Boy Scouts can earn over 100 different merit badges by demonstrating knowledge and skills in a specific subject. The Boy Scout Handbook lists the requirements for each badge and the number needed to reach each rank. Scouts must work with a supervisor to earn each badge, and each badge covers a specific topic. Earning badges represents personal growth and advancement within the organization.
A merit badge is an award a Boy Scout can earn by showing knowledge and skills in a particular subject. There are currently over 100 different merit badges available for a Boy Scout to earn. Each merit badge represents a specific field of knowledge that a Boy Scout might find interesting and useful. Earning a merit badge is an honor in itself, but it also serves as a stepping stone to a new Boy Scout rank.
The Boy Scout Handbook contains a list of every merit badge available, as well as the skills and knowledge required to earn each merit badge. The handbook also explains the number of merit badges needed to reach each rank. To attain the rank of Eagle Scout, the highest rank in Boy Scouts, the scout must earn 21 merit badges. Of these 21 merit badges, the scout must earn 12 of the 15 possible required merit badges.
Each merit badge covers a specific topic. When a Boy Scout decides to work towards earning a badge of merit, he must first find someone to supervise his progress and, in many cases, teach him. This merit badge instructor could be a parent, scoutmaster, or professional in the same field as the merit badge. For the Family Living Merit Badge, a Scout must work with his or her parents. To earn the Dentistry Merit Badge, the Scout must work with a dentist.
To earn a particular Merit Badge, a Boy Scout must complete a list of requirements and show his Scoutmaster or Merit Badge Instructor that he has acquired the requisite knowledge and mastered the requisite skills. Each merit badge has its own list of required skills and knowledge. The Journalism Merit Badge, for example, has a list of five requirements, including learning about careers in journalism and explaining how freedom of the press works in America. The Fire Safety Merit Badge has a list of twelve requirements, which include understanding how a fire burns and taking steps to make the Scout’s home safer.
With so many merit badges to choose from, a Boy Scout has the opportunity to learn a wide variety of skills and acquire a great deal of useful knowledge. Each merit badge represents specific know-how as well as a step towards greater understanding of the world, advancement within the Boy Scout organization and personal growth into adulthood.
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