Camping and other Merit Badge Questions

[scouterfly 10]

Camping Merit Badge Question

 

Do you start counting the nights of camping from the date that the boy joins the troop, or do you start counting from the date the blue card was issued?

Some local units that I have talked to say that they count from the date the boy joined the troop, other units only count from the date on the card. I would like to find out the "Correct" method.

Here's an example of where I am coming from with this question.

I have a boy in my troop who is 16 and just received his blue card for camping. He has well over 100 nights of camping 24 of which are summer camp. He only has 4 nights since the blue card was issued. He now has a job and cannot take days off very often and will never get to 20 days and therefore, will never get to Eagle.

 

Citizen in the World Question

The same type of question can be asked for the Cit in the World merit Badge. If a boy has been taking a foreign language in school for more than a year and now takes the Cit in the World merit badge, can the past year of foreign language be counted for the last requirement, (Study a foreign language for a year) even though it was before the date the blue card was issued?

 

Double Dipping question

Can a visit to the National Weather Station count for both Weather and Citizen in the Nation (tour a federal installation?

 

Can attending a city council meeting count for both Citizen in the Community and Communications (attend a town meeting)

 

Thanks for the help.

[scoutldr 732]

Great question! The technical answer is probably that when the SM signs the blue card and gives it to the scout, that is authorization to BEGIN working on the badge. The real-world answer is that it's probably up to the discretion of the MB counselor.

[evmori 11]

I am a camping MB counselor & I count the days since they joined Boy Scouts.

 

Ed Mori

[Bob White 20]

I think you will find the correct answer is.....it's not for the unit to decide. Completion of merit badge requirements are determined by the merit badge counselor and the requirents listed in the MB handbook.

 

Just because a MB counselor is a member of the troop does not give the "troop" authority over the merit badge. The counselor must show competency through education, experience, or occupation in order to be the counselor. They have the only authority over the advancement as long as they stay to the requirements of the merit badge pamphlet.

 

The troop should not be interfering or interpreting for the counselor.

 

Bob White

[evmori 11]

Bob is absolutly correct! And since the requirement for the 20 nights camping doesn't state when to start counting, the decision is up to the merit badge counselor.

 

Ed Mori

[scouterfly 10]

Now here's another related question. My troop only counts nights since the blue card was issued. Our district is offering a week long merit badge camp during spring break 2004. The district chairman is asking for the scout to submit verification that the scout has camped a minimum of 20 days and nights as a part of the application. There are other verifications that they are also asking for, such as completing any of the 30 day and 90 day requirements for those MB's that have them. When I asked the question in my original post regarding the date the blue card was issued, the reply was that as long as they camped for the 20 nights and only one week was summer camp, that was OK. What I wonder about now, is if a scout has 39 nights right now and will be attending 5 more campouts by April, can the troop leadership then not grant the scout the Camping merit badge since the troop has different interpretation of the requirements?

 

[OldGreyEagle 5]

No,

 

To reiterate what has already been said, and perhaps enhance, a Troop does not "grant" "give" "Bestow" or otherwise control the requirements of a Merit Badge, thats up to the merit bdge counselor.(This message has been edited by OldGreyEagle)

[mk9750 11]

Ditto to all.

 

To phrase a little differently:

 

Johnny could go to MB Counselor "A" and be told his previous nights camping count. Billy could go to MB Counselor "B" and be told his previous camping nights do not count. Neither is wrong.

 

As to my opinion, I think they should count. However, I also think that a number of people, including the Advancement Chair and some well meaning older Scouts should be pointing out to all new Scouts that if the MB Counselor that most of the Troop's guys go to is a stickler about this, they should be suggesting that these guys get their MB card and start working on that MB right away.

 

As to other requirments being met prior to "starting" the MB, I almost always allow this, after a discussion of the work done previous and to how it relates to the requirement. If a boy can see the bold line that connects what he did to the purpose of the requirment, I would always count this.

 

Mark

[bt01 10]

scouterfly

Do you start counting the nights of camping from the date that the boy joins the troop, or do you start counting from the date the blue card was issued?

I start from when he is in the Boy Scout Troop and I hope that the troop records are up to date.

 

Right now a scout is "trying" to get the Camping Merit badge for Eagle. He is has two problems the first he is a member of "non" camping troop and he is about 5 weeks away from his 18th birthday. He has finished his eagle project.

[EagleWB 10]

Scouterfly

Who does the District Chair require the verification from? If it is the SM you may have to convince him that the MB counselor will take the days since he joined. I don't know any SM or MB counselor that doesn't count the days since joining. The same would apply to the language.

As fr double dipping, I personally as MB counselor do not accept it.(This message has been edited by EagleWB)

[LauraT7 13]

I am a counselor for camping merit badge and I have talked to a number of other camping counselors about alot of the badge requirements, but I have never heard of anyone I know requiring a boy to START counting his nights of camping after he gets the badge card - it certainly does not say that anywhere in the badge requirements.

 

There are quite a few badges that DO specify that work is to be started AFTER the badge card is received, or that work on the badge must be pre-approved by the badge counselor - so if it were BSA's intent to have the boys START counting nights after the badge card were received, then they would have deliberately worded it that way. They are that specific on alot of other things - why not the camping badge?

 

As the others have said - it is not up to the TROOP to determine anything regarding badges, except, possibly the actual issueing of the Blue Merit Badge cards to start the badge. How a boy earns any badge and what the counselor accepts as fullfilling the requirements are between the boy and the counselor. BSA requires of a badge counselor that they neither add, nor change any requirements - though some requirements are open to a certain amount of interpretation - it's still up to the badge counselor alone to decide if a boy qualifies. And the boy can always go to a different badge counselor, too.

 

[Big_Dog 10]

Hi folks, 'nother question...

Our troop is in a rural area and since we're a new troop, there is not an abundance of merit badge counselors. A scout came up to me last night and was excited about taking the automotive mb. We don't have a counselor anywhere around. There is a guy in the church (the CO) that does just about anything with cars. He rebuilds antiques from the ground up. I've checked the mb booklet and he seems way qualified to be a counselor. He's very busy, but has agreed to work with any of our 10 scouts that are interested. My question is:

Why do I have to charge this guy $10. to register as a leader so he can be a merit badge counselor? I realize it's just $10 bucks, but when you're looking at having to recruit quite a few of these folks, that can add up. Just seems kinda strange to me. Looking forward to any input.....

 

YCVT

bd

[Bob White 20]

There is no registration fee for MB counselors.

[ScouterPaul 11]

Camping Merit Badge Question

 

How do you all view the hiking 2000 vertical feet requirement? Is it cumulative or does it have to be 2,000 at one time?

 

Thanks

 

 

[KoreaScouter 13]

There's precedent for not letting Scouts "double dip" on MB requirements. For example, you can't count hikes you take for Hiking MB, for the Backpacking MB, too. If you follow that precedent, you can't count activities for Cit/Comm for Communications, also. Counselors need to be savvy here, cuz it could be different counselors for the two badges. We do let Scouts double dip between rank advancement requirements and MB requirements. For example, earn the Swimming MB, get signed off on your swimming reqt's through 1st Class. Ditto with First Aid.

 

KS