MBs at Camp; Communications

[Hunt]

Camp is coming up, and some boys actually want advice on what merit badges to pursue at camp. My bias is toward MBs that are harder to do elsewhere--like Wilderness Survival, Riflery, Pioneering--and that we don't have counselors around to advise. Some crafts, too, for balance. But the camp offers Communications, and some see this as an opportunity to do an Eagle-required badge at camp (esp. for those who have already done Swimming and Lifesaving). I just don't think Communications is very "campish." What do others think?

[Mike F]

Hunt,

 

We had an issue with Communications after last year's summer camp. Reqmt #5 "Attend a public meeting (city council, school board, debate) approved by your counselor where several points of view are given on a single issue. Practice active listening skills and take careful notes of each point of view. Present an objective report that includes all points of view that were expressed, and share this with your counselor."

 

The class met this requirement by attending the nightly SPL meeting. It was "legal" since it was approved by the counselor, but some in the troop really didn't think the SPL meeting was on the same level as a city council meeting and that the boys had missed out on a great opportunity to observe communications at a higher level. Although the MBs weren't withheld pending it, we set up an opportunity for the guys to visit a city council meeting so they could get full benefit. Most attended. All were awarded the badge.

 

This problem generated some serious discussion within SM Staff and Troop Committee and we discovered a number of requirements in different MBs that clearly were not met at camps, but were signed off by the camp counselors. (This doesn't apply to Comm MB because the requirement says it's the counselors choice, but does apply to Metalworking MB when they skipped hammered rivets, etc.)

 

Our efforts to get the problem addressed through council channels failed. (I guess there's a lot of pressure to get them done and not send scouts home with partials.) This bothered us because it's an integrity issue - the scouts don't really want to be given a badge they know they didn't completely earn. We solved the problem with an internal practice:

 

1. Review requirements of all MBs offered and identify up-front which ones will be hard or impossible to complete entirely at camp. Let scouts and parents know they can certainly take the MB, but may be bringing home a partial.

 

2. Work on a plan to complete the unmet requirements when we get home. (Or better yet, get a head start and take evidence of the completed hard-to-do-at-camp requirements to the camp counselor.)

 

3. When we get to camp, we discuss any concerns with the Program Director or individual counselors. If they have a plan to accomplish all of the requirements, all is good. For cases where they get uncomfortable and are clearly cutting corners, we quietly & politely ask them to please give our scouts partials - regardless of what they decide to do with the others. (I suppose we should really start beating our drums about their lack of integrity and make an issue of it so it will get fixed on a broad scale, but a guy only has so much energy. Our job is to help provide a quality program for the scouts. When we turn them over to camps and their programs, I believe we still have a responsibility to make sure the program measures up.)

 

We used this approach at Winter Camp with great success. While there was some disappointment, the guys held their heads high knowing they had taken the high road. And everybody finished up their MBs within a month or so of camp.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Cheers!

-mike

[ljnrsu]

The summer camp we go to has a trail to eagle program. They offer Cit Community,Cit Nation, Cit World and Communications to Scouts who are at least Star and are attending summer camp for at least their third summer.

 

All the badges have prerequisites that must be turned in on the first day to be accepted.

 

Communications has the following prerequisites for 2005:

4,5,7(typed/printed out) req 1,8 & 9 best done in advance.

 

I hope that this will help you.

[ljnrsu]

The summer camp we go to has a trail to eagle program. They offer Cit Community,Cit Nation, Cit World and Communications to Scouts who are at least Star and are attending summer camp for at least their third summer.

 

All the badges have prerequisites that must be turned in on the first day to be accepted.

 

Communications has the following prerequisites for 2005:

4,5,7(typed/printed out) req 1,8 & 9 best done in advance.

