Merit badge (Boy Scouts of America)

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Merit Badges

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Ernest Thompson Seton • Daniel Carter Beard

History of Merit Badges

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Scouting Portal

For history regarding merit badge types, see History of merit badges (Boy Scouts of America).

Merit badges are awards earned by youth members of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA), a U.S.-based organization, based on activities within an area of study by completing a list of periodically updated requirements. The purpose of the merit badge program is to allow Scouts to examine subjects to determine if they would like to further pursue them as a career or avocation. Originally, the program also introduced Scouts to the life skills of contacting an adult they hadn't met before, arranging a meeting and then demonstating their skills, similar to a job or college interview. Increasingly, though, merit badges are earned in a class setting at troop meetings and summer camps.

Each merit badge has a pamphlet published by the Boy Scouts of America associated with it; the pamphlet contains information on completing the requirements for the badge. There are designated merit badge counselors for each badge, and a Scout would meet with a counselor to demonstrate that he's completed the requirements. The counselor would then 'sign off' on each one.

Certain merit badges are required in order to achieve the rank of Eagle Scout, the highest rank in the Boy Scouts of America. There are 10 of these, and two sets of either-or choices. (Cycling, Hiking, OR Swimming and Emergency Preparedness OR Lifesaving). In addition, to fulfill the Eagle Scout merit badge requirement, the Scout must also earn nine or more merit badges from the list of badges that are not specifically required for Eagle.

The award of a merit badge is represented by circular patch with an image representing the badge's topic. The patches for the Eagle-required merit badges are distinguishable by the silver ring on the outside edge. Merit badges are displayed on a sash which can be worn with the Boy Scout uniform on formal occasions.

The current merit badge system began in 1979; three merit badges have not been updated since that time – Athletics, Mammal Study and Pulp and Paper. The most recent new merit badges are Nuclear Science, created in 2005 as a redesigned Atomic Energy badge; Snow Sports, created in 1999 as a redesigned Skiing merit badge; and Fly Fishing, split off from the Fishing merit badge in 2002. The most recent completely new merit badges are Composite Materials, created in 2006;^[1] Archaeology and Climbing, both created in 1997; and Entrepreneurship, created in 1998. The Boy Scouts of America are, as of 2005, field-testing a Hunting merit badge.^[2]

Besides the BSA, these Scouting organizations are known to issue or have issued merit badges: Canada, Indonesia, Japan, Spain, Thailand, and the United Kingdom. Austria has a program similar to merit badges for certain age groups.

A sample merit badge sash: From left to right, starting at top; 1 Swimming, Mammal Study, Environmental Science; 2 Basketry, Wood Carving, Dog Care; 3 Wilderness Survival, Emergency Preparedness, Bird Study; 4 Public Speaking, Scholarship, Law; 5 Rifle Shooting, Archery, Metalwork; 6 Fish and Wildlife Management, Citizenship in the Nation, Orienteering; 7 Citizenship in the Community, Communications, Personal Management; 8 Soil and Water Conservation, Reptile Study, Lifesaving; 9 Forestry, Citizenship in the World, Safety

1 List of current merit badges
2 Merit Badge Colleges
3 See also
4 Footnotes
5 References
6 External links

[edit] List of current merit badges

Each badge name links to the official requirements from usscouts.org.^[3]

