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ScooterScouter

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    Merit Badge Workshops and Universities

    in Advancement Resources

    Posted

    53 minutes ago, qwazse said:

    When I attended our district's MB Pow-Wow as a scout, I got to meet the counselor of a badge I was interested in, do cool stuff, got his contact info, then follow-up with him at a later date to complete the badge. Partial completions on the day of the event were the norm.

    See that's part of the problem I have. Most of the MBU's I have seen offered in our area tend to be start to finish. As long as they did their prereq they come back with a completed blue card ready to receive their badge.

    I agree that there can be a benefit when you use an industry expert to provide a unique learning experience the Scouts would not normally get otherwise but unless there is a certified MB counselor there to A)test them individually and B) sign off on what they actually accomplished then it is nice but not productive. If you come away from a single day of an experience with a Nuclear Science MB then I have to wonder....

    It also still misses some of the other, more esoteric purposes of the MB process.

    • Upvote 1

    Merit Badge Workshops and Universities

    in Advancement Resources

    Posted

    I saw a topic on this from 2002 but would like to re-open it as the issue seems to have gotten worse and not better.

    I am opposed to merit badge universities and one-day merit badge events. I think they focus entirely on the getting the badge and checking the box. 

    I believe they violate the spirit and intent of merit badges in the following ways:

    1. A scout is to take personal responsibility for earning the badge
    2. The MB curriculum is designed to have the scout dive into the material and not just gloss over it.
    3. The MBU is less about accomplishment and more about just showing up.
    4. Logistically, it is almost impossible to actually test each scout individually.
    5. Part of the idea of earning the merit badge is learning to interact personally and directly with adults, both in taking the initiative to contact them and schedule appointments and demonstrate their skills.
    6. The scout is supposed to actually develop skill and knowledge, not just pass a test.

    Am I off-base? Is there really a justification for MBUs?

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