Venturing and the Merit Badge Program

[LongHaul 10]

Just got off the phone with an old friend who had just returned from Merit Badge Counselor Training. He asked me if I knew whether or not the Merit Badge Program was open to Venturers. I began to explain that only males who had earned the rank of First Class while a boy scout could advance to Eagle when he reminded me that was not what he had asked. Is the Merit Badge Program open to Venturers? Specifically must a male be working toward Eagle to qualify to work on a merit badge? Can a female Venturer earn a merit badge? I told him I'd see what I could find out. Any thoughts? More importantly any references to BSA publications that address this issue.

LongHaul

[Trevorum 24]

Wow, very good question! I have no idea and won't speculate, but I'll be interested in hearing from folks in the know.

 

[Gold Winger 9]

I'd guess that she could do the work but it wouldn't count for anything.

[mdutch 10]

From the advancement procedures (on nationals website):

Merit badges, badges of rank, and Eagle Palms are for boys who are registered Boy Scouts or Varsity Scouts. Any registered Boy Scout or Varsity Scout may earn these awards until his 18th birthday. Any Venturer who achieved the First Class rank as a Boy Scout or Varsity Scout in a troop may continue working for the Star, Life, and Eagle ranks and Eagle Palms while registered as a Venturer up to his 18th birthday.

 

So my answer would be no, females (and males who are not first class or who are already eagle) cannot work on merit badges. Also, this would make me note that venturers would not be eligible for palms.

[LongHaul 10]

Gold Winger,

    By that reasoning any merit badge earned by a scout that did not eventually attain the rank of Eagle Scout dose not count for anything?  Earning a merit badge is not supposed to be just about rank advancement it's supposed to be about personal growth.

meamemg,

       First I would like to know the link to access the Advancement Committee Policies and Proceedures on-line. Second, If you read the quote you posted you will see that Venturers can indeed earn Eagle Palms. Third, just because a boy is not eligable for Eagle does not necessarily mean he is not eligable to work on merit badges. Venturing also has badges of rank which females are indeed allowed to earn so "badges of rank" are NOT just for males.

LongHaul

[LongHaul 10]

Got to thinking after I posted last night that in Ventureing we have Awards and not actually ranks. I still wonder about having to ask to see a boys handbook before working with him to make sure he is First Class.

LH

[SR540Beaver 116]

Merit Badges are part of the Boy Scout program and not Venturing....unless a boy who has attained 1st Class as a scout joins a Venturing Crew and continues working on his Scout advancement. Girls can not join Boy Scouts. They can buy a merit badge book and learn the information in it just like any other book from any other book store. Other than personal enrichment, it does not count for anything in the Venturing program for a girl or a guy who didn't earn 1st Class as a Boy Scout.

[Beavah 205]

Yah, Merit Badges are a Boy Scout Program Division thing, eh? Yeh can't really earn 'em as a cub or Venturer.... except for the 1st Class boy transferin' into a crew as described. No real way to enter 'em into ScoutNet, and no way to buy the badge without an "accepted" advancement report (not that anyone's goin' to look at many councils ).

 

I've always been mildly opposed to offerin' MB's and Boy Scout Rank Advancement as part of the Venturing program. Ain't one of the methods, doesn't fit with the other program materials, isn't age-appropriate, and half da membership can't participate. One of those weird program mix kind of things we should move away from. If yeh want MB's and Eagle, stay dual-registered in a Troop. Do Venturing things in your Venture Crew, not Boy Scout things.

 

But if a crew really feels the need to borrow a Boy Scouting program element like workin' on a MB, I can't see why everyone in the crew wouldn't participate in the activity. Good learnin' experience and yeh should do things together. Give everyone an in-crew recognition patch at the next crew awards ceremony. Give da boys the MB on the side.

 

Beavah

 

[LongHaul 10]

Beavah,

        Are you sure there would be no way to enter them into scoutnet? A Venturer that had attained the rank of First Class could earn merit badges so that means that an advancement report from a Venturing Crew that contained a merit badge advancement for that scout would indeed be accepted. Are we sure that an advancement report from a crew containing a merit badge for a boy that had not already attained First Class would be rejected by scoutnet?

