An awesome merit badge fair

[howarthe]

There are tons of complaints online about merit badge fairs.  I'm hoping to start a thread where we can collect some good examples.  Merit badge fairs are not going away.  As merit badge counselors, how can we offer a truly excellent experience for our scouts? Please comment below if you have seen good examples of how to conduct a merit badge fair.

[Stosh]

As a MB counselor for a number of different MB's I make a concerted effort every time the MB fairs roll around to improve them by declining any participation in them.    I notify my boys of them and then ignore the whole process.  If my boys wish to participate they have the opportunity to do so, but they are on their own as it should be.

 

The boys generally attend and pick up something fun for the day so it's not a total waste of time.  I think the fair they attended last month was to get the Theater MB.

[CalicoPenn]

There is no such thing as an awesome merit badge fair - and the reason they won't go away is that there are always some merit badge counselors who say yes when they should say not just no but H*** No.

[MattR]

Maybe the first thing to do is define what is meant by awesome. If it's get every scout 3 merit badges in 2, 1 hour classes spread a week apart then you'll see a lot of push back here. However, if you start with what is awesome for one scout working on one MB with one counselor, and then figure out how to scale it up without losing the one on one definition, then you'll have something.

[Stosh]

I'm just impressed that @@howarthe was able to put "awesome" and "MB Fair" in the same sentence and keep a straight face. 

Edited February 28, 2016 by Stosh

[qwazse]

The MB pow-wows I attended as a scout were awesome. They were in the science building of a local college campus. Their point was for a boy to meet a counselor and learn how we could do the requirements, maybe practicing some of the skills required for the badge. (For example, in photography, we all got a crack at developing some film.) In doing that, we learned about the materials we needed to build our own lab (which many of us wound up doing), so that when we made our pinhole camera, we could develop our own film.

 

We met a lot of our district's counselors. That made it easier, when the time came, to tell the SM who you wanted to see about earning the badge, and give the counselor a call and finish the badge.

 

What was really and truly awesome, however, was the displays that the college's outstanding students had put together to fill the display cases in the halls of the building. (These included specimens from ecology, medicine, mathematics, etc ... intended to impress prospective students, not us scouts.) A burgeoning science geek couldn't be happier.

[SSScout]

Like a lot in Scouting,  "It Depends".

 

Some MBs lend themselves well to the long Saturday idea, others definitely not.

In my experience,  I see Scouts in three categories:  the Earners,  the Collectors, and the Tryers.

 

The Earners look at the MB and it's requirements, and work out what's necessary.  They will look at a MB offered at the MBDay, and the posted pre-requisites, and make it happen.  They will contact the MBCounselor before and after, if necessary, to complete things "right".

 

The Collectors sign up and come in the hopes that just "being there", they can get the Blue Card signed off.  I had three brothers arrive at the MBDay with three new bugles, and were noticeably surprised when I asked them to play the calls. I even said they could read the music, didn't have to memorize them.  None of them could even make a sound on the horn the first time.  They were "Collectors", and  walked away with a small partial.....  That was three months ago, none has called me back yet.  

 

The Tryers  will come, knowing they probably won't earn it that day, but now they have a taste of the subject, they may come away with a "partial" and a contact with a real, live MBCounselor they WILL call later to complete things. 

 

MBD?  MBCollege?  MBFair?   Plan for a long  day (8am sign in, 8:30am opening ceremony (?) 8:45 first classes,  Lunch Break 12:45, afternoon classes 1:15,  close up at 5:15 or whenever the Counselor gets tired. ) ,  make sure you have signed up, council listed MBCounselors,, list prerequisites in your sign up routine,,  have snacks available,,  think long and hard about MBs like Camping, Cooking, Physical Fitness, etc. 

Herebouts, we have a college fraternity that sponsors a weekend long MBFair, on campus, some of them take both days (into the evening some of them) , HUNDREDS of Scout participate, and I have heard nothing but praise for the event.  

 

I  conversation with other MBCounselors, they find pretty much the same thing.  Doesn't matter if it's Coin Collecting or Cit in World, or  Electronics or  Scout Heritage. 

 

I once saw a really good Plumbing MB taught over a very long day.  The Counselor  had spoken to all the candidates previously, and  got them to line up the stuff that didn't need a "safe area" and a union plumber to do. 

 

So, like I said, "it depends".     Good Scouting to you!

[Krampus]

There are tons of complaints online about merit badge fairs.  I'm hoping to start a thread where we can collect some good examples.  Merit badge fairs are not going away.  As merit badge counselors, how can we offer a truly excellent experience for our scouts? Please comment below if you have seen good examples of how to conduct a merit badge fair.

 

Sadly I have seen no good examples. I have seen plenty of bad examples. Saw one where First Aid was signed off after subjecting the Scouts to 8 hour of powerpoint, no hands on work. I saw Cooking and Personal Mgmt get signed off in one day without any pre-requisite work. At the Scout Museum in Irving I have seen Cit in the X get signed off after asking each attendee (30+) the same question and getting the same answer just worded slightly different.

