Advancement during "Urban Emphasis period"

[emb021 16]

I hope someone can help out with this.

 

While at Philmont Training Center, was chatting with some fellow scouts about scouting in the past. Someone we touched on the "urban emphasis" program that was rolled out during the 70s (the period where camping was de-emphasised, Eagle Scouts had to get 25 merit badges, etc). One of the other scouters said that in his council, the forced all the scouts to re-earn their advancement with the new requirements. Someone at the time claimed it was 'policy'.

 

I don't think it was, and think that someone at the local level (either council or unit), for some reason made this happen. They apparently lost kids over it (duh!), and the scouter mentioned his brother had quit over it.

 

Anyone else heard of this?

 

My own experiences is I joined scouting during this period, but around 75, so didn't have to experience this.

 

[Kahuna 172]

Well, I was a professional during the first half of the 70's and a Boy Scout unit leader during the second and never came across that in any of the three councils I was in during that time. It may be that some kids who were in the process of earning a rank had to switch to the new requirements and earn the skill awards or something like that, but nobody had to re-earn any awarded rank or merit badge.

[gcnphkr 11]

I didn't have to re-earn anything. But I was frustated when I went from just a few MBs to a lot of MBs for Eagle and wouldn't have been qualified for Life with the new requirements.