Merit Badge College

[scoutmom]

What should I do if the Troop my son is in "doesn't support" our District's Merit Badge COllege? My son really wants to go and work on a couple of badges (first interest he's shown in badges), but I'm hearing things like, "It's just a merit badge mill" and "we don't support that". What do I do? We have to register as a unit and send leaders for support. I would really like him to go because he is interested in it - it just might motivate him to get off his butt and start advancing.

[Fuzzy Bear]

Your son is most likely welcome to attend. Call your Unit Commissioner to ask her/his opinion. If you do not have a Unit Commissioner, then call the local Scout Executive and ask her/his opinion. If you are still in doubt, go on the day of the event and act ignorant. Somebody will generally take pity.

 

I would also suggest that you take any one of the hundred or so merit badges and try to get one that is compatible with an interest your son has or approximate his interest. Find a merit badge counselor that teaches that subject and visit with that person. If the person is interesting or has a good approach, then use any one of a parent's sly tactics to get your son to call for an appointment.

 

Merit badges are fun and informative. They emphasize doing but with a reading element attached. If your son doesn't or can't read, then get an audio recorder and read it to him on a tape. If you still can't get his attention for a dry listening experience and he prefers the visual aspects of learning, then use a video tape recorder to enhance it.

 

Put on a funny hat, use back ground music, use queue cards. Get a friend to tape you and make an afternoon of it. Visit different places for background effects. You can be the movie star or if you are timid, your friend may be just the ticket. Also, you can put on a costume and assume a new identity, one that is no longer timid but outgoing. Learning is fun for all. The merit badge program is the best thing since canned chili on a hot dog!

 

Your son will forever appreciate your interest in helping him go forward with his program and he will have the evidence to prove it. Years from now, he will use these same films to teach his sons and daughters about Gma's funny side. You may also find the true meaning of life but then that is another story.

FB

 

[scoutmom]

Thanks FB. It's not a matter of him not wanting to read. This is the only kid I know who reads the entire instruction book before he plays a video game. He has a very analytical mind, so I'm sure MB work won't be too difficult - if it's one he is interested in. He just hasn't shown any interest at all until now. If I am unable to gain the cooperation or approval of his Leaders, I will not let it rest there. I am on our District Committee, so I have no problem taking the issue to our Unit Commissioner or District Director or anywhere else it needs to go.

[Eagle Foot]

Go/send him to Merit Badge Day...doesn't matter if the troop supports it or not...he can register as one (1) from the unit. I'm pretty sure they won't turn him down. Why would they? I've been to a bunch of these and we always had one (1) scout form a unit...we just worked him in.

 

Too bad the troop is above supporting this, Merit badge day is another way to continue earning Merit Badges that the unit may not have covered.

 

(edited by Eagle Foot)

[NeilLup]

I think your son should go, Scoutmom with this caution. It is possible that it IS just a merit badge mill. I have seen those.

 

You also need to ask what happens if your son goes, completes one or more MBs, and then the Troop says "we don't accept those." Technically, they can't refuse a signed application but it could be ugly. Make sure they know that you plan to take your son anyway.

 

BTW, if you want to see a write up on a GREAT MBUniversity, check out January Boy's Life. The Harvard MBU is in our council.

[Fat Old Guy]

Eagle Foot opined, "Too bad the troop is above supporting this, Merit badge day is another way to continue earning Merit Badges that the unit may not have covered."

 

The unit doesn't have to have merit badges "covered." What's the matter with the Scout going out on his own, finding a counselor, doing the work and earning the badge?

 

NeilUp said, " Technically, they can't refuse a signed application but it could be ugly."

 

However, the SM has to sign the card before the Scout goes to the MB Mill and he may just refuse to give the blue card to the Scout.

 

 

[evmori]

I never like these things. Usually the Scouts don't really earn the badges. And like Fat Old Guy said, the Scout's SM must sign his MB card for him to be allowed to work on a MB.