 

IMHO, the only way to run a MB properly is to train the MBCs properly. If it says show, then you have to demonstrate (with props most likely). If it says explain/discuss you need to have a detailed discussion. If it says do, then perform that action and show the results of your activity. If it says list/write then have a detailed analysis done, not just a few words on a worksheet.

 

If EACH merit badge is conducted like this then multiply that across all the MBs in your fair. THEN you will have a best practice on how to run one of these things. The problem is that your question is flawed...MB colleges are flawed from the beginning.

[Eagledad]

MB fairs can be awesome, you just have to think outside the box. The problem with fairs is they skip many of the actions that help develop growth. In most fairs, Scouts aren't expected to find the counselor, contact the counselor to make arrangements for meetings, fill out the MB Cards, and get a SM signature. Those are all actions of growth for making independent decisions and are skipped. Add that most fairs require the scouts to attend a full day even if they only want to take one MB. While they aren't asked, many counselors at fairs cut corners so the scouts can complete the requirements in one hour. At no point in the process of typical fair are scouts required to make decisions, much less think. In fact, Fairs are so much like typical school days, the scouts forget they are at a scouting event. 

 

But it doesn't have to be that way, MB Fairs can be an opportunity to gives some rewarding growth experiences toward their character and independence. It can be a different kind of scouting activity that helps a scout feel mature and adult during his experiences. We can even add other activities to enhance the experience since we have the facilities. I proposed such an event based from a district MB  Fair in another state. I think Ohio, but that was 20 years ago. 

 

Here is the awesome MB Fair I propose to the district that would turn the event back into a Boy Scout event.

 

The fair would be three weeks long. Basically a Friday night and three Saturdays. 

 

There are no sign ups, Scouts just show up Friday night of the first weekend to meet counselors and discuss expectations. Counselors stand next to a display or presentation that describes their MB so passing scouts interested in the specific badge can stop and ask questions. From the information the Scouts get from the counselors, they choose their classes and build their schedule. The scouts fill out the required MB Cards and get the SM signature and then present the card to the counselor to finalize meeting times. 

 

Then, the scout shows up to the fair the following three Saturdays to take the classes he chose. He is free to come and leave at anytime. Even though the fair is open for three Saturdays in a row, the scout and counselor can make other arrangements for other meetings. Example would be swimming, auto mechanics and a visit to the airport of the Aviation badge.

 

The counselors will be encourage to help the scouts grow from the experience and not just turn the event into a MB grab. 

 

At the same time the district will provide adult training courses since they have the facilities for three weeks. The troops can set up displays for visiting Webelos. The Packs could even do their Pinewood Derbies. Hey, it's a fair. 

 

This is much easier to plan because it only requires the organizers to provide spaces for the counselors and training organizers. Fair Organizers don't have to keep track of anything or anyone, which is a huge undertaking in our district.

 

There you go, an awesome MB Fair that doesn't ignore any guidelines in the advancement handbooks and provides opportunities to earn some hard to find MBs. Scouts are expected to make independent decisions for choosing the badges and meeting the counselors at the arranged times. They don't skip any part of the guidelines and they are treated as adults instead of middle school students. 

 

This is the plan I presented to the District and was turned down. Why? LOL, Because the district leaders didn't want to be responsible Boy Scouts leaving the fair without their knowledge. Adults can come and go as they please, but not the scouts. It appears independence can only go so far. I was replaced.

 

Barry

Edited February 29, 2016 by Eagledad

[Krampus]

This is the plan I presented to the District and was turned down. Why? LOL, Because the district leaders didn't want to be responsible Boy Scouts leaving the fair without their knowledge. Adults can come and go as they please, but not the scouts. It appears independence can only go so far. I was replaced.

 

Great plan. 

 

Did they turn it down because they saw it as too much work too?

[Eagledad]

Great plan. 

 

Did they turn it down because they saw it as too much work too?

I think the real reason they turned it down was because it was so very different from their typical MB Fair. They liked the old fair format and couldn't understand why I felt going this route was such a big deal.

 

As for the work, I showed them that this fair required 10 percent of the work and 10 percent staff of their previous fairs. The only additional requirement was asking the school for two additional Saturdays.

 

Usually I can sell these ideas, but I think they were miffed that I stood my ground. I was really busy at the time, so I didn't mind being removed.

 

Barry

Edited February 29, 2016 by Eagledad

[CalicoPenn]

The MB pow-wows I attended as a scout were awesome. They were in the science building of a local college campus. Their point was for a boy to meet a counselor and learn how we could do the requirements, maybe practicing some of the skills required for the badge. (For example, in photography, we all got a crack at developing some film.) In doing that, we learned about the materials we needed to build our own lab (which many of us wound up doing), so that when we made our pinhole camera, we could develop our own film.

 

We met a lot of our district's counselors. That made it easier, when the time came, to tell the SM who you wanted to see about earning the badge, and give the counselor a call and finish the badge.

