Update on new Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion MB

[Owls_are_cool]

Anyone able to provide me a list of required merit badges for Eagle Rank in 1950? I am just curious how much these requirements have changed over the past 70 years. I am concerned that scouting is becoming more like school and will push children to not join the program (and not stay when they get fully exposed to the program). 

Generally, I am more inclusive than my parents and my scout aged children are more inclusive than me. That trend will continue. To create a new merit badge for this is overkill. Just add an item in Citizenship in the Community.

It is my understanding that this new merit badge is a reaction to the Black Lives Matter movement. This is a movement that encouraged vandalism of our cities, looting of our stores, violence against those that disagree with them. This is the opposite of what the Scout Law and Oath teaches. Instead of our national organization pointing out the numerous examples of diversity and inclusion ALREADY in our units, they instead add another MB requirement that will drive scouts from the program. 

COVID is devastating our units. A year of media ads searching for former scouts sexually exploited while at BSA activities are devastating our units. I am working my butt off to keep my unit healthy. Please do not make it harder on us.

[qwazse]

10 minutes ago, Owls_are_cool said:

Anyone able to provide me a list of required merit badges for Eagle Rank in 1950? ...

Here's a nice link http://usscouts.org/eagle/EagleHistory.asp

But, keep in mind that on the trail to Eagle, there are now several additional requirements outside of MBs:

• Ageism - 1960ish, the award was designated as strictly for youth and the age 18 deadline set.
• Management and Subcontracting - 1965 "plan, develop, and carry out a service project"
• Predator deflection - 1990-ish The pamphlet that parents must go through with their scouts.
• Recruiting and Propoganda - 1990-ish talk to another scout about joining the troop.
• Pedagogy - 2009? - Explain, and later instruct using, the poppycock EDGE method.

Objectively, it's a much harder process than in the '50's.  This is born out by the empirical evidence that few scouts earn it by age 16 (once the average).

 

[Owls_are_cool]

17 minutes ago, qwazse said:

Here's a nice link http://usscouts.org/eagle/EagleHistory.asp

 

 

Fascinating to see the evolution. 

[yknot]

1 hour ago, Owls_are_cool said:

Fascinating to see the evolution. 

I wish they would get rid of Cooking. It has turned so many camp outs into tailgating in the woods.

[BAJ]

19 minutes ago, yknot said:

I wish they would get rid of Cooking. It has turned so many camp outs into tailgating in the woods.

One of the things that surprised me on my return to Scouting was the prevalence of cooking requirements.  Rank requirements, Cooking MB, cooking requirements in Camping MB.  Taking numbers of requirements as a proxy for importance, it is clear that BSA believes that it is really important for scouts to be able to cook.

[yknot]

9 minutes ago, BAJ said:

One of the things that surprised me on my return to Scouting was the prevalence of cooking requirements.  Rank requirements, Cooking MB, cooking requirements in Camping MB.  Taking numbers of requirements as a proxy for importance, it is clear that BSA believes that it is really important for scouts to be able to cook.

I know it's mystifying. It's almost as if they've gotten kickbacks from Dutch oven manufacturers. All it does is make camp outs more sedentary and creates all sorts of food handling and wildlife safety issues with kids trying to transport ambitious food items to camp sites or on trips. . 

[Eagle94-A1]

46 minutes ago, yknot said:

I wish they would get rid of Cooking. It has turned so many camp outs into tailgating in the woods.

I say keep Cooking, but get rid of some of the tailgaiting requirements and add more backpacking meals

[Owls_are_cool]

Scouts providing meals for campouts is quite important, so I see the value of cooking advancement requirements and cooking merit badge. Interesting how the cooking merit badge was off, on, off, and on of the requirement list. Something similar happened to the required swimming merit badge. 

I suspect that changes to required merit badges should be a harder process to promote stability.

[yknot]

2 minutes ago, Eagle94-A1 said:

I say keep Cooking, but get rid of some of the tailgaiting requirements and add more backpacking meals

Yes. I agree. It wouldn't be so bad if it were more practical in the out of doors and cut down on the wording that seems to lead kids to want to make full meals for breakfast and lunch. And for so many kids to have to make meals. It gets difficult to fit them all in. 

[yknot]

1 minute ago, Owls_are_cool said:

Scouts providing meals for campouts is quite important, so I see the value of cooking advancement requirements and cooking merit badge. Interesting how the cooking merit badge was off, on, off, and on of the requirement list. Something similar happened to the required swimming merit badge. 

I suspect that changes to required merit badges should be a harder process to promote stability.

Nutritious food is important at camp outs, not tail gate quality meals that take forever to make and clean up after and leave residues that attract wildlife. I'm tired of kids bringing bear "crack" -- meals like salmon in foil -- along on camp outs. 

[fred8033]

1 hour ago, BAJ said:

One of the things that surprised me on my return to Scouting was the prevalence of cooking requirements.  Rank requirements, Cooking MB, cooking requirements in Camping MB.  Taking numbers of requirements as a proxy for importance, it is clear that BSA believes that it is really important for scouts to be able to cook.

I just don't like overlapping both rank and MB.

[fred8033]

48 minutes ago, yknot said:

Nutritious food is important at camp outs, not tail gate quality meals that take forever to make and clean up after and leave residues that attract wildlife. I'm tired of kids bringing bear "crack" -- meals like salmon in foil -- along on camp outs. 

I'm flexible on backpacking meals or bigger meals.

I just don't want to be doing dishes late in the evening.

[JoeBob]

I say we make Cooking MB really mean something: "Catch, kill, clean, cook and eat a small animal native to your area."  For diversity, you can require one fur-bearing animal and either a fish or reptile.  Equity will allow the vegans to make acorn bread or cattail pancakes.  Be sure to be inclusive of the condiments.  Catsup makes anything taste good.

[DuctTape]

A lot of the cooking extravagance is a result of modeling by the adults. Simple one pot meals can be  nutritious, delicious, and easy (both in prep and cleanup). Adults should be modeling this instead of trying to outdo each other with extravagance. 

[qwazse]

3 hours ago, yknot said:

I wish they would get rid of Cooking. It has turned so many camp outs into tailgating in the woods.

LNT is not just for franks and beans!

3 hours ago, BAJ said:

One of the things that surprised me on my return to Scouting was the prevalence of cooking requirements.  Rank requirements, Cooking MB, cooking requirements in Camping MB.  Taking numbers of requirements as a proxy for importance, it is clear that BSA believes that it is really important for scouts to be able to cook.

So, it was a long uphill battle to bring cooking back after the new scouting program deemed it and camping to be electives in 1972.

2 hours ago, yknot said:

Yes. I agree. It wouldn't be so bad if it were more practical in the out of doors and cut down on the wording that seems to lead kids to want to make full meals for breakfast and lunch. And for so many kids to have to make meals. It gets difficult to fit them all in. 

You all clearly have not had a scout (with the help of his patrol) make empenadas the size of calzones during a meeting.

1 hour ago, DuctTape said:

A lot of the cooking extravagance is a result of modeling by the adults. Simple one pot meals can be  nutritious, delicious, and easy (both in prep and cleanup). Adults should be modeling this instead of trying to outdo each other with extravagance. 

Son #2 got some serious game thanks to this badge. He and his fiance' now binge-watch Master Chef.

And that's the crux. The sooner you learn to cook well, the sooner you can land a good spouse who's going to make bank so you can indulge your other hobbies -- including scouting. ;)