Re: Confusion on MB changes

Hi Folks,

I have read this thread with a growing sense of unease. I
have little problem with the changes in requirements but
I am distressed over the schedule for their implementation
and I have two problems with it.

First of all, over the past few years, I have chronicled the
changes in the advancement program in order to keep my web
sites up to date. During this time, I have found that while
National is good at updating and improving the Boy Scouting
program, they are absolutely awful at getting the word out to
the rest of us. I have no doubt that Scouts and Scouters will
be submitting Eagle applications well after the April 1
deadline with absolutely no knowledge of the changes in the
program. Will these applications be tuned down?

Second, the time limit for the change is way too short.
Scouts who have spent the last two, four, or even six years
working towards a specific goal should not be told all their
plans are for naught. They must change their plans and
complete the tasks they've set for themselves in less time
than originally expected. Yet for years, we've told them
their only time limit is age eighteen. Don't get me wrong...
I'm not saying every Scout currently enrolled in the program
should fall under the old rules for the remainder of his
tenure. However, one to two years is much more reasonable
than a few months.

One last note. I feel the major factor effected here is not
the merit badges themselves but the Eagle project. Many Life
Scouts save their Eagle project till last and some Eagle
projects, especially the tougher ones, take over half a year
to complete. There's nothing like telling a Scout in the
middle of a tough Eagle project that he'll either have to
move his completion date up or he'll have to add a couple
more merit badges to his list of things to do.

In the final analysis, we must remember that we're not
talking about a simple rewrite of some merit badge
requirements but a change in the advancement program itself.
In Scouting, we encourage planning and goal setting, and the
Trail To Eagle is started at the Joining Ceremony. Since this
usually takes a minimum of two years, it does not seem
unreasonable to request the same amount of time to implement
the new system.

YIS,

Michael Kauffmann mailto:optimist@meritbadge.com
Merit Badge Research Center http://www.meritbadge.com/
I used to be a Bobwhite... And a good 'ol Staffer, too...
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