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Before long (January 1, 2014) the list of Eagle required merit badges will change slightly with the addition of cooking as a required merit badge and the new sustainability merit badge as an alternative to environmental science.
Here’s an overview of the current and new lists:
Current list of Eagle-required merit badges
Earn a total of 21 merit badges, including the following:
- First Aid
- Citizenship in the Community
- Citizenship in the Nation
- Citizenship in the World
- Communication
- Personal Fitness
- Emergency Preparedness OR Lifesaving
- Environmental Science
- Personal Management
- Swimming OR Hiking OR Cycling
- Camping
- Family Life
List of Eagle-required merit badges, effective Jan. 1, 2014
Earn a total of 21 merit badges, including the following:
- First Aid
- Citizenship in the Community
- Citizenship in the Nation
- Citizenship in the World
- Communication
- Personal Fitness
- Emergency Preparedness OR Lifesaving
- Environmental Science OR Sustainability
- Personal Management
- Swimming OR Hiking OR Cycling
- Camping
- Family Life
- Cooking
I welcome the addition of cooking as an Eagle required merit badge. Scouts who camp and cook in patrols regularly will complete many of the requirements in the course of their routine activities and many of the requirements correspond to rank requirements up to first class rank.
Sustainability as an alternative to environmental science is fine, I suppose, but it doesn’t really get me all that excited.
These changes get me thinking about the merit badge program as a whole and Eagle required badges in particular.
Looking at the list of Eagle required badges I note that academic-style requirements (listing, defining, explaining, planning, writing) far outweigh requirements centered on actual activities and experiences – even with badges like cooking and camping.
Fulfilling these requirements, to borrow a phrase from Baden-Powell, ‘retrenches the work of schools’. Theres a dissonance that drains the enthusiasm from my Scout’s faces when they contemplate the pile of repetitive, academic-style busywork applied to a lot of these requirements. We promised them exciting adventures and they end up with worksheets and notebooks.
I’ll agree that the list of Eagle required badges are aimed at Scouting’s formative goals; engaged citizenship, competent outdoor skills, helping those in distress, physically active and fit, young people able to manage their own affairs, active family members, an understanding of the way the natural world works and our place in it. The problem is, at least to my mind, that most of these badges emphasize academic oriented methods over Scouting methods.
What would I change about this? Probably a great deal given the chance, but that’s not a likely option. Perhaps the best thing we can do to minimize the dissonance of these things is to better understand and apply the processes and benefits of Scouting.
While communication is important it is my humble opinion that Public Speaking should replace it as an Eagle required MB. If not replaced then a combination with public speaking requirements being key. The scouts in our troop understand my feelings on this and when we offer the MB troop-wide they ‘do their best’. We need all scouts able to promote the scouting movement and be comfortable doing so verbally and to peers as well as groups. Confidence in the ability to ‘work a room’ goes quite far in their quest to be effective future leaders and employees.
We aren’t aimed at developing leaders – our mission is “to prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetimes by instilling in them the values of the Scout Oath and Law.” leadership is only one possible indicator that we have achieved that mission.
Not every Scout is destined to be a leader, and leadership is not a requirement for becoming an Eagle Scout (other than the “give leadership to others” aspect of the Eagle project). Note that Star, Life and Eagle ranks require serving in a ‘position of responsibility’ not a ‘leadership position’.
Is leadership a good thing for Scouts to develop? Certainly. Will every Scout demonstrate some aspects of leadership? Yes. Is leadership a requirement of any rank, including Eagle? No.
This is explained very well in the Guide to Advancement in discussing evaluating positions of responsibility.
Developing leadership is one aspect of Scouting, much like developing skill in the outdoors, but neither are the central aim of our work.
Amen.
Hi Clark,
Sustainability went on the list of Eagle required merit badges upon its release. A scout does not need to wait until Jan 1st to use it as a required MB.
Cooking was required for Eagle from 1914 until 1972, when it was dropped. I think it is a great idea to add it back in.
Really, most of they Eagles in our troop over the past few years have done most of the work for Cooking MB. This just codifies that as a skill that matters.
I agree with Wilderness Survival being an Eagle required badge. I think that epitomizes all the skills we want our boys to retain and remember.
The first 3 ranks are about skills. The next three are about leadership and giving back to your community.
I think the Outdoor Awards are a great way to see if an Eagle Scout has demonstrated a desire to be outdoors, and the expertise in outdoor activities to match his academic prowess. More emphasis should be placed on encouraging scouts to work on these awards.
We plan to raise the profile of these awards in our troop by highlighting them at each COH.
In the Scoutmaster conference for the Scout badge, I explain that Tenderfoot is learning to take care of yourself while camping, Second Class is learning to participate in your patrol, and First Class is learning to contribute to your patrol. After that, you have the skills to take a responsible position in your patrol or troop.
I remember when you needed the Cooking Merit Badge to get Second Class?? First Class?? I can’t remember which.
As far as Sustainability, and I haven’t looked at the recuirements yet, but the Councilor should make it fun and interedting and not just more school work.
My son is an Eagle Scout (2009) and I remain very involved with the program at a district level and as a merit badge counselor. I have always felt that CPR should be a requirement for Eagle rank. Our motto is “Be Prepared”.
It is! It’s included in First Aid MB, Lifesaving MB and 1st CLass rank requirements.
Knowledge of CPR is required, not certification
I feel as an EMT and CPR Instructor knowledge is good but you must be able to perform skill as well. Knowledge without skill is like a sandwich without the bread. Also you need certification in order to prove you have the knowledge as well as the skill.
I agree, certification should be required. In fact CPR and First aid certs. As well as the wilderness MB. These are basics the “public” assumes are standard BSA skills earned by the completed package (scout).
Back in my day I think it was required, 1971. But either way I know I also earned that one.
So, “If you only had the authority to change the merit badge program, you’d …)
Propensity for leadership? Or cloaked complaint? 🙂
Ha. Sorry. Had to merge your two blog posts there.
Fine blog post as always.
I’d encourage you to put together your suggestions/recommendations, Clarke, and send them along to the national advancement team. I would say there’s a lot more interest these days in hearing feedback from folks like you and me to help improve the program.
On top of your concerns, I am troubled by the requirement-creep. Granted, it’s not yet as bad as the 1958 rules with their 16 required badges, but part of the growth process is deciding what you want to do.
As an adult, we take the problem of “choice” for granted. As a youth, this is one of a boy’s first real opportunities to take control of his own development. When we take away the boy’s discretion by requiring a badge, that’s an opportunity lost.
In my opinion, Cooking should have been added only with something else removed from the list.
I would love to see Wilderness Survival be a required Eagle Merit Badge. I am all for Citizenship however the life skills/value you learn with WS lasts a life time. Now as a Scouter I still use those skills/principles with my Troop.
Thanks for all the great articles! Love your site.
Any idea on what (if any) grandfathering rules there will be for this change?
ie, Life scouts before such and such a date, etc?
Here’s an FAQ that should provide an answer.
Excellent, thanks Clark.