Advancement Resources
Scouting ranks, merit bades, and the advancement programs
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LATEST POSTS
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I'll push back on @fred8033 that it's not a celebration. At least our BoR's don't throw confetti, play music, and serve pizza! It's still a review. And I have had them tell a scout to come back in a couple of weeks because something was not up to snuff. But, @Armymutt, it's no formality. It's also a great way to hear about troop life from the the scouts most engaged with the program. The job interview analogy is apt. Also, some of us had to give a statement of faith to become a proper member of their church. By the time I had to do that, I had completed several BoR's and some of my church's elders were on the board. I think that helped me to better engage with that process. Then there was Aunt Mary who loved to stir the pot at any family gathering. You weren't allowed to sit quietly in a corner around her. Yes, my BoR's help me keep my nerve in a hot-tempered Mediterranean family! I think it helped my sons too. When I had friends over for dinner, they would be impressed that our boys would stay at the table and participate in conversation. Their kids didn't experience the adult association that mine did through scouting. There are things that I think the advancement method has formalized unnecessarily (EDGE, bean-counting service hours, etc ...), but personal growth conferences are not one of them. If you are just jumping through hoops in SMC's and BoR's, you're doing it wrong. -
One of the purposes of a BoR in the early days was for the scout to gain familiarity with the job interview process. The BoR committee was made up of influential community people, and/or business leaders. It was a chance for the Scout to learn and grow at promoting themself and answering questions from unknown adults. I think it would be great if we brought this idea back. Conceptually it would not change current practice (or GTA regs), but it would provide both the committee and Scout a slightly different focus and perhaps make it more meaningful. -
By InquisitiveScouter · Posted
These days, it is mostly just a formality. Back in the day, you were tested on a few skills at a BoR. Nowadays, that is a no go. Now, it is more of a job performance review for the SM corps, by proxy through the Scouts' eyes. Helps the Committee see that the program is being delivered rightly to the Scouts. But, if the committee doesn't know the program... well... Even Eagle Boards of Review are mostly a formality, too. In that, I would agree they are primarily "hoops" to jump through. -
Getting the kids, well parents, to attend the PLC is the tough one. I'm trying to shape things more and more. It's gotta be a force more like erosion than a hurricane. Very difficult for a guy who thrives on rapidly changing environments. -
We never had a BOR, other than for Eagle, in any of the three troops I was a member. One was in IL, the others in England. I don't even recall a SM conference. We just completed the ranks and received the badge and card. These seem like artificial barriers that are unnecessary.
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