Advancement |
ADVANCEMENT
The Scouts will plan their advancement and progress at their own pace as they meet each challenge. Scouts are recognized and rewarded for each of their achievements. The steps in the advancement system help the Scouts grow in self-reliance and in the ability to help others.
Advancement is the progress made from rank to rank in a way to promote and encourage the ongoing involvement and commitment to BSA. Both adult and youth leaders approve advancement in BSA. Scouts work with each other, which promotes learning on both sides of the equation. Parents or guardians are involved at home encouraging, mentoring, and supporting, but they do not sign for rank advancement requirements unless they serve as registered leaders and have been designated by the unit leader to approve advancement or/and counselors.
All Scouts BSA awards, merit badges, badges of rank, and Eagle Palms are only for registered Scouts.
Four Steps in Advancement
A Scout advances from the Scout rank to the Eagle rank by doing things with a patrol and troop, with adult and youth leaders, and independently. A well-rounded and active unit program that generates advancement as a natural outcome should enable Scouts to achieve First Class in their first 12 to 18 months of membership. Advancement is a straightforward matter when the four steps or stages outlined below are observed and integrated into troop programming. The same steps apply to members who are qualified to continue with Scouts BSA advancement in Venturing or Sea Scouts. In these cases, references to troops and various troop leaders would point to crews and ships, and their respective leaders.
- The Scout Learns
- The Scout is Tested
- The Scout is Reviewed
- The Scout is Recognized
Active Participation
- The Scout is registered - The youth is registered for a required time in the Unit and recognizes him/herself as a member
- The Scout is in good standing - The youth is considered to be in "good standing" as long as he/she has not been dismissed for disciplinary reasons by the unit, local council, and BSA
- The Scout meets the unit's reasonable expectations; or, if not, a lesser level of activity is explained
Demonstrate Scout Spirit
The ideal Scout Spirit is stated in the Scout Oath, Scout Law, Scout motto, and Scout slogan. Scouts and members incorporating these values into their daily lives are considered to have Scout spirit.
Service Projects
Service Projects are an essential element in the Journey to Excellence recognition program for councils, districts, and units. This is a regular and critical part of the program in every troop and is required for some of the rank advancements such as that of Eagle rank.
Position of Responsibility
Every scout must have a position where he/she is responsible for as well as show leadership if one is position in leading roles.
Unit Leader (Scoutmaster) Conference
A scout must participate or take part in the Scoutmaster Conference regardless of the rank or program.
Refer to BSA official site for more details
Ranks and Awards
Scout
Scout Rank
Scouts in Scout rank learn the basic information every youth needs to know to be a good Scout. A Scout starts from demonstrating knowledge and understanding of the Scout Oath, Scout Law, Scout motto, and Scout slogan. The Scout rank will then introduce the Scout to basic troop operations and safety concerns.
Tenderfoot
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Second Class
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First Class
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Tenderfoot, Second Class, and First Class Ranks
Scouts in Tenderfoot, Second Class, and First Class ranks learn and practice skills that will help Scouts develop confidence and fitness, challenge their thought processes, introduce them to their responsibilities as citizens, and prepare them for successful Scouting experiences. Requirements for the Scout, Tenderfoot, Second Class, and First Class ranks shall be worked on simultaneously. These ranks must be earned in sequence.
Star, Life, and Eagle Rank
After the completion of a board of review for the previous rank, all the requirements for Star, Life, and Eagle must be fulfilled. This excludes those related to merit badges. Advancement requirements must be passed as written in Scouts BSA. When the requirements require scouts to “show,” “demonstrate,” or “discuss,” then that is what Scouts must do. Filling out a worksheet, for example, would not be enough.
AWARDS
There are multiple awards a scout can earn. Visit the official BSA Award Central page for more information.
MERIT BADGES
Merit Badges are awards earned by registered scouts based on activities within the area of study by completing a list of requirements. There are more than 135 merit badges that a registered scout may earn. A scout can learn about sports, crafts, science, trades, business, and many other interesting fields. There are 21 specific merit badges that are required to earned to become an Eagle Scout along with many other requirements. Visit the official BSA Merit Badge page for more information.