BSA has instituted some new requirements related to Boy Scout advancement for 2010 and onward.

Check the link to learn about the new changes in rank and merit badge requirements.

usscouts.org/advance/changes/advchanges10.asp

This analysis was prepared as a service to Scouts and Scouters nationwide
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Secretary
US Scouting Service Project, Inc.

Posted on SCOUTS-L by Paul Wolf this morning. Paul tracks advancement
changes for the US Scouting Service Project.
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Last evening I completed a review of the new BOY SCOUT REQUIREMENTS 2010
booklet and uploaded information on all of the known changes to Merit
Badge and Rank requirements. I also included the new definition and
explanation of he procedure to be used for identifying "ACTIVE" Scouts.

Note that the stock number for the requirements booklet, which for many
years was 33215x, and last year was changed to 33216, has once again
changed, this time to 34765.

A summary of all of the changes can be accessed on the US Scouting
Service Project web site at:

http://usscouts. org/advance/ changes/advchang es10.asp

As usual, I've used color highlighting in the summary to identify
exactly what wording has changed. There are links from the summary to
the full requirements for each badge, both with and without
highlighting, and from the new requirements to the old requirements for
those still using them.

One other item of note is that BSA has clarified the positions of
responsibility lists for Star/Life/Eagle to specifically include
Webmaster and LNT Trainer as valid for all three ranks in any unit
(Troop/Team/ Crew/Ship) , and that Bugler is valid for Star/Life, it is
NOT an eligible position for Eagle (correcting an error in the new
Handbook). They also reworded the Eagle "Scout Spirit" requirement, but
that is not noted on the inside cover. And the "age requirement" for
joining was clarified, but not listed as a change.

17 merit badges have changes. Of those, 5 have major changes, and the
other 12 have just a few changes (some of those are really quite minor
in scope or just editorial, really), and Scuba Diving is included, of
course. Some of the changes bring the book into conformance with merit
badge books issued in the past few years (such as Graphic Arts).

New Merit Badge pamphlets are available for 8 subjects: Communications,
Computers, Fishing, Fly-Fishing, Home Repairs, Medicine, and
Oceanography, plus Scuba Diving, of course.

The summary also includes what I've found as the requirements for the
four "Retro" or "Historical" Merit Badges available this year. The name
of one is still in question, however, as I've seen it listed as both
"Signaller" and "Signaling" in different documents. The original name of
Signaller was only used in 1910, and the badge was known as Signaling
from 1911-1992, so either name could be the final choice. I've listed it
as Signaling at this point, using the name that was used in the
announcement in Scouting Magazine's Cracker Barrel blog.

If you find any errors or typos, please let me know.

--
Paul S. Wolf, PE, FITE mailto:paul.s.wolf@ alum.wpi. edu
Fellow, Institute of Transportation Engineers