Re: Advancement dilly

<Cathy Porter wrote>
He's earned his Scout and Tenderfoot rank. They are signed in his book.
But, we suspect they haven't been turned in to the council office. I will
check, but if they haven't - how do I show his advancement? It wasn't in
our troop, so I can't turn it in for them, can I?
Also, he earned Merit Badges at summer camp, but didn't receive them. He has
no record of that, not even written in his book. Is there any recourse?
</Cathy>

Cathy,
The solution is simple if they transfer to your troop since you can submit a
correction along with their transfer paperwork. If they don't transfer,
there really isn't anything you can do except for educating the parents of
these Scouts how important those records are and how they can go about
making sure the records get submitted and badges awarded.

As for the merit badges, the camp may still have records pertaining to those
badges, so the information can be recreated if necessary. This is something
we were glad to discover after two Scouts returned from camp without earning
a single badge despite attending classes for at least two. It turned out the
Scouts either didn't give their cards to the counselor, or the cards weren't
properly filled out (and hence weren't completed or returned to the troop by
the counselor). Luckily the council was able to track down the area director
who had kept his records for those badges. It took nearly four months to do
it, but we did it.

<Cathy continued>
Of course, if they do transfer, I will check this out with their advancement
chair. But what are my/their options if their records are truly in as bad a
shape as their mom suspects? (And certainly, I realize things may not be so
bad. ;D )
</Cathy>

The worst senario is that not only were the badges not awarded, but - as you
suspect - haven't been submitted to council. In such a case, the only proof
a Scout has is his own record of what he's earned (the Scout part of the
blue card, actual signatures in his handbook, etc.). His record can only be
recreated from that evidence.

A more likely senario is that the work has been done, records submitted, and
credit given for the badges, but the troop simply hasn't awarded them (or
purchased them). This is relatively easy to fix one way or another. It also
means the situation isn't as dire as you'd think since council would likely
have the Scout's record. If the Scout's transfer with being awarded the
badges, you can complete the transfer paperwork, make sure their records at
council are correct, and award the badges (which may require submitting an
advancement report for these Scouts even though the record already exists -
depends on your council's policy on purchasing awards).

YIS
A. J. Mako, ajmako@nls.net, SM Troop 381 http://www.Scouts381.org/
Old Portage District, Great Trail Council, BSA
"I used to be an Eagle (C-7-97), but I'll always be an Eagle (1981)"

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