 

Ed Mori

1 Peter 4:10

[Eagle Foot]

FOG,

 

Thanks for the correction...to bad they "ARE NOT"

You are right SM has to sign the blue card. In our district they do a pretty good job. Hey I've got a guy in our troop who's been handing out Merit Badges like they were candy, gets the blue card afterwards... then takes it to the SM...because the new SM did not know.

 

I haven't read the Advancement Guidline booklet, but I will be reading it by the weekend. Any other good reading to get to stay up with advancement?

 

Thanks FOG for all you do in Scouting

 

Eagle Foot

[Shell in WA- USA]

My three sons are also in a troop that sticks to their old ways sometimes. But my boys attend District and Council events anyway. Some things get talked about at the troop and slowly they go too.

 

I'm sure your boy will be able to register as an individual scout. PErhaps he can talk he patrol into going too!

[Eamonn]

At this time our Council or District does not offer anything like a Merit Badge College. At first glance I am not sold on the idea. However if it was set up right and wasn't a do one get one free rype deal I could learn to live with it. If it was passed by the District Committee I would have no choice.

We have in the past taled about support for District and Council events and activities.

I at times think that there may be too many District and Council events and we might be getting in the way of the unit program.

If a unit has plans for doing something when there is such an event I would say that the unit must always come first. We District people are only here to support the units.

Having said all that I have to admit to being a little upset when information is not passed on. At times the unit leader will have ideas that are set in stone and he or she will not even let the unit members know what is going on. We have seen this with the Jamboree the Scoutmaster makes up his mind that he doesn't like something and the Scouts never get to hear about it or if they do it is too late.

I don't know why your Troop is not going. But I wonder if this is coming from the adults or the PLC.

Merit Badges ought to be earned by the Scout in an area that he might have an interest in. Maybe the fault is with the way the event is being sold. It might be better if the registration was not by troop and left open to the Scout. This might be a lot more work for the people who are in charge, but I would bring it to their attention.

Eamonn

[scoutmom]

Eamonn,

Thank you for a well thought out answer. I don't have any personal experience with this particular event and I would welcome the opportunity to make a decision for myself. Especially since my son is interested in going. I will encourage him to ask his SM for the blue cards for the MB's he wants to take and hope for the best.

 

I don't understand the reluctance to allow scouts to attend. As I understand it, it will be staffed by MB counselors registered in our council. He would be contacting some of these same people for the badges outside of this event, anyway.

 

We'll see what happens, I guess.

[Shell in WA- USA]

I chair a Merit badge day also in our district. However, I've worked very hard to NOT make it a "mill" for cranking out badges. But it's also taken me two years to convince others that that's not happening with my event.

 

The way I approach this is that I get commitments from the MB counselors ahead of time as to what will be offered. They also send me what requirements will be covered and what needs to be done outside of the Jumboree (That's what we call it). I check it to make sure that what the Counselor says will happen is feasible but not pushing it just to get it done.

 

Then I send registrations out to the boys with that information and make it clear that they won't necessarily walk away with the blue card completed. But they can also see what is offered and what they can do before hand to have the MB Counselor sign off. In that way, they could complete the MB that day.

 

My goal for the day is to help the boys match themselves with MB Counselors (The younger ones have trouble doing it on their own sometimes). The rest is between the Counselor and Boy. And hopefully afterward, it will give the boy the confidence to seek a counselor on their own.

 

I also use the day to offer MBs that wouldn't otherwise be thought of. For instance, as sessions were filling last year, one boy only had Theatre to choose from. He resisted but still signed up for it. At lunchtime, he met up with me and said "Ms. McCarthy, I'm glad that Dad and you made me take Theatre, I'm having a great time!" Then he proceded to tell others. Under request, I have to make sure to offer it next year, I've got at least 6 boys interested.

 

Afterall, that's what MBs are REALLY for! Not to "get Eagle," (BTW, did you know that it's not Nationals goal to get boys to Eagle Scout but rather to first class!)but to experience things that the boys would otherwise not try. This is my REAL goal for the Merit badge day!

