Places to Meet for Merit Badges

[optimist]

Messages moved from MeritBadge.com

wagionvigil
Counselor

Joined: 21 Jul 2004
Posts: 191
Location: PA
Posted: 30 Jul 2004 04:26 pm Post subject: Places to Meet
for Merit Badges

When I am Doing Collections or Music I try to have the Boys
meet me at their Meeting Place or at our Monthly Roundtables.
Does anyone have any other Ideas on safe places to meet?
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Action Center D Rappel Tower Director 2001 and 2005 National
Jamborees
Northeast REgion Area 4 Venturing Chairman
Wagion 6 Lodge Advisor 96-99
"If you ain't A bear you're a Meal"

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ScoutmasterBob
Counselor

Joined: 07 Jul 2004
Posts: 79
Location: Woods Cross, Utah
Posted: 30 Jul 2004 05:15 pm Post subject:

The Blue MB card, under the information for counselor, says
Quote:
There must be at least two Scouts (Scout buddy sytem) in
attendance at all instructional sessions.

I think the same should be observed when passing off a scout
for the merit badge. I dont think the where is as important as
the how. The how being with at least two scouts, or two adult
leaders.

It is called youth protection but I like to call it leader
protection.
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Bob Torkelson
Scoutmaster Troop 538
www.wx5troop538.homestead.com
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wagionvigil
Counselor

Joined: 21 Jul 2004
Posts: 191
Location: PA
Posted: 30 Jul 2004 05:17 pm Post subject:

I always require twos so I was just checking to see if anyone
else did anything like that.
_________________
Action Center D Rappel Tower Director 2001 and 2005 National
Jamborees
Northeast REgion Area 4 Venturing Chairman
Wagion 6 Lodge Advisor 96-99
"If you ain't A bear you're a Meal"

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optimist
Advancement Chairman

Joined: 27 Jun 2004
Posts: 146

Posted: 31 Jul 2004 06:43 pm Post subject:

Actually, as long as the two Scout rule is adhered to, merit
badges can be taught anywhere. Many merit badge counselors
teach Scouts in their homes and their places of business. When
possible, a place associated with the badge topic is always
good choice.

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Godwyn IV
Second Class

Joined: 26 Jul 2004
Posts: 21
Location: Greater Western Reserve Council
Posted: 01 Aug 2004 04:20 pm Post subject:

Librarys are good places do do merit badges. Community Centers
are also great places.
_________________
"Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a
dog, it's too dark to read."
-Groucho Marx

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Guneukitschik
Life

Joined: 02 Aug 2004
Posts: 162
Location: Waynesboro, PA
Posted: 05 Aug 2004 09:39 pm Post subject:

We have had the Scouts and Counselors request to use our Troop
meeting room but on a different night of the week. And Youth
protection should apply to all aspects of scouting...it was
put in place to protect both the youth and adult members.

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ICanCanoeCanU
Second Class

Joined: 05 Aug 2004
Posts: 20

Posted: 12 Aug 2004 05:59 am Post subject: Places to meet
for MB's

When I work with scouts on merit badges I try to meet at local
parks. I like to keep as much as I can outdoors.

But what I'd like to know is how many troops work on merit
badges during troop meetings? We usually do not do this. We
will use meeting time for a counselor to answer general
questions about badges or I'll speak to a scout about who they
can contact to finish a badge with. But do most troops use
meeting time every week to work on badges? My friends troop
has ongoing merit badge session during every meeting. The
adults offer several badges at a time and every scout needs to
sign up for one. I don't think I agree with this but wonder if
maybe our troop has it wrong?

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Guneukitschik
Life

Joined: 02 Aug 2004
Posts: 162
Location: Waynesboro, PA
Posted: 12 Aug 2004 06:06 am Post subject:

Along time ago our troop brought in a counselor for a merit
badge....he came for several weeks and it ended up where only
like 3 out of the entire troop actually completed all the
requirements for the badge.... so needless to say that didn't
happen again...

lately we will have someone introduce the scouts to a
particular subject...We had an auto mechanic come to our
meeting and he showed the troop how to check/change the oil,
change a tire, and some other stuff. A few of the scouts
actually got interested enough to sign up for the merit badge.
I think that a brief intro works ok...but if you have too much
classroom type work it turns into school....and we don't want
that to happen!
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SLB1026
Tenderfoot

Joined: 10 Aug 2004
Posts: 11
Location: Conshohocken, PA
Posted: 13 Aug 2004 11:30 am Post subject:

