Advancement

Fifth in a series of articles about the four steps to Scout Advancement. Articles will be published each Tuesday beginning November 20, 2012 Immediate recognition is a powerful incentive of the BSA’s advancement program. A Scout should receive his new badge as soon as possible after his achievement has been certified by a board of review. A simple ceremony at the conclusion of a troop meeting or during a camp out is ideal, with the Scoutmaster making the presentation of the badge....

Fourth in a series of articles about the four steps to Scout Advancement. After a Scout has completed all of the requirements for any rank he is reviewed twice; once in a Scoutmaster conference and once at a Board of review. The Scoutmaster Conference Note that a Scout must participate or take part in a conference; it is not a “test.” Requirements do not say he must “pass” a conference....

Third in a series of articles about the four steps to Scout Advancement. (Click on the titles above to read the articles) … the standard of proficiency is purposely left undefined. Our standard for Badge earning is not the attainment of a certain level of quality of knowledge or skill, but the AMOUNT OF EFFORT THE BOY HAS PUT INTO ACQUIRE SUCH KNOWLEDGE OR SKILL. If he is a trier, no matter how clumsy, his examiner can accord him his Badge, and this generally inspires the boy to go on trying till he wins further Badges and becomes normally capable....

Second in a series of articles about the four steps to Scout Advancement. Articles will be published each Tuesday beginning November 20, 2012 “… It is in fact nothing short of a miracle that the modern methods of instruction have not entirely strangled the holy spirit of inquiry; for this delicate little plant, aside from stimulation, stands mainly in need of freedom; without this it goes to wrack and ruin without fail....

First in a series of articles about the four steps to Scout Advancement. There are four steps to Scout advancement described in the Scoutmaster’s Handbook PP. 124-127 Before we look at these steps let’s contextualize advancement within all the aims and methods of Scouting; Advancement is simply a means to an end, not an end in itself. It is one of several methods designed to help unit leadership carry out the aims and mission of the Boy Scouts of America....

Twenty years ago (or more) the B.S.A. concluded that Scouts ought to earn First Class rank in the first year based on a statistical ‘leading indicator’, a connection between when Scouts become First Class and how long they stay in Scouting. Statistics can be a little ham-handed, they only reflect phenomena leaving us to interpret what’s really happening. Accepting the premise that Scouts ought to earn First Class rank in the first year may drive a couple of different attitudes;...

When humans participate in ceremony, they enter a sacred space. Everything outside of that space shrivels in importance. Time takes on a different dimension. – Sun Bear Every ceremony or rite has a value if it is performed without alteration. A ceremony is a book in which a great deal is written. Anyone who understands can read it. One rite often contains more than a hundred books. – George Ivanovitch Gurdjieff...

“Advancement is like a suntan; something you get naturally whilst having fun in the outdoors.” Attributed to Baden-Powell Scout advancement is not a goal; it is an indicator. Our aim is not that Scouts attain a certain level of skill or expertise but that they have fun in the outdoors doing things Scouts do. When they do the things Scouts do they gain skills and have fun. In the course of a camping trip Scouts work with their hands, understand and adapt to their environment, build fires, cook food, explore, talk, work together and do all manner of things they consider fun with little prompting....

What does ‘active in Scouting’ mean? Scouting, unlike many other activities, is not designed to monopolize our Scout’s available time. Beyond that Scouting considers Scouts being involved and engaged in their communities, families and schools as goal of the program. Most of the other activities our Scouts involve themselves with do not reciprocate. Teams, bands, choirs, choruses, clubs, youth groups and many ot the other positive thing s a Scout can do outside of his troop may demand his attendance – they may have all or nothing at all policies....

One of the more common emails I receive concerns the frustrations of Scoutmaster’s who are faced with a boy they just don’t consider has done enough, cares enough or is good enough to become an Eagle Scout. They want to know what to do. There’s a big gap between my idealized Eagle Scout and what’s required to earn the rank. I realized this after twenty or thirty of my Scouts earned Eagle and none of them perfectly matched my expectations....

