Advancement

A reader recently told me they were feeling frustrated with evaluating advancement requirements and lamented “I sometimes wish the people who write these requirements would actually watch them in a troop environment.” Tell me about it! We get into difficulty when we look at advancement as our aim, or of central importance to Scouting. It is neither. We parse, measure and debate requirements endlessly as though getting them right will somehow make us better Scouters or our Scouts better people, but they are powerless to do either....

Why is Scouting designed around youth leadership? Most Scouters think a youth led troop is the brass ring of Scouting. What exactly do we mean when we talk about youth leadership? There’s much confusion and misunderstanding of this than nearly any other aspect of Scouting. Our perspective is often narrowly focused on things that aren’t all that important. If you’ve been following this series you won’t be surprised when I say engaging youth in leadership is a very simple, direct and uncomplicated thing to describe, and it’s actually very simple to do....

How does Scout advancement achieve the main aim of Scouting? Todays talk about advancement continues our foundations series. I’ve written extensively in detail about many aspects of Scout advancement, but this is different. In this podcast I ask how Scout advancement fits into the overall game of Scouting. You’ll hear me read from Baden-Powell’s Aids to Scoutmastership – If once we make Scouting into a formal scheme of serious instruction in efficiency, we miss the whole point and value of Scout training, and we trench on the work of the schools without the trained experts for carrying it out....

Some requirements, like First Class Rank Requirement 1a, can be confusing; Since joining, participate in 10 separate troop/patrol activities, six of which include overnight camping. These 10 activities do not include troop or patrol meetings. On at least five of the six campouts, spend the night in a tent that you pitch or other structure that you help erect (such as a lean-to, snow cave, or tepee). I created a simple logic chart to determine if a given activity fulfils First Class Rank Requirement 1a;...

Now the new year has come Scouts registered after January 1, 2016 must use the new rank requirements. What about Scouts registered before December 31, 2015? The answer is a little complicated, but not too hard to understand; Here’s the logic chart as a PDF file, and the BSA document I used to make it. Here’s the BSA’s PDF list of the new requirements to print out and add to your handbook....

Can a Scout fulfill more than one requirement with a single activity? The answer is always clear after a careful reading of the Scout requirements and the directions in the Guide to Advancement 2015 – 4.2.3.6 Fulfilling More Than One Requirement With a Single Activity From time to time it may be appropriate for a Scout to apply what was done to meet one requirement toward the completion of another. In deciding whether to allow this, unit leaders or merit badge counselors should consider the following....

Are you motivated and inspired by the Scout requirements? What about your Scouts? Are your fellow Scouters inspired to administer them by adopting an encouraging, inspiring tone themselves? Can you smell the wood smoke and feel the warming glow of a campfire against the cold sting of a winter campout when you read them? Ask your Scouts to sit down and read a couple of rank or merit badge requirements and ask them what they mean....

This is seventh in a series of posts about the new rank requirements that take effect on January 1, 2016. Scout | Tenderfoot | Second Class | First Class | Star | Life | Eagle Exactly how the new requirements are phased in is explained in this PDF document – Notes on Transitioning to the New Requirements. I found the new requirements in this PDF – 2016 Boy Scout requirements—parallel comparison....

This is sixth in a series of posts about the new rank requirements that take effect on January 1, 2016. Scout | Tenderfoot | Second Class | First Class | Star | Life | Eagle Exactly how the new requirements are phased in is explained in this PDF document – Notes on Transitioning to the New Requirements. I found the new requirements in this PDF – 2016 Boy Scout requirements—parallel comparison....

This is fifth in a series of posts about the new rank requirements that take effect on January 1, 2016. Scout | Tenderfoot | Second Class | First Class | Star | Life | Eagle Exactly how the new requirements are phased in is explained in this PDF document – Notes on Transitioning to the New Requirements. I found the new requirements in this PDF – 2016 Boy Scout requirements—parallel comparison....

This is is fourth in a series of posts abut the new rank requirements that take effect on January 1, 2016. Scout | Tenderfoot | Second Class | First Class | Star | Life | Eagle Exactly how the new requirements are phased in is explained in this PDF document – Notes on Transitioning to the New Requirements. I found the new requirements in this PDF – 2016 Boy Scout requirements—parallel comparison....

This is third in a series of posts about the new rank requirements that take effect on January 1, 2016. Scout | Tenderfoot | Second Class | First Class | Star | Life | Eagle Exactly how the new requirements are phased in is explained in this PDF document – Notes on Transitioning to the New Requirements. I found the new requirements in this PDF – 2016 Boy Scout requirements—parallel comparison....

This is first in a series of posts about the new rank requirements that take effect on January 1, 2016. Scout | Tenderfoot | Second Class | First Class | Star | Life | Eagle Exactly how the new requirements are phased in is explained in this PDF document – Notes on Transitioning to the New Requirements. I found the new requirements in this PDF – 2016 Boy Scout requirements—parallel comparison....

This is second in a series of posts about the new rank requirements that take effect on January 1, 2016. Scout | Tenderfoot | Second Class | First Class | Star | Life |Eagle How the new requirements are phased in is explained in this PDF document – Notes on Transitioning to the New Requirements. I found the new requirements in this PDF – 2016 Boy Scout requirements—parallel comparison....

“Merit Badge Counselor”, taken literally, describes someone who counsels a bit of cloth called a merit badge. I know nobody actually counsels inert bits of cloth, but it makes you think doesn’t it? We don’t counsel merit badges, we counsel real, live, individual Scouts. Scouts may have a lot in common, but each deserves individual attention. Merit badges are much more than a great way to learn about a given field of endeavor....

This is one plan for a court of honor we’ve used in my troop for many years based on a few simple rules of thumb; Brief, formal, yet meaningful – Depending on the number of awards and presentations this court of honor should take no more than 45 minutes from beginning to end. Most of our ceremonies last between 30-45 minutes. This seems to be just about the right length of time....

Every so often I am asked for ideas about choosing gifts for Eagle Scouts (gifts for new Eagles Scouts are nice, but they aren’t expected as a rule). I believe any Eagle Scout would be pleased to receive any of the gifts listed here. Here’s a selection of Eagle Scout gifts with the Eagle Scout emblem. The BSA supply division offers a number of Eagle Scout themed items Here’s a handsome Eagle Scout Hiking Stick Medallion...

Here’s an comprehensive look at the Scoutmaster’s conference. All of the references below are official publications of the BSA (the Guide to Advancement 2013 and the [Scoutmaster’s Handbook](../wp-content/Scoutmaster Handbook 33009.pdf)). I have refrained from adding any commentary or opinion because I think the resources can speak for themselves. I will note this explanation included in the beginning of the Guide to Advancement 2013 – Mandated Procedures and Recommended Practices This publication clearly identifies mandated procedures with words such as “must” and “shall....

Asking “what is an Eagle Scout?” sparks interesting conversations among Scouters. This question got me wrapped around my own axle for a few years; but not anymore. Conversations about Eagle Scout commonly unfold like an operatic libretto. The curtain rises on the chorus singing about how once proud standards have fallen because now just anyone can be an Eagle Scout. Stories of overzealous parents, twelve year-old Eagles (good lord twelve!), and other “grave concerns and injustices” unfold dramatically to advance the theme....

Here’s what the official resources say about Courts of Honor: The Guide to Advancement 2013: 4.2.1.4 The Scout Is Recognized When the board of review has approved his advancement, the Scout deserves recognition as soon as possible. This should be done at a ceremony at the next unit meeting. His achievement may be recognized again later, during a formal court of honor. The Scoutmaster’s Handbook: Step 4—A Scout Is Recognized...