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The old merit badge blue card;
The new merit badge blue card;
This announcement from the latest Advancement News is self explanatory:
Merit Badge Blue Card Revised
A new version of the “Application for Merit Badge,” No. 34124, commonly referred to as the “blue card,” is being released later in January 2013. The
availability of the new card will vary locally, and the old cards are still acceptable as councils exhaust their inventories. The new version will remain the old familiar
blue and the change is a small one, but as it takes effect it will make a significant difference in the process.On the front side (first tri-fold portion) above the unit leader’s signature line, the statement with the word “qualified” is being changed to: “I have discussed this merit badge with this Scout and recommended at least one merit badge counselor.” The wording change has been made due to confusion over the interpretations of “qualified,” “approved,” and “approval,” as applied to when a Scout could begin work on a merit badge. With the new statement, the unit leader’s signature indicates that he or she and the Scout have talked about the Scout’s desire to work on the merit badge and that a merit badge counselor has been recommended.
The intent of the modification is to give the unit leader the chance to offer counseling as to whether or not the merit badge is a good choice for the Scout, based on his abilities and any prerequisites. The terms “qualified” or “approved” were never meant to indicate that the Scout needed to pass some sort of pre-qualifying test before pursuing a merit badge, or that the unit leader had pass/fail authority to allow—or to not allow—the Scout to undertake work on a badge.
Other than this single change, the good old “blue card” is the same as before. Unit leaders are requested to use this new approach now. With release of the revised Guide to Advancement 2013 during the first half of the New Year, the practice will become mandated.
I certainly applaud removing the ambiguity of the widely misunderstood term ‘qualified’. This actually does not represent a change in policy, just better wording to reflect existing policy. Scoutmasters were never intended to decide what merit badges a Scout could challenge or when and this change to the wording makes that clear.
“I can’t think of any badge that is universally ill-suited to every 11-year-old”. Didn’t Lifesaving Merit Badge used to require First Aid MB first? Not saying that an 11 year couldn’t do it, but most 11 year olds aren’t ready to complete the requirements. Not that a SM should forbid it 🙂 Just saying.
I think this whole policy, as stated, is superfluous. If the Scout is free to completely disregard any recommendation the Scoutmaster may make regarding beginning a particular merit badge, then what is the point of the conversation? In my experience, the Scout invariably will eventually ask, “so, can I start the badge now?” and I am obliged to say yes even if I do not believe a particular badge is be appropriate. There are certain badges ill suited for an 11-year-old, and the Scoutmaster should be empowered to make that decision on a case-by-case basis for each individual Scout.
Scouts are always free to disregard anything their Scoutmaster says because Scoutmasters aren’t there to tell them what to do! (Naturally we’ll allow that, in issues of safety or propriety we do tell our Scouts what to do and expect them to follow what we say).
When we are talking with a Scout about a merit badge we may advise him about it, but in the end it’s his decision. When Scouts come to me with a blue card to sign I ask them about the badge, if they’ve checked for any prerequisites, why they are interested in that particular badge (this often tells me a bit about them I may not have known before), and confirm he has a registered counselor – then he’s off and running.
I can’t think of any badge that is universally ill-suited to every 11-year-old, if there was the badge would have an age requirement. I can think of badges that would be challenging to some 11-year-old Scouts and we may discuss that challenge when I sign the blue card, but ultimately the Scout get’s to decide – that’s what it’s all about!
This is a great improvement and should help Scouts who may have a leader who has gone slightly astray.
I was hoping for some guidance on who can sign as well. Unit Leader is intentionally vague to allow for leaders from Troops, Crews, Teams and Ships. The GTA states that the cards are signed by a Unit Leader but goes no further in defining who qualifies as that person.
While Unit Leader typically means the SM or Crew Adviser etc, I have not found documentation that says it is or is not limited to such. As an ASM I count myself as a Unit Leader.
If we look to other SM jobs for guidance one might find room for ASMs. SM conferences for example are frequently but not always reserved for the SM, and rightfully so. However there is no documentation that an ASM cannot do a conference if this fits the culture of your Troop.
I am in a Troop of 70+ Scouts and our SM wants me to sign blue cards while our Committee chair does not want me signing or doing conferences, stating that it is the SM’s job alone. With 70+ Scouts, I don’t believe it’s realistic to ask him to do both all by himself and dissevers the Scouts to do so. Interestingly, our SM’s son last week asked me if I could sit with him for his LIFE Rank SM Conference at this weekends camp-out.
ASM Dave, as far as what positions qualify as a unit leader, ask yourself this–as an ASM, are you eligible for the Unit Leader Award of Merit?
I heard of a boy who went to a scoutmaster to start the camping merit badge and he was turned down, because “that is the last merit badge you earn before Eagle”, or words to that effect. This should help with that kind of situation.