scholarship? As a district official, I'd be in the office of the principal of the school which served the base, signin' up the school counselors for Scholarship and the Language Arts teachers for Reading. What a great way to work together!

 

IMO DAC's too often spend their time in da paperwork shuffle, when their real purpose is bringin' in resources to serve the units.

 

Beavah

 

[John-in-KC]

One follow-on comment, wolfmama:

 

I work on a Post. That should tell you the Service I've been a part of.

 

There are experienced Scouters at your Post, Camp, Station, Base, Arsenal, or Depot They should be working with the DAC to find folks who are interested in the various MBs, and helping the DAC recruit them as MB Counselors.

 

My thoughts as a ROF, at least.