 LongHaul

[Beavah 205]

Yeh got me, LongHaul. I don't know enough about the error checkin' on that gawd-awful clunky program . I usually ask our council registrar that kind of stuff. I can do that if yeh like. Not sure you're gettin any real service out of Chicago these days .

 

As a Sunday evening guess, I'd say yeh might get it into ScoutNet for a boy, but it might kick for a young lady... if only because da registrar got puzzled about entering a MB for "Jennifer".

 

I'd still advise a crew to do Venturing stuff, rather than Boy Scouting stuff. Just don't see the point in dumbing down a crew program to middle school level, which is where most MB's are targeted. The Bronze, Gold, Silver, Ranger, Quartermaster, etc. program is so much more interestin' and challenging.

 

Beavah

 

[Gold Winger 9]

"Earning a merit badge is not supposed to be just about rank advancement it's supposed to be about personal growth."

 

Okay, it won't count for anything other than personal enrichment. Hows that?

 

BTW, even as a Venturer you can work on merit badges after Eagle because you can still earn palms until your 18th birthday.

[mdutch 10]

The link to the advancment policy is: http://www.scouting.org/boyscouts/resources/32215/eligibility.html

 

 

[RangerT 10]

I think the whole idea of a 1st class scout earning rank and merit badges was conceived by National as a way to help boys who left a troop at 13 or so and are now coming back at 16 to scouting but feels he is too mature for a troop made up mainly 11-13 year old boys. I myself wonder as a former SM and a Venturing advisor the logic in that system, and I find dual registration in both a troop and a crew kinda like burning a candle at both ends, it isn't a well thought out idea, he will either be a great troop member and a lousy crew member or vice versa.

 

I agree with Beav, Venturing crews should only do Venturing advancement and activities, the program has plenty to offer on its own, if the crew is run right. All the crew members should work on the activities and advancement. I just wish National would wake up and correct this error in programming sooner than later.

[Eamonn 61]

Every now and then the Ship does "Dip into" and use some of the requirements used for MB's.

Mainly the Water-type: Small Boat Handler, Lifesaver, and the like.

I'm happy to let the SM's of Sea Scouts who are still active in Troops present MB's at Troop COH's.

I do file an advancement report with the Council showing everyone (Male and female) who has met the requirements, on the Ship's Advancement report.

I know the females are not ever going to receive the patch, and what happens to the information about females once it enters the big black hole in Scoutnet? I really don't know or care about!!

I used to print up a certificate for the Sea Scouts who had met the requirements and frame it in a cheap $1.00 frame. But I noticed that the Scouts didn't bother taking them home after the Bridge of Honor. I think in part because they (the certificates) became meaningless! We still recognize all the Sea Scouts who meet the requirements -Even if they can't really "Earn" the MB.

We as a Ship don't bother buying the patch. The Sea Scouts can't wear them on a Sea Scout uniform.

While Advancement really isn't listed as a method of Venturing, some of our Sea Scouts (Not all.)Like working toward earning the ranks and some Boy Scout MB requirements fit right in.

Eamonn

[LongHaul 10]

Understand that I have no involvement with Venturing other than knowing some Venturers. I don't know their program well enough to even list the awards they may earn as some others have done. I don't know if the Venturing program addresses the material I think some Venturers might be interested in exploring. Where I see Venturers most is at our Summer camp. What comes to mind then is Rifle Shooting, Shotgun Shooting, Small Boat Sailing, Backpacking, Cooking, Camping, Lifesaving, BSA Lifeguard (Two of the people that signed my BSA Lifeguard application were female), Personal Management, the way I prefer to do it is definitely not Middle School level which is why I get called on the carpet. I really don't care either way if females are allowed to earn merit badges the question just caught me off guard. Being a YP trainer I have been "amused" by the evolution of the Age Guidelines for camping in the GTSS. At first Venturers were not mentioned, then they were only supposed to be involved in Crew, District, Council and National Jamborees. They added high adventure, and then (to the surprise of some) resident camps. This meant that any Venturer could camp with a troop at summer camp. This was changed to; those Venturers that were multiple registered with a Boy Scout troop, addressing the female issue. The current entry reads as follows; "All youth registered in Venturing are eligible to participate in crew, district, council, and national Venturing activities as well as national high-adventure programs and world jamborees." Very less specific allowing more "local" interpretation. LongHaul