Posted on 04/28/2010 5:02:40 PM PDT by Rebelbase
Boy Scouts have traditionally earned belt loops and merit badges for outdoor pursuits like swimming, archery, canoeing and fishing. Today’s boys are spending a lot of time inside and on-line, whether it’s with MMORPGs like Runescape and World of Warcraft or interacting with a gaming system like X-Box 360 and Sony Play Station. The Boy Scouts of America have heeded the call and created a Video Games Belt Loop and Academics Pin for Tiger Cubs, Cub Scouts and Webelos: the ranks prior to officially becoming a Boy Scout
The new badge requirements teach the boys how to be responsible with the amount of time they are spending on the games; encourages them to get parent approval and has them invite parents to play along with them. See the full badge requirements here. Great lessons to learn at a young age about choosing appropriate content.
Thousands of boys have passed through the ranks of the local Dan Beard Council which has 8 separate districts across the region. Over 300 Cincinnati area boys achieved the Eagle Scout rank in 2009; perhaps the Video Games Badge will help retain a younger boy who just might have checked out of scouting after becoming frustrated with achieving the Fishing belt loop….
Kudos to the Boy Scouts of America for meeting youth on the digital highway and teaching them responsibility with personal time!
"Hey joey, come to Webelos with me, were working on the video game badge."
Man, this is really weak.
(spoken as an Eagle Scout)
Had to see if it was an Onion article. It should have been
Requirements
Tiger Cubs, Cub Scouts, and Webelos Scouts may complete requirements in a family, den, pack, school, or community environment. Tiger Cubs must work with their parents or adult partners. Parents and partners do not earn loops or pins.
Belt Loop
Complete these three requirements:
1. Explain why it is important to have a rating system for video games. Check your video games to be sure they are right for your age.
2. With an adult, create a schedule for you to do things that includes your chores, homework, and video gaming. Do your best to follow this schedule.
3. Learn to play a new video game that is approved by your parent, guardian, or teacher.
Academics Pin
Earn the Video Games belt loop and complete five of the following requirements:
1. With your parents, create a plan to buy a video game that is right for your age group.
2. Compare two game systems (for example, Microsoft Xbox, Sony PlayStation, Nintendo Wii, and so on). Explain some of the differences between the two. List good reasons to purchase or use a game system.
3. Play a video game with family members in a family tournament.
4. Teach an adult or a friend how to play a video game.
5. List at least five tips that would help someone who was learning how to play your favorite video game.
6. Play an appropriate video game with a friend for one hour.
7. Play a video game that will help you practice your math, spelling, or another skill that helps you in your schoolwork.
8. Choose a game you might like to purchase. Compare the price for this game at three different stores. Decide which store has the best deal. In your decision, be sure to consider things like the store return policy and manufacturer’s warranty.
9. With an adult’s supervision, install a gaming system.
I am the Assistant in my son’s Webelos Den. We have chosen not to offer this to our boys.
.
Satire, yes?
Lame!
Try putting these &ussy kids through Order-Of-The-Arrow. I completed it. Some details: you can’t speak for the first 24 hrs. of the w/e, starting on a Fri. evening, they take you blindfolded into the everglades and drop you somewhere for the night with nothing but a sleeping bag. Then pick you up at sunrise to do the mile swim. Then the rest of the w/e you do Scout stuff.
Try putting little tubby in this program. Seeing America being flushed is killing me.
Unfortunately not.
You gotta be kidding! At least most of the merit badges translated into some skill, some means to apply to real life situations—even survival. This sounds like nothing more than a cheap “gimme” and sucker play for membership. Guess they’re the Ploy Scouts now...
As a father of one Eagle Scout, one Life Scout (working on his Eagle), and having been a Cubmaster and now working in various roles with my boys Troop, I don't have a problem with this. If it gets young boys interested and engaged with good kids, adults, etc. at a young age, it can help them when they are older.
No Cubscout goes winter camping in a quincy or does a vigal, anyway. Those things are for older Scouts.
See my post at #10
See post #10
I thought this was one of yours!
If it’s restricted to Cub Scouts, I suppose it’s not the end of the world, considering the age of those kids. The headline said, “Boy Scouts,” so I assumed it was a BSA merit badge.
Yeah, the headline is misleading. I had to read the article to find out myself. If it was a Boy Scout merit badge, that would be pathetic. For Cubscouts though, it’s a good thing to keep boys interested and engaged.
Cub Scouts can earn a video game belt loop and pin and these awards have been in existance since the fall of 2009. The aim of the Cub Scout belt loop and pin awards are to provide scouts the opportunity to gain recognition for existing and new skills they have mastered.
Boy Scouts cannot earn Cub Scout loops and pins.
jriemer
Eagle Scout
Tiger Den Leader
Sad Change for Scouts
Yeah, that was clarified in the first paragraph of the article.
For Cubs, maybe. It won’t happen for the Boy Scouts as long as the SM’s hold their ground. We were surveyed a while back and it was a unanimous NO for a Video Game Merit Badge.
Real Scoutmasters don’t want anything to do with the black hole called video games. They are of little consequence and do not offer anything in terms of the Aims of Scouting.
There is the Computers Merit Badge if they’re stuck on 1’s and 0’s.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.