Ask the Expert Archives - Page 10 of 11

Ask the Expert: Can Scouts earn service hours outside of the troop setting?

May 17, 2013 80

If a Scout, say, builds a house with their church youth group or delivers meals with the student council, can those hours count toward advancement?

Should Scouts earn merit badges at summer camp?

May 14, 2013 231

Scouts earn merit badges at council-run merit badge colleges or summer camps, or on their own with a registered counselor. But some troops restrict this practice.

Ask the Expert: Are blood drives and other drives acceptable Eagle projects?

May 1, 2013 42

Nobody questions the value of these drives, but Scouters often wonder whether they’re acceptable as Eagle Scout service projects.

Ask the Expert: Can merit badge progress begin before a Scout gets his blue card?

April 30, 2013 128

If a Scout camps several nights with his troop before getting a signed blue card from his Scoutmaster, do those nights count toward his earning Camping merit badge? That’s what a Scouter, who I’ll call

Ask the Expert: Interpreting Camping merit badge Requirement 9a

June 7, 2012 194

When it comes to life-changing experiences, there’s no substitute for camping. And when it comes to the Eagle-required Camping merit badge, there’s no substitute for Requirement 9A. It reads as follows: 9. Show experience in camping

Ask the Expert: The BSA’s ‘active’ requirement, revisited

April 30, 2012 52

Updated | May 7, 2013 Can a unit set attendance requirements? Can Scouters mandate, for example, that Scouts show up for at least half of all meetings and outings? When I first received this question

Ask the Expert: Why does silver outrank gold in Scouting awards?

April 14, 2011 57

If gold signifies the best in sports, why does the Boy Scouts of America use silver to represent its top awards, such as Eagle Scout palms?

Ask the Expert: Do the hours worked by family members count on an Eagle service project?

March 17, 2011 12

The Eagle project—that last mile on the long, satisfying climb toward Scouting’s highest honor—tests a boy’s ability to organize a meaningful service project and then lead his peers in its completion. It’s all outlined in the Eagle

Ask the Expert: Why is the Eagle Scout age requirement 18?

January 27, 2011 22

A boy must complete all requirements for the Eagle Scout Award by his 18th birthday, but why? That was the question posed by Scouter Kim. H. She writes: “Why do Scouts have to complete their

Which uniform should a Council Executive Board Member wear?

December 8, 2010 5

In our little corner of the Boy Scouts of America's national headquarters, the staff of Scouting magazine is surrounded by experts who know just about everything there is to know about the program we love.