Fwd: Re: Confusion on MB changes

Mark Lum asked:

>I'm confused about the Eagle Required changes.

You and about 300 or so other Scouters!!

Here's what CHANGED from the list of merit badges for Eagle:

First Aid (none)
Citizenship in Community (none)
Citizenship in Nation (none)
Communications (none)
Family Life (none)
Environmental Science (none)
Emergency Preparness OR Lifesaving (none)
Safety (DROPPED; replaced by Personal Fitness)
Camping (none)
Swimming OR Personal Fitness OR Sports (DROPPED;
new options are SWIMMING OR CYCLING OR HIKING)
Personal Management (none)

Basically, SPORTS and SAFETY will become NON-REQUIRED
("green" bordered merit badges) and CYCLING AND
HIKING will become REQUIRED ("silver" bordered merit
badges).

Personal Fitness will no longer be an "EITHER OR"
merit badge; it will be REQUIRED (taking Safety's place)

The new requirements for Eagle will be announced through
YOUR LOCAL COUNCILS and through the BSA's publications
(and maybe on their website, although I doubt that last
part) THIS FALL in time for the January 1999 implementation.

Scouts will have between NOW and APRIL 1, 1999, to complete
the Eagle Scout requirements as PRESENTLY written in the
Boy Scout Handbook, the Scoutmasters' Handbook and in the
1998 Boy Scout Requirements booklet.

The new edition of the Boy Scout Handbook, the Scout
Leaders' Handbook, and the 1999 Boy Scout Requirements
booklet will all contain the NEW requirements for Eagle
advancement as well as other minor changes to the Boy Scout
advancement trail. Scouts will have the option to switch
immediately to the new requirements OR to continue onward
if they can meet all requirements for Eagle by 1 April 1999.
After that time, ALL Scouts will be using the requirements in
the new publications on their trail toward Eagle Scout rank.

YOUR COUNCIL SCOUT EXECUTIVE is in the process of receiving
this information (and any other changes) from National THIS MONTH
and will be sharing this information with his field staff and
in return to the volunteers in your Council. If they have not
received this information, don't blame them....the finalized
requirements was just announced four and a half weeks ago at
Philmont's Volunteer Training Center, and it does take some
time to crank up the ol' printing presses and get written
information to the field.

This same information will be released to professionals in the
next ProSpeak issues, as well as in the upcoming issue of
_Scouting_. Please take the time to read the articles and to
advise your Star and Life Scouts accordingly.

I do believe that a summary of the changes will also be published
in a future issue of _Scouters_Magazine_ as well.

The changes were made after evaluating the current Boy Scout
advancement program, and was done after months of taking a
careful look at the relevancy of the current merit badge list.
Remember, it was a short four years ago that we added the Family
Life merit badge to the list of merit badges required for Eagle.

There are some minor changes to some other requirements for Eagle,
which will be outlined in the new 1999 Boy Scout Requirements
booklet, which will hit the local Councils this fall.

This is the latest that I'm aware of and has been verified by
those attending the Boy Scout Program and Advancement Conferences
at Philmont this summer as well as in other ways. If anyone has
any other information, please post it here so that we're all aware
of those additional items!

Hope this answers a lot of questions about this change!

Settummanque!


(c) 1998 Mike Walton ("no such thing as strong coffee,...") (502) 827-9201
(settummanque, the blackeagle) http://dynasty.net/users/blkeagle
241 Fairview Dr., Henderson, KY 42420-4339 blkeagle@dynasty.net
privately at kyblkeagle@aol.com or waltonm@hq.21taacom.army.mil
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