4 Historical MBs Brought Out of Retirement for 2010

[AlFansome 10]

From a post by the owners of the offical Scouting Magazine page on Facebook as of an hour ago:

 

"We just spoke to the team leader in charge of the historical merit badges. The group is finalizing some requirements and will go live with the special Web site soon. They're planning to include scans from the original merit badge pamphlets with each historical merit badge. These scans will be annotated with explanatory call-out boxes to explain the early-20th-century terminology to modern-day Scouts."

 

So, as of now, it seems that any website that claims to have "official" requirements is mistaken.

 

[jeff-o 10]

Good to hear. I just read the leader's guide from our upcoming summer camp, and they're planning on offering three of the four (not pathfinder).

[NE-IV-88-Beaver 10]

From Scouting magazine Facebook page - February 4, 2010 5:07 pm

"We just spoke to the team leader in charge of the historical merit badges. The group is finalizing some requirements and will go live with the special Web site soon. They're planning to include scans from the original merit badge pamphlets with each historical merit badge. These scans will be annotated with explanatory call-out boxes to explain the early-20th-century terminology to modern-day Scouts."

 

My comment sent to them this am:

Isn't it kind of important to get the "official" requirements out as soon as possible since , I'm sure, many of us took the January 12, 2010 announcement (http://blog.scoutingmagazine.org/2010/01/historical-merit-badges-help-boy-scouts-celebrate-scoutings-past.html) to be official and started working the program. We ve already had 10 % of the year in which they can earn the badge, go by. Holding up waiting for glitz and glamor on the website is doing a real dis-service to our Scouts.(This message has been edited by NE-IV-88-Beaver)

[RememberSchiff 3662]

Yeah they missed a delivery date on a "nice to have" resource - a special website with fancy stuff. But that is not a "need to have" resource, as we can all either google OR like scouts did in 1911 get help from "old-timers" and go to the "public library" (what a concept). And really, how many scouts will look at that website?

 

So we are not waiting for National to fix yet another of their websites as they have yet developed competency in that communication. Our scouts who in good faith and effort completed the published requirements whether "not-quite-official" or not, will be awarded the merit badge. We had 4 scouts just complete Carpentry. It would be nice to have a stitched mb patch for the COR at the end of the month.

 

Forward not backward Boys from Irving.

 

my $0.02

 

 

 

 

[Eagle732 27]

Just talked to the Registrar from Baltimore, she said the historical merit badge program is up and running. She also advised me to go to Scouting.org for more information including the requirements. I've tried to find it but to no avail. Somebody please tell BSA their website is awful!

[RememberSchiff 3662]

"She also advised me to go to Scouting.org for more information ..."

 

In other words, she told you to get lost.

[Eagle732 27]

I was too, totally! Seems like instead of spending money on race cars maybe they could hire someone to design a usable website. I liked the old one better, at least you could find things! Sound like a spin off for another thread.

[AlFansome 10]

I find that using Google instead of the scouting.org 'Search' box is more effective at finding things on the National web site.

 

Go to Google and enter the following (for example):

 

belt loops site:scouting.org

 

...and you'll only get hits from scouting.org that match the search terms.

[Eagle732 27]

Did that earlier today with Pathfinding or Carpentry in the search box and came up with nothing.

[John-in-KC 311]

What a bloody mess. 10% of the year gone, and no requirements.

 

KISS, National. Roll out the requirements now. Do the pretty stuff later. You are the ones artificially restricting the badge to a one year life cycle.

[jeff-o 10]

And as of now, I'm only supposed to do advancement via the online method through scouting.org. And no, those merit badges aren't in the list yet. I guess when the Scouts in my troop earn them, I'll just have to order the patch from somewhere other than the BSA to get them. That's sad.

[jeff-o 10]

Interesting. I just today had a Scout come to me with all the requirements completed for Pathfinding. I tried the national site. I cannot give him credit for the merit badge. I tried Scoutstuff.org, it won't let me order it, as it says it is a limited item, and I have to contact my local council. I called my local council, and they kinda wouldn't answer, and then eventually said that I had to call my district DE for information on obtaining the physical merit badge. Seems rather backwards to me, but I've got a message in to him to see where this goes.

[AlFansome 10]

Who was the Scout's merit badge counselor and who signed his blue card letting him know that he could start work on the badge? Sounds like maybe the cart was put before the horse...

 

That being said, if the process was followed (even with the "unofficial" requirements being met) and the Scout did all the right things, I would think that awarding the badge when they eventually come out would be appropriate. (Assuming the requirements haven't changed from the "unofficial" ones that were floating around).

[jeff-o 10]

Now I was quite careful -- I said the Scout had completed the requirements. He looked it up on the web, found the requirements, and completed them. So now I'm trying to find out what to do when the blue card is completed, so I know what to tell him. I'm hoping that my district doesn't come back and say, "Gee, sorry, we're not supporting that," but that does seem to be an option based on what council has told me.

 

So he doesn't have a blue card, but he is ready to meet the counselor and show that he's completed the requirements -- but now I'm stuck telling him, "I'm not sure what to do for this yet."

[AlFansome 10]

Well, if he can find a Scoutmaster who will give him a blue card after the fact, and an MB counselor who will sign the blue card after the fact, then he gets the badge once it becomes available, IMHO.

 

Until then, not much you can do...