Hi everyone! I am just wondering if any of you have done
multiple badges during a day session. For instance, if I get
the space that the troop meets in, can other MB counselors
also offer their merit badges on the same day? Then, that way,
they can work on more than one during the day, so as to
prevent burnout. I guess it would be a really, really, small
merit badge workshop kind of thing. Anyone ever heard of this
idea, or implemented it? What worked?
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Counselor

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wagionvigil
Counselor

Joined: 21 Jul 2004
Posts: 191
Location: PA
Posted: 13 Aug 2004 11:54 am Post subject:

WE have done Merit Badge Camporees at Penn State University
Fayette Campus where you might offer 20 different MB and the
Boys can do like 3 or 4 depending upon the MB. We offered
Chemistry,Plumbing,Photography, ALl the Citizenships,
Collections, Energy, etc. it is only done like every four
years or so.
_________________
Action Center D Rappel Tower Director 2001 and 2005 National
Jamborees
Northeast REgion Area 4 Venturing Chairman
Wagion 6 Lodge Advisor 96-99
"If you ain't A bear you're a Meal"

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[SLB1026]

Yes, we have Merit Badge fairs at Arcadia Univ., usually 2x a year. What I am wondering is if anyone has gotten a group together somewhat informally, with the counselors so that they can get their requirements finished somewhat quickly. For instance, on a Saturday, if I am doing Family Life, and another counselor wants to offer Home Repairs or Art or whatever, is it ok to run all 3 of them on the same day? That way the 2 deep rule would be met, and the boys would have a chance to work on more than one merit badge if they want to. Just curious for some feedback! Thanks!

[Guneukitschik]

It sounds like you would be covered with the 2 deep leadership...however isn't the scout supposed to contact the counselor about taking a merit badge? It seems to me that you are skipping a step... now if the scouts contact you and they arrange everything, then it would seem to be on the right track.

[SLB1026]

Yes, the scout is supposed to contact the counselor. I would think all MB counselors know that already. I wasn't really skipping a step, because if I have say 3 scouts contact me that want to work on their merit badge, I can set them all up at the same time. If I know that scouts have contacted the counselor for another Merit badge, we can work together in getting the church or building reserved for that day. Then, that way, we are reaching more scouts and enabling them to advance on their Merit badges that they contact us for.

[Guneukitschik]

oh....I understood it to mean that on a particular day you were holding "merit badge school" and all the scouts could attend and earn several merit badges.

[syck03]

Something I find that works good is every few months I have a Meritbadge Weekend for my Troop. It has worked out great for the Scouts. One month I work on egal req. merit badges and the next month I work on other merit badges. I always try to get the new scouts involved so they dont wait until the last minute to earn a meritbadge.

[ICanCanoeCanU]

How many troops hold time during each meeting for merit badges having every scout work on something?

[Guneukitschik]

Our Patrol Leaders Council plans approximately one activity per month during a troop meeting where a counselor will attend a troop meeting a either give a broad overview of the merit badge, or for example... a mechanic came in and taught the scouts how to change a tire, check and change the oil, etc. then a few scouts actually went on and completed the Auto Mechanics merit badge. These activities usually take no more than 20 - 30 minutes and usually lead to a few scouts contacting a counselor to complete the merit badge.

The Scouts are supposed to contact the counselor and arrange the meetings....this is all an essential part of earning the merit badge!

[SLB1026]

Paul, that sounds kind of like what I am talking about, only I was thinking just a Saturday. Do many of your scouts take advantage of it? Having the Eagle requireds is huge, I know of 4 kids who waited til like 3 months before turning 18 to actually finish the citizenships. While I know that the scout is supposed to contact the counselor, I am sorry,there are just some kids who need a little guidance in the right direction. Having a day/weekend where they know if they contact you and are interested in some of the MB's you are doing I think would be a great help! Thanks for your suggestion. If you have any more...keep them coming!

[syck03]

It depends on what merit badge I am teaching on how many boys attend. Most of the time I have a good turn out. Another thing I do is a LAN party. What is that you ask . I bring in a lot of computers and set up a network on a Fri evening and end it Sat. They all play games over the network we talk about computers, surf the web , take a computer apart and put it back together, ect... and they have just earned the Computer Merit Badge and they didn't even know it.

[diamondbackAPL]

I have thought about requesting a merit badge weekend for our troop, and we have several eagle merit badge counselors in the troop

sometimes our troop does "field trips" i.e. to the bank for personal management or the airport for aviation, and then let the scouts finish the badge if they so choose

[Mick Scouter]

Good thought but I caution you to think it through. Use a systematic approach to give yourself and troop a success path. If not planned properly it can backfire on you.

[riverwalk]

KISMIF