 

 

 

Ok - I can see some kind of "MB Fair" along these lines being awesome - provided that a Scout can't earn a merit badge at the fair.  If it's set-up more like a Merit Badge Showcase where it's held all day at a school or banquet hall or a park or somewhere with enough room that maybe multiple merit badge counselors for a badge could set up a "booth" (like an old-fashioned Scout-O-Rama booth - or a Fishing, Camping, Hunting, Outdoor Loving, RV, etc. type of show for the public) where Scouts can visit all the booths and see if something catches their fancy and they decide to try for the badge by making an appointment with one of the counselors at the show (or is given a list of the counselors for that badge) I can see that as being pretty awesome.  A Scout can't earn a badge, no lectures, no spending 3-5 hours in one sitting in a classroom environment with 20 Scouts and a Counselor - but they can certainly learn more about a badge and what the requirements are - heck, if you can generate the interest among the Merit Badge Counselors, you might be able to showcase 50, 60 or more merit badges.

 

I'd even think that each booth could do some kind of activity where a Scout could meet one - and no more than one - requirement for a badge to get them on their way.  It would require the cooperation of MBCs and the flexibility of Scoutmaster's to accept a "partial" blue card for the one activity to sign - but I could see this.  I could also see where a couple of the largest and most active Troops in a District get together to plan and coordinate it and invite other units to come to the showcase.

[Stosh]

I like @'s idea, a true fair where the boys can come and see what the MB is all about and then decide whether THEY want to make an appointment to do the MB with the MBC's present at the booth.

 

I would support such a fair with my boys.

[Eagledad]

Ok - I can see some kind of "MB Fair" along these lines being awesome - provided that a Scout can't earn a merit badge at the fair.  If it's set-up more like a Merit Badge Showcase where it's held all day at a school or banquet hall or a park or somewhere with enough room that maybe multiple merit badge counselors for a badge could set up a "booth" (like an old-fashioned Scout-O-Rama booth - or a Fishing, Camping, Hunting, Outdoor Loving, RV, etc. type of show for the public) where Scouts can visit all the booths and see if something catches their fancy and they decide to try for the badge by making an appointment with one of the counselors at the show (or is given a list of the counselors for that badge) I can see that as being pretty awesome.  A Scout can't earn a badge, no lectures, no spending 3-5 hours in one sitting in a classroom environment with 20 Scouts and a Counselor - but they can certainly learn more about a badge and what the requirements are - heck, if you can generate the interest among the Merit Badge Counselors, you might be able to showcase 50, 60 or more merit badges.

 

You're making it way to hard and my intention is for scouts to get opportunities to earn badges they might not get elsewhere using basic BSA guidelines . You are so afraid of the system getting abused that you are taking away the advantages that a fair can provide. I have no problem with the showcase idea and think it can work too, but I don't think you should be afraid of counselors working with scouts at these fairs. 

 

I trust the counselors to do the right thing if they are instructed of the true intention of the fair. I was going to instruct the counselors to counsel the scouts the same way they counsel scouts outside of the fair. Don't set different deadlines or completion goals because we want scouts to expect and follow the same routines and expectations of counselor anywhere. Use the resources provided at the fair as best you can and then make other arrangements with the scouts if needed. Just make sure to never be alone with a scout.  I would even suggest they use a different locations if they access for badges that would do better in a different environment like science, aviation, and outdoor activities like hiking, biking and swimming. I am not suggesting that the organizers arrange these badges, they just shouldn't limit the opportunities. The fair is a good place to teach counselors how to do their counseling better. 

 

Part of my motivation for running the fair this way is to teach the Troops how they are supposed to use the MB system as guided by the BSA and how MB counselors should work with scouts. I learned over the years that district events set the example for how units should run their programs. In this case, troops in our district developed some really bad habits with the MB system they learned from our old MB Fair. I wanted to change that back around.

 

Another advantage of the Fair is that it provides annual MB Counselor training. Our district has started doing that with a couple of trainers from our troop. They have their own district trainers now, but since we were already training our counselors, we help the district to get started. As I said, the district can change bad trends by running district events the right way. I also did that in our District training course as well. 

 

Barry

[Stosh]

[fair]

noun

1.  an exhibition, usually competitive, of farm products, livestock, etc., often combined in the U.S. with entertainment and held annually by a county or state.

2.  a periodic gathering of buyers and sellers in an appointed place.

3.  an exposition in which different exhibitors participate, sometimes with the purpose of buying or selling:

a science fair.

4.  an exhibition and sale of articles to raise money, often for some charitable purpose.

 

I don't see BSA using their MB schools/universities/gatherings as a fair as it is defined.  The closest I see it getting is an opportunity for the boys to come and experience the possibilities of the various MB's they might want to consider for the coming year.  I do think it would be okay to have the contact information for the various counselors available and maybe even have the topic booth manned by counselors who could connect with boys who are interested enough to go get their SM's signature on their blue cards.

 

Don't call it a MB fair and then run it as a MB school.