Troop 7 Advancement Policies and Practices
I. Merit Badges
A. What is a Merit Badge?
1. A Scout earns a merit badge when he completes a series of required activities that relate to a certain topic, e.g. First Aid, Hiking, or Photography, as approved by an adult Merit Badge Counselor who has been certified by the local Boy Scouts of America (BSA) council.
2. Some merit badges are required for rank advancement. These are the thirteen “Eagle Required” badges, examples of which are Personal Fitness, Environmental Science and Citizenship in the Community. (The complete list is found in the Scout Handbook under Eagle rank requirements.) They must be earned in order to achieve the rank of Eagle, and a Scout must earn a certain number of Eagle Required badges as he progresses through the higher ranks after First Class.
3. There are four ways to earn merit badges: At summer camp; working individually with a Merit Badge Counselor who is a Troop 7 adult volunteer; working individually with a Counselor from outside the Troop (usually from the NNJC website list of Ramapo District counselors, which is accessible to the Scoutmaster (SM) and Assistant Scoutmasters (ASMs)); and, under limited circumstances, working with other Scouts on a group merit badge.
B. Process for Earning a Merit Badge Outside of Summer Camp (Process for While At Summer Camp Will Be Explained in a Separate Document):
1. Chose a merit badge and find a Merit Badge Counselor. Select a Counselor from the Troop 7 adult list or from the District list the Scout can obtain from the SM or an ASM. Generally, a Scout cannot work with a parent or immediate relative as a Counselor on a merit badge. An exception is made for group merit badges. Scouts are encouraged to find Counselors outside Troop 7 for at least two merit badges to give the Scout experience and confidence in speaking to and meeting other adults.
2. CALL (not e-mail) the prospective Counselor. Introduce yourself and ask whether the Counselor is available to work with you.
3. Obtain a Blue Card. A Blue Card is the official record for earning a merit badge. After finding a Merit Badge Counselor, but before starting to work on the merit badge, call the SM or an ASM and ask for a Blue Card.
4. Fill out the Blue Card and have the SM or ASM sign it. Every Blue Card has two sides and three sections on each side. Complete the section entitled “Application for Merit Badge.” Ask the SM or ASM to sign the card above “Signature of Unit Leader” on the “Application for Merit Badge” section of the card.
5. Purchase the merit badge book or learn the merit badge requirements: http://www.usscouts.org/mb/mbindex.asp
6. Bring the signed Blue Card when you see your Merit Badge Counselor. Youth protection requires that a parent/guardian be present at all Scout/Counselor meetings.
7. Complete all the requirements of the merit badge.
8. Ask the Merit Badge Counselor to sign the Blue Card. Be sure the Counselor signs in BOTH places on the Blue Card above “Signature of Counselor.” The Merit Badge Counselor will keep the “Counselor’s Record” part of the Blue Card and give you the two other sections.
9. Bring the “Applicant’s Record” portion of the Blue Card to the SM or ASM to sign above “Signature of Unit Leader.” Keep this in a safe place. Blue Cards are very important when you apply for the rank of Eagle. One of the requirements for advancement to Eagle is to produce all the Blue Cards for your merit badges. It is suggested that the Scout obtain a binder with baseball card loose-leaf insert pages to keep his Blue Cards organized.
10. Deliver the “Application for Merit Badge” section of the Blue Card to the Advancement Chair: Blue Cards (Mrs. Amy Sellars: 201- 857- 4814). The Scout must CALL Mrs. Sellars to ask when/where he can deliver that remaining section of the Blue Card to her. The Scout will be awarded the merit badge at the next Court of Honor.
II. Rank Advancement
A. Advancement is the process by which Scouts progress from rank to rank in the Boy Scouts of America. The ranks are as follows: Scout, Tenderfoot, Second Class, First Class, Star, Life and Eagle.
B. The first four ranks are geared toward the Scout obtaining skills that will assist him in his Scouting journey, e.g. camping, fitness, cooking, tool use, first aid, hiking, citizenship, and aquatics.
C. Once the Scout rank has been earned, the Scout is able to work on requirements for Tenderfoot, Second Class and First Class simultaneously. For example, if the Troop is having a Troop meeting focused on first aid skills, a Tenderfoot Scout can work on, and have the SM or an ASM sign off on, all the first aid requirements required for Second Class and First Class advancement, provided the Scout proves mastery of those skills.
D. The final three ranks – Star, Life and Eagle – focus on completing merit badges, obtaining leadership skills and engaging in service projects. These ranks must be completed sequentially.
E. When a Scout completes a requirement for any rank advancement, he should ask the SM or an ASM to “sign off” on his completion of the requirement by having the SM or an ASM place his initials and date of completion next to the requirement in the Scout’s Handbook. Do this in real time. Do not ask the SM or an ASM to sign off on a requirement weeks or months after you completed it.
F. Bring your Scout Handbook to all troop meetings and campouts so that skills/requirements you accomplish can be signed off upon completion.
G. From the very beginning of your Scouting career, in either your Scout Handbook or in a separate notebook, keep track of the campouts you have attended and service hours you have completed. You will need proof of both for rank advancement and for certain merit badges.
III. Scoutmaster Conferences and Boards of Review
A. After completing a rank’s requirements, a Scout requests by phone or in person a Scoutmaster’s Conference with the SM or an ASM. The Scout can typically arrange with the SM/ASM to finish certain requirements in the Scoutmaster’s Conference: e.g. the “Demonstrate Scout spirit by living the Scout Oath and Scout Law…” requirement. Scoutmaster Conferences for advanced ranks – Star, Life, Eagle – include the SM and one ASM. Scoutmaster Conferences for lower ranks usually involve a single SM/ASM, but can include more. A Scout must be in full Class A uniform and bring his Scout Handbook to the Conference. After the Conference, the Scout should ask the SM/ASM to sign his Scout Handbook under the relevant rank requirement.
B. The Scout must CALL the Advancement Chair: Boards of Review (Mrs. Julie Hamon: 201-447-8902) to request a Board of Review. The dates for Boards of Review are posted on the Troop 7 Calendar. They are held once a month. The Scout must call at least one week before the scheduled Board of Review to make an appointment or he will be placed on the following month’s Board of Review agenda. The Advancement Chair: Boards of Review will provide the Scout with a time to appear on the scheduled Board of Review date. The Scout should come to the Board of Review in full Class A uniform, including neckerchief/slide and Scout socks. He should have his Scout Handbook with all requirements signed off including the Scoutmaster Conference. Hair should be neatly combed.
C. A Board of Review is comprised of a panel of three adults who discuss with the Scout his experience with the Troop and decide whether he has fulfilled the requirements for the rank.
IV. Service Projects
A. The Star service project requirement reads: “While a First Class Scout, participate in six hours of service through one or more service projects approved by your Scoutmaster.” We recommend that at least three of those hours be in a community service activity (e.g. at the library, YMCA, Camp Sunshine) that the Scout finds or is involved in, while the rest can be part of another Scout’s service project. This encourages the Scout to take the initiative to look beyond Troop activities.
B. The Life service project requirement reads: “While a Star Scout, participate in six hours of service through one or more service projects approved by your Scoutmaster. At least three hours of this service must be conservation-related.” We recommend that Star Scouts organize their own Life projects (of corresponding scope/time), complete with finding a project and sponsor, planning the project and recruiting other Scouts to help. This gives the Life Scout a taste of what an Eagle project involves.