Merit badges are awards earned by youth members of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA), based on activities within an area of study by completing a list of periodically updated requirements. The purpose of the merit badge program is to allow Scouts to examine subjects to determine if they would like to further pursue them as a career or vocation. Originally, the program also introduced Scouts to the life skills of contacting an adult they hadn't met before, arranging a meeting and then demonstrating their skills, similar to a job or college interview. Increasingly, though, merit badges are earned in a class setting at troop meetings and summer camps. Each merit badge has a pamphlet (booklet) published by the Boy Scouts of America associated with it; the pamphlet contains information on completing the requirements for the badge. Scouts must meet up with their Scoutmaster to receive a signed blue card in order to begin working on a merit badge. The Scout then contacts an adult who is registered as a counselor for that merit badge in order to learn which badge requirements they must complete before meeting up with the counselor. Once these requirements are completed, the Scout meets with the counselor to demonstrate that he's completed the requirements. The counselor then 'signs off' on each requirement. After completing the merit badge, the Scout can then buy his merit badge patch.
The award of a merit badge is represented by circular patch with an image representing the badge's topic. The patches for the Eagle-required merit badges are distinguishable by the silver ring on the outside edge. Merit badges are displayed on a sash which can be worn with the Boy Scout uniform on formal occasions. Every year the National Council reviews and updates a certain number of merit badges. There are over 100 merit badges.
Scouting organizations in other countries issue or have issued merit badges, including Canada, Indonesia, Japan, Spain, Thailand, and the United Kingdom. Austria has a program similar to merit badges for certain age groups.
Required for Eagle Scout
Scout Earns Every Merit Badge - Boy Scout Shawn Goldsmith has earned all of the 121 merit badges the organization offers, ranging in subjects from basketry to nuclear science. Maggie Rodriguez reports on this rare feat.
The current requirements for Eagle Scout, the highest rank in Boy Scouting, involve earning 21 merit badges including 13 from this list:
- Camping
- Citizenship in the Community.
- Citizenship in the Nation.
- Citizenship in the World.
- Communications
- Cooking.
- Lifesaving or Emergency Preparedness.
- Environmental Science or Sustainability.
- Family Life.
- First Aid.
- Personal Fitness.
- Personal Management
- Swimming, Hiking, or Cycling.
Current badges
- The last revision date indicates the date of the latest requirement changes; the copyright or printing dates of merit badge pamphlets may have a different date. The Eagle Scout required merit badges are shaded in gray (see above paragraph for details).
"Colleges"
Merit badge colleges (or merit badge universities), which are also called merit badge weekends, merit badge midways, or merit badge jamborees when held at a camporee are events held where several troops or merit badge counselors come together and focus on teaching merit badges.
Workbooks
Into the 1990s, a number of merit badge counselors developed worksheets as a way for Scouts to document their work. Counselors could teach to a group but still verify each Scout's progress. Today, worksheets have given way to workbooks with added graph paper, blank maps and diagrams, logs, charts, checklists, links, and other resources as needed. Merit badge workbooks are used by counselors, summer camps, and merit badge colleges. Workbooks have also been developed for ranks, Cub Scout belt loops, and Webelos activity pins.
Historical program
Offered only in 2010, The Historical Merit Badge program, part of the Boy Scouts of America centennial, allowed Scouts to earn the discontinued Carpentry, Pathfinding, Signalling, and Tracking (originally called Stalking) merit badges. The patches for these historical merit badges are distinguished by a gold ring on the outside edge. All were based on merit badges that were among the original 57 issued in 1911.
See also
- Discontinued merit badges (Boy Scouts of America)
- History of merit badges (Boy Scouts of America)
- Original 57 merit badges (Boy Scouts of America)
References
Sources
- "Merit Badge Library". Boy Scout Requirements. Boy Scouts of America. June 2007. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved June 6, 2007.Â
- "Current Merit Badge Pamphlet and Merit Badge Requirement Revision Dates". U.S. Scouting Service Project. June 5, 2007. Archived from the original on 2000-10-03. Retrieved June 6, 2007.Â
- Steve Henning (July 20, 1999). "Merit Badges, Past and Present". Henning's Scouters' Pages. Retrieved June 6, 2007.Â
External links
- "Introduction to Merit Badges". Boy Scouts of America.Â
- "MeritBadge.org".Â
- "Merit Badges". U.S. Scouting Service Project.Â
- "IEEE emeritbadges.org". IEEE.Â
- "Merit Badge reference". Trail To Eagle.Â
- Badge Program: Boy Scouts of America at Curlie (based on DMOZ)
- Scouting: Collectibles: Virtual Collections: Badges and Patches at Curlie (based on DMOZ)