 

I hope that this will help you.(This message has been edited by ljnrsu)oops double post sorry(This message has been edited by ljnrsu)

[EagleInKY]

Our troop puts together a recommended list of MBs by year. In other words, first year scouts are encouraged to choose from list 1. Second year scouts are encouraged to choose from list 1 & 2. We do this for years 1, 2, 3 and 4+. Scouts are not prohibited from taking specific MBs (unless camp rules or prerequisites exist). There are also a few MBs that we discourage taking a camp - the Cits and Communications being some of them. We discourage them for the same reaons. In our opinion, the camp counselors take some shortcuts.

 

We approach it similar to Mike. As for #2, working on partials after camp, we assign an adult to be their MB counselor after camp. Usually, it's one of the adults that was at camp and saw what they did (and didn't) do. When the boy completes the partial, the new MB Counselor signs the blue card and the boy turns it in.

[acco40]

"Trail to Eagle" and other such merit badge camps are not intended to be a replacement for troop summer camp.

 

That said, the purpose of a summer camp is not to accrue merit badges.

[Hunt]

I just find dispiriting the thought of boys at Summer Camp sitting around doing Citizenship or Communications when they could be out in a canoe or something like that. I wasn't even thinking about the cutting corners part of it. It just seems like a wasted opportunity to me. Any troop should be able to find somebody to counsel Communications and the Citizenship MBs. That's less likely to be the case for things like Small Boat Sailing or Riflery.

[Mike F]

Hunt,

I agree with you -- wish more kids would just enjoy the time outside doing things they don't often get to do.

And agree with ACCO40 about there being more to camp than just collecting merit badges.

 

One of the things we discussed last year was prohibiting the guys from taking the Cits, Communications, and a few others. Loudest outcry was from parents who wanted their kids to have opportunity to rack up those Eagle-reqd MBs. We gave up on preventing scouts from taking them and settled on ensuring they're done right.

 

We have also wrestled with how to make camp more of an experience than just going to MB classes. The adult and youth leaders put some effort into planning and executing daily troop activities during last year's camp. Some skills, some learning, and all fun. The guys really bonded and boy leadership grew substantially. Our goal is to get older guys into the habit of going to camp for the experience after they've earned all of the merit badges. Wish I had more answers on this one -- I need to get up and take a long walk away from the campfire every time I hear a scout (or parent) say they're not going to summer camp because they already have all the MBs they need that are offered. When one of my sons pulled that a few years ago, I didn't argue with him - but I woke him up on Monday morning of camp and showed him the dump truck delivering a huge load of mulch, then thanked him for deciding to stay home to help out. He hasn't missed camp since.

 

Good luck!

 

-mike(This message has been edited by Mike F)

[Hunt]

"Loudest outcry was from parents who wanted their kids to have opportunity to rack up those Eagle-reqd MBs."

 

I hear you--I'm having that same conversation with my own wife. I love the mulch story.

 

In my son's troop, several boys have "earned" Small Boat Sailing several times at camp, because they thought it was fun. I think that's great.

[eaglescout2004]

I am teaching the "eagle's nest" at one camp this summer: Citizenship x's 3, FamLife, Communications.

 

I don't mind teaching but I feel that these kids should have fun at camp. Most kids would not consider them fun. If they are taking them they are probably a or b:

a) a kid who only sees the advancement part of scouting

 

b) a kid who is almost 17 and pushing to get eagle

[AwHeck]

Ok.. I just have to ask this one... eaglescout2004 how do you teach Family Life at summer camp??? Our troop is doing a "design your own" summer camp offered through our council this year and at a meeting last night, one of our youth listed that as a MB that had been requested for summer camp. As committee chair, I stated that this badge just cannot be done at camp - 4 of the 7 requirements must be done at home or with the family (chores tracked for 90 days, family meeting, project to benefit the family, and a project that involves the family).

[eaglescout2004]

I dont think it is the greatest idea to offer FamLife @ summercamp, but its not my idea. And Yes, the majority of the requirements must be done at home before camp. The requirements that I have to teach at camp will only take about an hour. That leaves me 4 hours of class time with nothing to do! This really shouldn't be sone at camp. Oh well.