Centennial MBs

[John-in-KC 311]

So here we are, 2 1/3 months into the Centennial year, and I do not see requirements for the 4 merit badges on National's website.

 

Gotta love timeliness and attention to detail from the National Council.

 

Oh, wait. We're talking about National, the same folks who still have the Double H ranch program on the Philmont website...

 

Sigh.

[clydesdale115 10]

Another troop in our area has started offering these MBs based on the premilinary requirements that were posted (then dropped) from Scouting Magazine site.

 

I got our Scouts all excited about tackling them this year, but now I'm not ready to start until we hear something definitive. We're already way behind now.

 

Scouting Magazine's Facebook page said they were "expecting news from the officials in charge any day now" - unfortunately that was a month ago.

 

Other councils have the (prelim) requirements posted and they are just going on as usual.

 

Sigh here too.

 

 

 

[Oak Tree 15]

Our district is doing these at the district camporee. Why not? It's going to be in April 2010. National better have it fixed by then, but if they don't, I think we're fine going with the preliminary requirements.

 

It is really stunningly disappointing from an organizational perspective that the official information isn't out there. Can't some one person at National just jump in and fix this?!?

[bnelon44 17]

Someone called national and they said requirements will be released on or before 4/1

[Lisabob 13]

Gee, glad to see National is so on the ball.

 

Seriously? 4 months into the year? shaking my head.

[ScoutNut 147]

I have also heard, that because of everything, National is considering extending the period in which they can be earned.

[JerseyScout 10]

I second the April 1 date, got an e-mail about through Del-Mar-Va Council.

 

The rate its going, this could be National's little April Fools joke.

[jeff-o 10]

I don't know what National's position is on this these days (searching the web gives you various opinions and options). Here are things I DO know:

 

1. Our Council's summer camp is offering these merit badges. Based on what requirements, I have no idea.

2. Our district has approved the preliminary requirements and scouts can (because one of mine has) earn the merit badges based on those requirements. Our district approved the scouts working on them, and they allowed us to send approvals to council, and council sent us the merit badge.

 

My suggestion -- ask your district executive.

[bnelon44 17]

Update: BSA Historic Merit Badge Program

 

 

 

You may have heard rumors that the Historic Merit Badge Program has been canceled. Not true.

 

What is true is that the BSA is putting finishing touches on the program now, and the end result will be well worth the wait.

 

The Youth Development team plans to release the program soon, and once that happens, it will consist of much more than just adding Signaling, Tracking, Pathfinding, and Carpentry to 2010's list of available merit badges.

 

The team wants today's Scouts to get a sense of what Scouts in the 1910s experienced. They want Scouts to earn the merit badges in ways similar to those used by Scouts back then. The world has changed drastically in 100 years, but the fundamental lessons of these merit badges have not.

 

In the spirit of being green and making the program accessible, you won't be able to get printed materials for the merit badges. Instead, have your Scouts go to scouting.org.

 

They'll have access to scans of the original pamphlets for each of the four historic merit badges. However, because the language and techniques used in those badges comes from the early 20th century, the BSA has been hard at work crafting supplements that will help put the requirements in a modern context.

 

The site also offers program implementation guide, a camporee guide, a Boy Scout resident camp guide, a training session guide, press releases, and other materials that councils, districts, and units can use to promote the program.

 

From Scouting Magazine:

 

http://blog.scoutingmagazine.org/2010/03/update-bsa-historic-merit-badge-program.html

 

[bnelon44 17]

From the comments scouting magazine said a Scout can earn one of these badges in an afternoon. From what I saw of the draft requirements, I agree.

[bnelon44 17]

jeff-o,

 

These are official merit badges. I think national's position on all official merit badges is that no one can add to or delete from the requirements that national publishes. If National hasn't published requirements, there is no way anyone can earn the badge. Your DE and Council should not have given you the badges yet.

[Oak Tree 15]

bnelon44,

 

Your position is officially correct. But here's the thing. National did publish the requirements, more or less. And this is where reasonable people have to use their judgement to take perfectly reasonable actions. The badges are for sale on scoutstuff.org! It does not seem reasonable to say that the BSA does not want you to have them.

 

National told the councils, "here's what the requirements are going to be." The councils published those on their web sites. Leaders began plans to offer them. Scouts began working on them. National says, "oh wait, we weren't quite ready, we need to add some merit badge books and some good national publicity," but they don't say that they are about to change the requirements. My judgement tells me not to penalize any Scouts who are working on the requirements as preliminarily published.

 

But then again, I'm more of a use-your-best-judgement kind of guy than a follow-the-rules-to-the-letter type.(This message has been edited by Oak Tree)

[NE-IV-88-Beaver 10]

And the truly sad part is that, due to their inadequacy at National, a number of Scouts have aged out every day between January 1st, 2010 and xxxxxxxxxx (Lord knows when, but hopefully before December 31st, 2010), without ever having been able to take advantage of what was supposed to be a memorable program!!!

[jeff-o 10]

And I'm also a big believer in not punishing scouts for adult mistakes. The requirements were published. Some scouts found them and wanted to work on them. We got permission to work on them. THEN National changed their minds. Sorry, but I'm not telling Scouts, "Gee, after you started on that, someone decided you couldn't do it."

 

To me, this is like changes in the Scout Handbook -- one set of rules was published. Until there's a new set of rules published, you can follow the old ones.

[bnelon44 17]

Oak Tree,

 

As far as I know National never published the requirements. Someone working on the task force published a preliminary version of the requirements to a mailing list, and it was copied a number of times.