Status between registration & Scout Badge?

[Knot Blackhawk]

What is a boy's status after he submits the registration form until he completes the Scoutmaster conference and other "joining" requirements for the Scout Badge?
What happens if the boy is registered, but the joining requirements such as pamplet exercises or Scoutmaster conference, doesn't happen for several months?
Can a "badgeless" boy be credited with rank advancements? Merit badges?

[Nuts4Scouts]

Once a boys registration is paid he is a Boy Scout & a paid up member of the Troop.

Most of the requirements for the Scout Badge are the same as for AOL.

The new scout can complete other rank requirements & merit badges. However, if he is, he must be attending Troop meetings. I can not see how meeting the requirements for the Scout Badge could possibly take more than 2 meetings.

It should really not be such a stretch to complete them if the Troop is paying attention to it's new scouts & the scout is attending meetings.

[Knot Blackhawk]

Not all boys join with a completed Arrow of Light. I agree that it should only take a couple of meetings, but sometimes the pamplet exercises may not get done quickly, sometimes the boy doesn't work at the items or in some troops a lack of volunteers or not "paying attention" can happen. Also, sometimes boys transfer from one troop to another and strange things like this pop up on a transfer record.

[ICanCanoeCanU]

I would consider the boy a member.

As for advancement and badges, yes, of course they can work on either of those things. What about a new scout that goes to summercamp, participates in a 1st yr program and takes a couple of badges but didn't have his Scout badge prior to going to camp?

[JazerNorth]

Honestly, when the Scoutmaster or committee member who signs the boy up should review the requirements for the Scout badge on the spot.

1. Meet age requirements. Be a boy who has completed the fifth grade or is 11 years old, or has earned the Arrow of Light Award but is under 18 years old.
2. Complete a Boy Scout application and health history signed by your parent or guardian.
3. Find a Scout troop near your home.
4. Repeat the Pledge of Allegiance.
5. Demonstrate the Scout sign, salute, and handshake.
6. Demonstrate tying the square knot (a joining knot).
7. Understand and agree to live by the Scout Oath or Promise, Law, motto, and slogan, and the Outdoor Code.
8. Describe the Scout badge.
9. Complete the pamphlet exercises. With your parent or guardian, complete the exercises in the pamphlet How to Protect Your Children from Child Abuse: A Parent's Guide.
10. Participate in a Scoutmaster conference. Turn in your Boy Scout application and health history form signed by your parent or guardian, then participate in a Scoutmaster conference.

1 - Done when signed up
2 - Done when sigued up (or should be for scout safety)
3 - Done (he is in your troop)
4 - Done when leader asks him to repeat it (doesn't need to be memorized, just repeated)
5 - Done when leader shows him all three (doesn't need to know it, just demonstrate it)
6 - Done when leaders shows how, and boy repeats it (doesn't need to have it memorized, just able to do it)
7 - Done when leader helps boy understand all four.
8 - Done when leader helps boy understand badge.
9 - Might take a few more minutes to read with parent.
10 - Done after Scoutmaster takes completed form from boy and does the above requirements.

I just don't see completing the above requirements should take more than 30 minutes with the boy and parent/gaurdian sitting there with the Scoutmaster, which can be used as a Scoutmaster conference as well.

Enjoy.

JazerNorth

[Lynda J]

Our newest boys completed Scout by their second meeting except for one it took him 4 meetings.

As far as working on merit badges a boy can start working on badges as soon as he registeres with the troop. One of our new boys ask the first meeting he attended when he could start on badges. He got his first Blue Card that night.

[ICanCanoeCanU]

Well heck, lets just get the 30 days overwith for the Tenderfoot exercises and make them Tenderfoot! After all, 1 campout and they should be done. And since they never really have to learn how to actually know how to do skills (they only have to demonstrate), now I see how to make 13 year old Eagles! AND PLEASE don't jump on me about that one as I know there's already many threads on the issue.

Technically everything Jazernorth says is correct but.... is this really how most troops operate? Is this really how most troops should operate?

[ICanCanoeCanU]

To go back to the original question here - yes, the boy can work on advancement and badges.

[JazerNorth]

Well heck, lets just get the 30 days overwith for the Tenderfoot exercises and make them Tenderfoot! After all, 1 campout and they should be done. And since they never really have to learn how to actually know how to do skills (they only have to demonstrate), now I see how to make 13 year old Eagles!

I was only going by the requirements. See Tenderfoot requirment 4b "Demonstrate that you know how to tie the following knots and tell what their uses are: two half hitches and the taut-line hitch." See the 'know' part? That is when they must know the knots. Yes, I think the boys should know everything in the Boy Scout badge, but that will come with time as they go through First Class. The Tenderfoot through First Class requirements reiterate themselves over and over again, just in different ways. This is to help teach the boys to know scouting. My feeling is that the Scout Badge is just to get them started and headed in the correct direction.

By the way, I got my eagle one month after I turned 13. Was I a scout? Well, Eagle, but not a through and through boy scout. It took me until now (much much older than 13) to know what scouting is about. We teach them the skills of how to be men, they must learn to know what it is to become men.

As for the question of starting merit badges, yes, they can. Our troop encourages to get going on the prereq. badges (ie First Aid) as soon as they join. Usually takes them a few months to get going on it, as they are learning how it is all done. Watching them go from timid little boys to daredevils, back to reasonable and strong young adults is quite fun.

Just my simple opion.

JazerNorth

[longhorneagle]

Once they turn in membership paper work and it is approved by the troop a scout can begin working on any merit badge (with an approved blue card) and any of the requirements for tenderfoot, 2nd class, and 1st class.

[jr56]

I second what longhorneagle says.

[ccjj]

Yes Scout rank can and should be earned shortly after joining a troop. My son crossed over into a troop in December, and it was April before he earned his Scout rank. And why is that? The SM of that troop decided that he should wait until the boys from another pack crossed over to earn it. That way he wouldn't be ahead of them just because he crossed over early. I didn't know anything about Boy Scouts yet. My son stayed with that troop for 20 months and made it to Second Class. An opportunity came to join a troop that was starting again and he jumped on it. Now, a couple of years later he is a Life Scout, working on his Eagle project.
ccjj