Google the title of this post and you’ll find some pretty elaborate plans and opinions for the Eagle Scoutmaster conference. Some of them leave me thinking I should don a wizard’s robes and start boiling up some eye of newt because I am about to do something magical and mysterious. There’s nothing magical or mysterious about it – it’s another (if more momentous) Scoutmaster conference. The Scout I will speak to tonight has completed all his requirements and is four days away from his eighteenth birthday....

That’s right, stop doing requirements for ranks. Instead focus on doing the things Scouts do. What do Scouts do? Scouts go camping and while they are camping they- Cook the food that they selected, purchased and packed Light campfires Set up tents and tarps. Build things with sticks and string. Learn how to experience the natural world without leaving a trace. Use edge tools safely. Scouts go swimming and boating and while they are swimming and boating they-...

St. Louis’s Stange Company (run by an Eagle Scout) produces Eagle Scout medals and pins. When David Bouchein won his Eagle Scout medal in the 1970s he had no idea of the prominence that award would play later in his life. “Who would have thought I’d be running the company that made my Eagle medal?” said Bouchein, president of Stange Company. “My grandpa, Elmer Wagenfuehr, got his own Eagle Scout award in the 1920s, and I think he’d be very proud of me....

I received this question from a reader; I’m a assistant scoutmaster and was recently contacted by a dad of a scout that after one year is still at Scout rank. It seems that his dad is looking for shortcuts, as many other scouts have bypassed him and our recently added Webelos are already achieving their Scout rank. Specifically dad asks: “Can I use a requirement for one merit badge to fulfill some requirements for others?...

In ornithology ‘fledge’ generally means independence of the chick from parents; a young bird whose feathers and wing muscles are sufficiently developed for flight. Fledge is also a term that describes raising a young bird. Ornithologists apply the term differently to individual species because individual species develop differently. Our Scouts develop individually too. Each one is a bit different than his fellow Scouts, has his own strengths and weaknesses. So when a boy is a fledge Eagle Scout there is an assumption of independence in his work....

The National Outdoor Award program recognizes Scouts for some above-average participation in challenging outdoor activities. A combination of merit badges, rank, and activities qualify Scouts for hiking, aquatics, camping, adventure and riding awards. The five National Outdoor Awards badges recognize a Boy Scout or Varsity Scout who demonstrates knowledge and experience in camping, hiking, aquatics,riding, or adventure. Scouts earning the National Outdoor Awards badges have demonstrated that they are knowledgeable, safe, and comfortable in the outdoor activity covered by the badge....

Here’s what makes an Eagle Scout; A Scout completes the requirements as issued by the B.S.A. and is approved by a duly constituted board of review. That’s it. So what about those oft discussed and argued qualities like maturity and leadership ability and active service? All of these things are embodied in the requirements – they are not requirements in and of themselves: Maturity To make it to a board of review for Eagle a Scout has had the following experiences:...

My son passed his Eagle board of review in late September and I was invited to join the district advancement committee to review Eagle projects in mid-October. A few days later, the new advancement book was released, so I’ve been reviewing it in detail. These changes are now in force. The BSA Advancement Resources page has links to the 2011 Guide to Advancement and the 2011 Eagle Scout Service Project Workbook....

In my work with our local planning commission we are charged with interpreting and applying standards in the Zoning code. These interpretations often turn on little words; in fact one becomes adept at finding the little words because they usually clarify the situation quickly. Terms like ‘must’ and ‘shall’ are understood to indicate things that are mandated; others are necessarily broad an use terms like ‘may’. The Guide to Advancement makes specific points of language clear in defining what is a mandated procedure and what is a recommended practice....

A significant addition the Guide to Advancement walks us through the sometimes thorny issue of evaluating active Scouts. I have struggled at times, as have many of us, with judging how to interpret this requirement. The guide has made this process simple and clear. Evaluating the ‘active requirement is a three step process: Is the Scout registered? Is the Scout in good standing? Has he met the expectations of his unit?...