JANUARY 19, 2021

[ISSUE 662 – 20TH YEAR OF HELPING SCOUTS, SCOUTERS, & PARENTS]

Paul Wolf, fellow long-time USSSP.ORG volunteer and our resident expert on BSA advancement (including consultant to BSA National Headquarters folks), told me more about the upcoming “DEI” merit badge. Scouting volunteer Kirk Wood pointed out this BSA post to me also. I’ve included it immediately below, followed by additional commentary by Paul.

January 7, 2021: “Proposed Eagle Scout Required Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Merit Badge Delayed.

“The introduction of the proposed Diversity, Equity and Inclusion merit badge is being delayed to allow for the careful consideration and evaluation of feedback received from a wide variety of commenters on the draft requirements. Until further notice, all Scouts working on the Eagle Scout rank should continue to use current rank requirements. Once the Eagle-required Diversity, Equity and Inclusion merit badge is introduced, Scouts in the process of earning the rank of Eagle Scout will be given adequate time to earn it.

“Updates regarding the merit badge will be shared with councils directly and via Scoutingwire. Specific questions are welcome via email at Officeof.ChiefDiversityOfficer@scouting.org.”

Paul adds:

As for the root question, although section 7.0.4.3 of the GUIDE TO ADVANCEMENT, which talks about “What to do When Requirements Change” is talking about merit badge requirements, it does contain a clue on what happens when rank requirements change:

“Sometimes, however— especially for more significant changes—the Scouts BSA Handbook, the Scouts BSA Requirements book, scouting.org/meritbadges, or official communications from the National Council may set forth a different procedure that must be used and may establish a date by when use of the old requirements must cease.”

Changing the requirements for Eagle is always considered a “significant change,” and the BSA always announces a specific “date when use of the old requirements must cease.”

Had the BSA not delayed the DEI merit badge, and released the requirements by January 1, 2021, then the statement you quoted in your January 12th column would have been the rule, and this merit badge would have been required for all Scouts submitting their applications on or after May 1, 2021.
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Hi Andy,
I feel sorry for that Scout who needs “camping nights” for First Class rank, especially since there are acceptable and proven methods for safe COVID protocols on campouts. Hopefully the Scout’s troop is already doing this.

So here’s a thought to help “Struggling Scoutmaster”… Maybe this Scout—and others, too!—could pre-arrange to camp in her back yard? Pitch a tent and then post a video message to the Scoutmaster for proof? This Scout could at least get the 12 camping nights completed, and then hopefully by that time it’s summer and we’re all cleared for activities and the Scout can go to the council’s long-term camp.

Last summer, before our council banned all troop camping, our troop held two campouts—our own one-week summer camp and three backpacking trips—and nobody got sick!

Also, last month I saw an article in the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) newsletter that validated everything we were doing. Their recommendations are the exact protocols we had developed on our own. (Lee Murray, Troop Committee, Nevada Area Council)

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Hi Andy,
I’ve been reading your column for a while now. Even though my sons have “aged out” of Scouts, it’s still good reading. This got me to thinking. Maybe you’ve answered this sort of question already, but what’s a guy who was a Scout himself supposed to do when his son runs into a “Merit Badge Czar”?

I remember when my youngest son became a Scout, he ran into a jerk like this at his first Camporee. The guy was a counselor for Handicap Awareness, which my son wanted to earn because he had a classmate with a physical challenge and he wanted to learn more about the broader subject.

As they were talking things over, about how to get started, the guy takes a four-inch-long “ball-in-a-cage” wood carving out of his pocket and says, “Tell you what, son… You carve me one of these and I’ll give you the Woodcarving merit badge, too.”

He and I had attended lots of trade-o-rees and swap-meets when he was a Webelos, so even at eleven years old, my son proved pretty savvy when it came to “reading” people. So as we’re driving home, he turned to me and asked, “Can we find a different counselor, Dad?” Of course we could! He went to his Scoutmaster, got the contact information he needed, and everything went smoothly for him after that.

But I’ve always wondered if I should have done something myself. Do you report a jerk like this to the council office, or a commissioner, or someone else? Or do you just leave it alone, like I did? (Former Scout Dad)

Well the best news is that your son read that guy right. And you spotted the nonsense too, which is part of a Scout-parent’s “job.” We want to keep our sons and daughters safe, and I’m sure you would have had a chat with your son if he hadn’t had sharp “radar.” But beyond that, it’s a personal call; not some sort of mandate. I’d say a quiet conversation about this guy with your son’s Scoutmaster would be enough—there’s now a sort of alert to send Scouts to a different counselor. (In fact, this is just one of the good reasons why Scouts should always go to their Scoutmasters before starting in on a merit badge.)
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(This is a “pre-Covid” Q&A…)

Hey Doctor Andy,

My son’s troop hikes and camps pretty regularly, but spends only one wee at our council’s summer camp. I know for attending Roundtables that that’s pretty much the norm for troops around here. Works fine, except my Scout son absolutely loves Scout camp in the summer and wants to do more than a week!

We’ve heard about other councils’ summer camps—they’re not too far away—and my son would really like to go to one of these, too. It’s okay with my wife and me, and it’s affordable, but when I’ve brought this up at troop committee meetings and at Roundtables, interest in the idea is zero.

I know there are “provisional” troops, made up of Scouts from different troops, and my son’s okay with that, but we can’t even get any “patrol buddies” of his to show any interest—and it’s not a “money” issue because there are “camperships” readily available in our council and beyond.

But the bottom line is that, locally, there’s just no real interest in experiencing the richness and fullness Scouting can offer via out-of-council experiences.

I don’t want my son’s troop to consider his “on his own program,” but at the same time, I’d like him to be free to explore possibilities beyond our home council’s camp. Would I be making a mistake if I let my son go to an out-of-council camp, so long as he attends his troop’s one-week also? (Puzzled Pop)

All Scouts are “free agents”—In fact, they’re Scouting’s FIRST VOLUNTEERS! There’s no “mandate” that they participate only in their own council’s (or troop’s) events. If you son goes to camp with his troop (which I’m sure he’d want to do), and then also finds another council’s camp that he’d like to go to, that’s perfectly okay.

(Maybe I should add that, as a Scoutmaster back when Dinosaur-Spotting was a merit badge, our troop alternated summer camp between three different councils’ camps!)

Stay safe, stay healthy, and stay positive!
Happy Scouting!

Andy

I personally answer every message I receive. There’s no “writing staff”—just me. When writing, please include your name & council. If you’d rather be anonymous—if published—just tell me and I’ll honor that. Although these columns are copyrighted, you have my okay to quote or reproduce any column or part, so long as it’s attributed: “Ask Andy” by Andy McCommish.

[No. 662 – 1/19/2021 – Copyright © 2021 Andy McCommish]