Requirements Book (or unofficial requirements websites) Awareness

[John-in-KC]

I was reading the Nuclear Science thread ... and several of the folks here seemed bamboozled that the Atomic Energy MB was dropped in Requirements 2005 in favor of Nuclear Science.

 

That said, Irving put a bunch of MBs through the rewrite cycle for this year. Half a dozen of the Eagle Required list, and a bunch of others. Railroading in particular had a needed overhaul.

 

In a perfect world, I presume someone in Corporate Communications SHOULD HAVE gotten the word out through Scouting Magazine and our professionals.

 

So, for the group: How does YOUR Troop Committee advancement person (or your District Advancement Committee folk) track changes in the advancement program so that youth are not starting a MB under obsolete requirements?

 

For me, I'm grateful to the guy who maintains meritbadge dot com.

 

YIS

[FScouter]

BSA publishes updated requirements every year in the book "Boy Scout Requirements" #33215. The cost is about $3. It's available at the Scout Shop early January every year. The inside front cover lists which merit badges have revised requirements. The inside back cover lists ALL merit badge phamplets and the current revision date.

[KoreaScouter]

Ditto to FScouter; revisons are once each year, in January, and they're all published in the Requirements book...

 

KS

[Eamonn]

We as a District rely on Boy Scout Requirements #33215 to keep up to date. A member of the advancement committee, normally the Dean of Merit Badges contacts the MB Counselors and informs them that changes have been made to "Their Badges".

He also sends this information to all the SM's. He doesn't go into details. The hope is that the Counselors will keep current. We don't seem to have a problem at the District level, however there has in the past been problems at Summer Camp.

With no disrespect to any of the web sites, our District Committee does not use non BSA sites for information.

Eamonn.

[Vicki]

We use the Requirements Book as mentioned in earlier posts. We also rely on the MB counselors to handle their merit badges appropriately based on the information in hand at the time. For instance, a MB counselor did not receive the updated Cit in the Community requirements prior to an initial conversation with a scout. He knew the requirements had changed but not the details. He allowed that scout to work on the merit badge using the old requirements. Seemed fair enough to me.

 

Vicki

[acco40]

To earn a merit badge, a Scout needs to satisfy his merit badge counselor that he has met the requirements for that badge. Therefore, the burden of "which" requirements fall on the MB counselor, not the Scout.

 

That said, as a MB counselor, I know that the official requirements for each MB (and rank for that matter) are listed 2005 in the requirements book. Therefore, I buy it each year.

[John-in-KC]

Eammon,

 

You hit the rub of my District's problem! "The hope is that the Counselors will keep current."

 

We are finding they are not, even folks who are on Commissioner staff.

 

The challenge, as with all in these days of Too Much Information, is getting the "Heads Up" that change is about to or has just happened.

[Eamonn]

John,

The tale about our District Merit Badge List is a long one.

The list had not been updated for many years and was really of no use. Some people on the list had moved, some were no longer active and some were dead and buried they weren't active either!!

Several people had tried to update the list and the task was just a monumental one and we ended up with the very same list available in different formats.

There were signs of people abusing the system. We are what might be called a rural district but we had people who were signed up as MB Counselors for as many 43 or more different MB's.

Two years back we gave notice to everyone that the list was done away with and we were starting from scratch. We also made a very strong recommendation that no person should apply to be the Counselor for more than five merit badges. We didn't say that they couldn't, but so far it is working. We do have a few people who do have more than five, but these tend to be the MB's that you don't see come up very often.

We also let it be known that the Appointment or term of office was good for a year. The Dean sends out a post card asking if people want to remain on the list? If He doesn't hear anything they are removed from the list.

As for the quality of the Counselor. We have to rely on feedback from the units or in some cases from the parents. I have had upset parents call me. Before a person is added to the list he or she has to be approved by the District Advancement Committee. Our guys do not rubber stamp any applications. In fact our Dean is one of them there bylaw types he would like to see all sorts of rules and regulations. You can imagine the fun we have at some meetings!!

I am not sure what else we can do, at the end of the day A Scout is to be trusted and we have to trust that people are doing what they are supposed to do. We will take action if we find out that things are not being done by the book or if the book is out of date.

Eamonn.

[NJCubScouter]

Acco says:

 

To earn a merit badge, a Scout needs to satisfy his merit badge counselor that he has met the requirements for that badge. Therefore, the burden of "which" requirements fall on the MB counselor, not the Scout.

 

That said, as a MB counselor, I know that the official requirements for each MB (and rank for that matter) are listed 2005 in the requirements book. Therefore, I buy it each year.

 

You do, because you are that kind of guy. I wonder how many MB counselors do not and therefore work with outdated requirements. Instead of that, wouldn't it make sense either for (1) the BSA to send a copy of the book to every MB counselor in the country every year, for free; or (2) the councils/districts to send each counselor the requirements for the merit badge(s) in which he/she is registered, every year? I don't mean financial sense (although as I look at my two options, #2 would be way-way cheaper and on BSA National's part would require only sending a carefully worded partial waiver of copyright to each council, and on the council's part would just require a day or so's worth of photocopying.) And I don't mean, is it going to happen. And I don't mean, should it be necessary. I mean wouldn't it make sense because it would be best for the boys?

[Vicki]

NJScouter - #2 is the way our council does it.

 

Eamonn - our council requires MB counselors to re-up every year.

 

Have to admit though - I understand our council is one of the larger, more active ones in the country.

 

Vicki

[John-in-KC]

WOW!!!

 

I like the idea NJCS and Vicki put forward.

 

Yes, my Council does a re-up every year. BUT ... we don't send out the requirements.

 

That may be worth doing. More importantly, it may be time for BSA to put the requirements online.

 

Thanks, all

 

John

[jr56]

I used to try to update the District MB Counselor list every year. Like trying to pull teeth. A thankless job but somebody has to do it.

[Vicki]

Guess I never realized how good we have it - ours is online and updated pretty quickly. I know when I signed up for 3 merit badges at different times, my name appeared just about the same time I got the notification that I was approved. If you don't send in your re-registration paperwork, it gets taken off pretty quickly too (not personally experienced yet:

[schleining]

Our Council sends the requirement book out every year....

 

They send it directly to the Scout Shop were WE can buy it every year. It is always on the same spot on the shelf and typically the same price as last year.

 

Tounge and cheek...

 

I wish there was a MB counselor bulletin that would come out periodically. Just a letter or email that would say in bullet form what changes are happening or are about to happen.

 

All registered leaders are on the National mailing list we all get Scouting Mag., they could use it to get the word out.

 

Jerry

[KoreaScouter]

Personally, I think it's a little "overkill" for an MB counselor who has no other role in Scouting to be expected to maintain a current Requirements book. I do think, however, that it's reasonable to expect a counselor to use the current MB pamphlet for the badge or badges he counsels. At a minimum, he should be aware of what the Scouts are using as a primary reference, and if the state of the art has passed the reference, he'll know it and can point that out during meetings with his Scouts.

 

Now, should a counselor have to buy the pamphlet, or should it be provided to him? Reasonable people can have different opinions on both sides of that question...

 

KS