DRAFT: DE&I merit badge requirements

[CynicalScouter]

1 hour ago, ParkMan said:

I'm sorry to hear about the impact of this badge on LEO.  In prior discussions on this, I had not recognized that law enforcement officers were feeling offended by the badge itself.  Yes, I can understand that.  

The Explorers program had to issue a "we didn't really mean it" email to LEO Explorer posts after BSA National's Black Lives Matter letter.

 

 

Edited December 23, 2020 by CynicalScouter

[ParkMan]

43 minutes ago, yknot said:

I read somewhere that some YPT style adult training on this is coming for leaders. Seems to me though that should have come first. 

That's good to hear.  That would be smart of them.

Yes - I concur that having it first would have been preferred.  I couldn't agree more.

[CynicalScouter]

We are now less than 5 days to launch of the new Eagle-required merit badge and no official word yet on the requirements.

Meanwhile, National has pressured FB groups, Reddit, and other scouting affiliated social media to pull the requirements I found/that were leaked off their platforms.

This is going to be a mess.

[PACAN]

@CynicalScouter  "this is going to be a mess"

And this surprises you?  Following the pattern of most other roll outs

 

 

[CynicalScouter]

17 minutes ago, PACAN said:

@CynicalScouter  "this is going to be a mess"

And this surprises you?  Following the pattern of most other roll outs

No, let me be clear. It was going to be bad because there's a good amount of people who are offended by this thing existing at all. But that was a content issue. This is both: that the roll out will be objected to AND the content.

The last Eagle (Cooking) was rolled out OK (predates me but I was told by long timers it was OK since it was an existing merit badge that was "promoted" to Eagle) and the content was OK.

This is a double whammy.

[PACAN]

Cynical.....and there is that too!

the last brand new eagle mb was sustainability.   Some of the same PC arguments were made then.

[qwazse]

@CynicalScouter, I agree. The return of Cooking to the required list was long awaited. Moreover, the specific change in requirements was announced a year in advance, and the grace period to work the badge under the existing requirements was almost that long.

I was not involved in scouting when Family Life rolled out. I wonder if anybody who was can recall boots-on-the-ground opinions of it.

Until June, nobody was asking for DE&I MB. Many of us in the corporate or academic world probably have a low view of our HR’s take on the subject. But since Eagle Scouts will also have to shortly encounter this in the professional/military world, being somewhat conversant might help. But, since BSA has never crowd-sourced its MB development, there’s was no way to avoid the requirements representing anything other than a narrow slice of corporate America.

[CynicalScouter]

10 minutes ago, qwazse said:

@CynicalScouter, I agree. The return of Cooking to the required list was long awaited. Moreover, the specific change in requirements was announced a year in advance, and the grace period to work the badge under the existing requirements was almost that long.

I would also note that, frankly, Boy Scouts of America has been cooking since inception. Food, water, and shelter, and cooking covers 2 out of 3. In other words, "rolling out" cooking was taking existing BSA work for a century and figuring out what was and was not needed plus some modern understandings of diet (mention of the USDA food pyramid, healthy eating).

In other words, and again I wasn't there, I do not get the impression that Cooking was something that had to be invented. It was always part of part of outdoor exploration.

Plus, and I could be wrong, there's not a lot of moral, ethical, and religious ramifications to Cooking outside of the need to acknowledge religious diet restrictions.

This is something entirely different being slammed together in 6 months that has major moral, ethical, and religious connotations (maybe) and we are just outside 100 hours to it being released.

[mrjohns2]

14 hours ago, qwazse said:

I was not involved in scouting when Family Life rolled out. I wonder if anybody who was can recall boots-on-the-ground opinions of it.

It wasn't super long after I earned eagle when Family Life rolled out. I just remember, as a Scout, being happy I wasn't affected. For Scouts, I just recall them working on it like other merit badges. No drama. 

[InquisitiveScouter]

On 12/23/2020 at 10:20 AM, ParkMan said:

I too wish that we could stop having labels define us.

“We but mirror the world. All the tendencies present in the outer world are to be found in the world of our body. If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change. As a man changes his own nature, so does the attitude of the world change towards him. This is the divine mystery supreme. A wonderful thing it is and the source of our happiness. We need not wait to see what others do.” – Mahatma Gandhi

A good first step would be eliminating the labels.  For the most part, I endeavor not to use them.  It is a pernicious system that has taken hold in our society...this labeling.  It is in everything we do, including on our applications for Scouting.

I think I'll take my own advice (and Gandhi's), and to help reduce discrimination, I will stop answering these questions everywhere I encounter them.  Using these as metrics for demographics and to force diversity only perpetuates using them.

Edited December 27, 2020 by InquisitiveScouter

[ParkMan]

43 minutes ago, InquisitiveScouter said:

A good first step would be eliminating the labels.  For the most part, I endeavor not to use them.  Is is a pernicious system that has taken hold in our society...this labeling.  It is in everything we do, including on our applications for Scouting.

Fully agree.  I've made it a point to stop using labels myself whenever I can.  If I sense myself about to add a label, I try to catch myself and internally ask - "why am I adding this label to the description?"  I found that after a while, I really don't miss the labels at all.

[TAHAWK]

2 hours ago, mrjohns2 said:

It wasn't super long after I earned eagle when Family Life rolled out. I just remember, as a Scout, being happy I wasn't affected. For Scouts, I just recall them working on it like other merit badges. No drama. 

There was Citizenship in the Home for about twnety years, until 1972 IIRC.  IT was one of four "citizenship" merit badges, including the more corectly name "World Britherhood,: and any three were required for Eagle.  Twenty years later, "Family Life."  Much of a muchness. 

[fred8033]

10 hours ago, mrjohns2 said:

It wasn't super long after I earned eagle when Family Life rolled out. I just remember, as a Scout, being happy I wasn't affected. For Scouts, I just recall them working on it like other merit badges. No drama. 

Over the last week, I talked to a few scouts about it.  I heard the same thin you said above.  Those close to Eagle want to finish before the badge is required.  Those further away treat it as another hoop to jump thru.  Those already Eagle view it as a reflection of the time.  None of them are thrilled at it, but see it as scouting reflecting the times and jumping on the bandwagon everyone else is jumping on.  It's probably my big probem with the badge.  The scout's aren't asking for it and they are already getting it elsewhere.  

Edited December 28, 2020 by fred8033

[CynicalScouter]

Under 72 hours before Scouts are going to be allowed to earn this Merit Badge and still NO official requirements released.

Wheee!!!!

[InquisitiveScouter]

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]

Edited December 29, 2020 by InquisitiveScouter