Michael sent in this question:
What scout age is too young for Citizenship in the Community? I have a couple “younger scouts” who would like to begin the badge but they are only 7th graders and Second Class? Is it my call or do you have a certain criteria?
This is not an uncommon question. The Guide to Advancement should be the first source of information when you have a question about advancement procedures. From the Guide to Advancement about who can work on a merit badge
A few merit badges have certain restrictions, but otherwise any registered Boy Scout, Varsity Scout, or qualified Venturer or Sea Scout may work on any of them at any time.
and concerning the conversation you might have with the Scout when asked to provide a merit badge card
The discussion a Scout is to have with the unit leader is meant to be a growth-oriented and positive conversation. The unit leader should discuss any concerns related to working on the merit badge and provide appropriate counseling. It is then the Scout’s decision whether or not to proceed with the merit badge. The process is intended to inform the Scout about what he may encounter along the way, and perhaps to give him suggestions on how the work might be approached. It also has the purpose of keeping the unit leader up to date with what the members of the unit are doing.
I think this second quote from the guide to advancement really addresses this situation. If you think the Scout is too young, you can discuss your concerns with him. But it does clearly state that the decision to proceed belongs to the Scout.
Note that the Guide to Advancement is updated annually, so when looking something up, check that you are using the current version first.
Scouters, how do you approach this? Add your ideas to the comments below.
7th grade is not too young to begin working on Citizen in the Community. My son is in 7th grade and he is working on the merit badge right now. 7th grade is a great age for the community service component as the boy is mature enough to be a real help to the organization.
My Scout was a 5th grader when he completed his C in the Community. Common Core curriculum had that he learned 99% of the badge requirements from his teacher, who signed off as his counselor. Maturity level has a lot to do with it as well. He did a great job for his community service requirement.
I believe only BSA approved counselors can sign off on Merit Badge requirements.
I know this is a couple years late, but as a Commissioner who helps units succeed, I feel I have to add into this.
BSA policy states it is up to the scout to initiate it, even if leaders do not approve they have no say that they cannot do it, they may advise but the scout can work on it. There is no age restrictions at all.
Unless the rank states a specific age or prerequisite, no one can deny a scout to work on a badge. The comment from the guide to scouting about addressing concerns by a scoutmaster is fair, but they cannot deny the scout from moving forward with it.
I have a 5th grader superachiever who’s pumped up about scouting and got half way to first class in just a couple of months. He wants to work on Personal Fitness. He is a competitive swimmer. The charter org rep who happens to be the troop counselor for PF and heads the Board of Reviews told him during the board of review not to bother because she will not let him complete it, as he’s too young to comphehend the contents of it.
That is absolutely terrible. I am a charter rep and would never do that.
My 5th grader completed Citizenship in the Community, and he really enjoyed earning this badge! He learned a lot about local government and had a great time wearing his almost brand-new BSA uniform to various locations while working on this badge. My thought is, Scouting should provide opportunities for motivated kids to shine – even if those motivated kids are young.
my son is currently at summer camp. among other merit badge classes, he signed up for space exploration. I became aware today that he was denied this class because he needed to be 15 years old. he is currently 13. I could find no age requirement anywhere for this badge. is this correct? can a camp impose their own rules as to what age a scout can take a badge course? any info would be appreciated. thanks
Sometimes you will see this at camp because they are limited in how many they can handle in the merit badge session or because they need to ensure some unique options are available for the older scouts who may have already been to summer camp 4 or 5 times. The thinking is that it keeps the older youth interested om coming back if there is something they couldn’t do before.
Most of the age requirements for MB are because they need a certain maturity level. Our troop tried teaching First Aid MB to new 12 yr old scouts and they could not sit still or pay attention for anything, They were too busy bothering each other. I think my son took Community in 7th at a MB college, most of the class paid attention but a couple “new” scouts that were horsing around. Many new scouts do not want to sit in a “classroom” like merit badge class.
Most of these totally depend on the individual Scout. As long as MB counselors continue to uphold standards, then age won’t matter because the Scouts will complete them on their own schedule. Or not. I have no problem signing “partials” because a Scout has not yet learned everything. An 11 year old wanting to do Jr. Lifeguards is possibly ready for First Aid, where another Scout at 13 years old is not. I have led merit badge classes that have had rising 7th graders behave better than high school freshmen. My son’s first 4 MBs were Citizenship in the World, Weather, American Heritage, and Scholarship. These were great since they mostly reviewed the work he did in school. He loved First Aid, but others his age did not see the relevance.