Name	Created	Last updated	Notes	Further reading
American Business	1967c	2003		Business, economy of the United States
American Cultures	1979	2005		Culture of the United States
American Heritage	1975	2005		History of the United States
American Labor	1987	2006		Trade union
Animal Science	1975	2007		Animal Science
Archaeology	1997	2006		Archaeology
Archery	1911	2005		Archery
Architecture	1911	1995		Architecture
Art	1911	2002		Art
Astronomy	1911	2005		Astronomy
Athletics	1911	2007		Athletics
Auto Mechanics	1992	2001		Auto mechanic
Aviation	1911	2001		Aviation
Backpacking	1982	2003		Backpacking
Basketry	1927	2004		Basket weaving
Bird Study	1914	2005		Ornithology
Bugling	1911	2004	Shares a pamphlet with Music	Bugle (instrument)
Camping	1911	2007	Eagle-required	Camping
Canoeing	1927	2005		Canoeing
Chemistry	1911	2005		Chemistry
Cinematography	1990	2002		Cinematography
Citizenship in the Community	1952	2005	Eagle-required	Citizenship
Citizenship in the Nation	1951	2005	Eagle-required	Citizenship
Citizenship in the World	1972	2006	Eagle-required	Global citizenship
Climbing	1997	2007		Climbing
Coin Collecting	1938	2003		Coin collecting
Collections	1991	2004		Collecting
Communications	1965	2004	Eagle-required	Communication
Composite Materials	2006	2006		Composite material
Computers	1967	2005		Computers
Cooking	1911	2005		Cooking
Crime Prevention	1996	2006		Crime prevention
Cycling	1911	2005	Eagle-required (this or Hiking or Swimming)	Cycling
Dentistry	1975	2003		Dentistry
Disabilities Awareness	1993	2005		Disability
Dog Care	1938	2004		Dog
Drafting	1965	1993		Technical drawing
Electricity	1911	2005		Electricity
Electronics	1963	2005		Electronics
Emergency Preparedness	1972	2005	Eagle-required (this or Lifesaving)	Emergency management
Energy	1976	2005		Energy
Engineering	1967	2001		Engineering
Entrepreneurship	1997	1998		Entrepreneurship
Environmental Science	1972	2006	Eagle-required	Environmental science
Family Life	1991	2005	Eagle-required, takes at least 90 days	Family values
Farm Mechanics	1928	1998		Agricultural machinery
Fingerprinting	1938	2004		Fingerprint
Fire Safety	1995	2005		Fire safety
First Aid	1911	2005	Eagle-required	First aid
Fish and Wildlife Management	1972	2005		Wildlife management
Fishing	1952	2003		Fishing
Fly Fishing	2002	2003		Fly Fishing
Forestry	1911	2006		Forestry
Gardening	1911	2003		Gardening
Genealogy	1972	2006		Family history
Geology	1953	2005		Geology
Golf	1976	2003		Golf
Graphic Arts	1987	2006		Graphic Arts
Hiking	1921	2000	Eagle-required (this or Cycling or Swimming)	Hiking
Home Repairs	1943	2003		Home repair
Horsemanship	1911	2004		Equestrianism
Indian Lore	1931	1995		Native American mythology
Insect Study	1985	2003		Entomology
Journalism	1927	2006		Journalism
Landscape Architecture	1967	2003		Landscape Architecture
Law	1974	2003		Law
Leatherwork	1951	2003		Leather
Lifesaving	1911	2001	Eagle-required (this or Emergency Preparedness)	Lifesaving
Mammal Study	1985	prior to 1979		Mammal
Medicine	1991	2005		Medicine
Metalwork	1927	2005		Metalworking
Model Design and Building	1963	2004		Scale model
Motorboating	1961	1998		Motorboat
Music	1911	2004	Shares a pamphlet with Bugling	Music
Nature	1952	2004		Nature
Nuclear Science	2005	2005		Atomic nucleus
Oceanography	1964	2004		Oceanography
Orienteering	1973	2004		Orienteering
Painting	1911	2003		Painting
Personal Fitness	1952	2006	Eagle-required, takes at least 90 days	Physical fitness
Personal Management	1972	2004	Eagle-required, takes at least 90 days	Personal finance, time management
Pets	1958	2005	Takes at least 4 months	Pet
Photography	1911	2005		Photography
Pioneering	1911	2006		Knot, trestle
Plant Science	1974	2005		Botany
Plumbing	1911	2005		Plumbing
Pottery	1927	2003		Pottery
Public Health	1911	2005		Public health
Public Speaking	1932	2003		Public speaking
Pulp and Paper	1972	2006		Pulp and Paper Merit Badge
Radio	1923	2002		Radio
Railroading	1952	2005		Railroad
Reading	1929	2004		Reading
Reptile and Amphibian Study	1993	2005		Reptile, amphibian
Rifle Shooting	1988	2002	Was originally part of the combined Rifle and Shotgun Shooting merit badge.	Rifle, shooting
Rowing	1933	2006		Sport rowing
Safety	1927	2006		Safety
Salesmanship	1927	2004		Sales
Scholarship	1911	2005		Scholarship
Sculpture	1911	2003		Sculpture
Shotgun Shooting	1988	2006	Requirements predate merit badge because it was formerly part of Rifle and Shotgun Shooting	Shotgun, shooting
Skating	1973	2006		Ice skating, roller skating
Small-Boat Sailing	1964	2005		Sailing
Snow Sports	1999	1999		Winter sport
Soil and Water Conservation	1952	2005		Soil conservation, water conservation
Space Exploration	1965	2005		Space Exploration
Sports	1972	1996		Sport
Stamp Collecting	1932	2001		Stamp collecting
Surveying	1911	2005		Surveying
Swimming	1911	2002	Eagle-required (this or Cycling or Hiking)	Swimming
Textile	1973	2004		Textile
Theater	1967	2005		Theater
Traffic Safety	1975	2002		Road-traffic safety
Truck Transportation	1973	2005		Truck
Veterinary Medicine	1995	2005		Veterinary medicine
Water Skiing	1969	1999		Water skiing
Weather	1927	2007		Weather
Whitewater	1987	2005		Whitewater
Wilderness Survival	1974	2002		Wilderness, survival skills
Wood Carving	1923	2002		Wood carving
Woodwork	1923	2004		Woodworking

[edit] Merit Badge Colleges

Merit Badge Colleges (or Merit Badge Universities), which are also called Merit badge weekends or Merit badge midways when held at a camporee or jamboree, are events held where several troops or merit badge counselors come together and focus on teaching merit badges. There is some controversy whether Eagle-required merit badges should be available. Some believe that Scouts wishing to earn the prestigious rank of Eagle Scout should be able to seek out counselors for those badges themselves and do the requirements solo. Others believe all merit badges should be available to all Scouts.