 

BTW, if any of you have run a MB clinic or day or whatever you call it, I would be very interested in hearing how you do it. I"m always looking for wasy to improve our MB Jumboree! Thanks!

[Fat Old Guy]

" If it was passed by the District Committee I would have no choice"

 

Are districts organized differently than troops. I know that no votes are required in a Troop Committee and that the CC has final say. Does the District Committee need to vote on things?

[KoreaScouter]

Some thoughts:

 

- A District Merit Badge Day, MBU, Roundup, 3-ring circus, or whatever you want to call it, requires the dedicated efforts of a tremendous number of volunteers if it is to be done the right way. It strikes me that when you're told your unit "doesn't support that", it's true on two levels. One, not allowing Scouts the opportunity to participate. And two, not volunteering as leaders/MB counselors or staffers to help the District staff pull it off.

 

- If any leader believes any of his District events is sub-par, it seems to me that out of all available options, pitching in to make it better is preferable to a boycott...color me crazy.

 

- My current District is a fairly recent "break-out" -- very new without many long standing traditions or continuity. We don't have an annual MB day, and do just one camporee a year. I'd like to be able to say "we have too many District events". Duty schedule permitting, I'll offer to put together a MB day in the fall.

 

Just one word of advice: assuming you get the blue cards from the SM, select badges that can be reasonably earned in a day, after reviewing requirements and how they'll be completed at the MB day. For example, many elective badges have "do one of the following..." requirements. Which of the options is selected can determine if the Scouts will complete that day, or get a partial.

 

KS

 

[LauraT7]

We call ours "Merit Badge Opoortunity Days" and they run for 6 weeks, meet 3 times - every other saturday.

 

A list of offered badges is given out, and the boys sign up - listing up to 3 badges and alternates(in case classes overfill) Badge classes meet for about 1 hour each of the three saturdays.

 

this gives time to teach at one meeting, and test two-4 weeks later. Also if there is outside work to be done, the boys can work on it at home and return it later to th4e badge counselor to be signed off. they also know what they are signed up for AHEAD of time - so pre-requisits can be completed before meeting with the counselor (things like going to a city council meeting, or keeping a 90 day chore chart)

 

The first year they did this, about 3 yrs ago - they were BURIED with boys. I think they expected about 100 and got somewhere in the neighborhood of 400. At that time they didn't pre-register individual boys, only troops. Some boys thought it was going to be really easy, and that badges were just going to be handed out - many didn't want to work at the badges and by the 2nd and Third saturday, about 1/3 had dropped out.

 

This year they are trying something new. In the fall they had a MBOD that was a variety of badges ans open to ALL scouts. In the spring, they are doing one that is ALL Eagle-required badges, and is open only to scouts First Class ans above.

 

My son has chosen to go to some MBOD's and not to others - it depends on what badges they are offering. Our experience with the badge counselors is that this is NOT a merit badge mill, and most are very good. All know their stuff, though the first few, some were not that good at managing large 'classes' of boys. My general opinion of the counselors involved is that they put alot of time and effort into their presentations & classes, and they want the boys to REALLY KNOW the work. There's some real talent and skiled people out there - I wish I could have taken some of those classes!

 

I will be teaching for the first time at the Spring/Eagle MBOD - i filled in for a friend on the photography badge at the last one, when he got sick and couldn't teach his 2nd class. I had a ball! and the boys were REALLY into it. My friend asked me to return for the third class, to help him check and sign blue cards - and both of us were very strict about it. The boy had to have actually DONE the WHOLE requirement, or he didn't get it signed off. About 1/3 of the class got partials. Two boys asked if they could meet with me later(they were waiting for developed film) and I met them at their troop meeting. Quite a few asked if I would counsel the badge for their troop, and we are working on setting up an individual 'class' for 3 troops in another town nearby.

 

so I think merit badge colleges work well to gain the interest of the boys and get them exposed to opportunities they may not otherwise have access to.

 

laura