We've been asked on a number of occasions, questions like the following:
Does anyone know what the procedure is for suggesting a new merit badge?
A friend of mine thinks that offering
a merit badge on _______ would be of interest to Scouts.
But he doesn't know what to do with the idea.
He has some ideas as to what some of the requirements should be.
I think that the Cub Scout Sports program should include the sport of _____.
Before you write, asking for a new Belt Loop
for a sport like Karate, Tai Kwon Do, or Tackle Football,
please read our
explanation why we believe they are not included in the program.
We've also been asked questions like:
I think the requirements for the ___________ merit
badge or ______ rank should be changed.
Who do I complain to, or where can I may a recommendation for a change?
The answer to the questions above is very basic. In either case, a letter should be written, enclosing the suggested requirements for the merit badge, or the suggested change.
In the case of a NEW merit badge, the letter should also contain a suggested design for the badge. However, you shouldn't expect a speedy reply. The Program Division receives more than 400 merit badge suggestions each year, and they don't act upon any of them for at least a year or two. Every two years, the Boy Scout Program Committee goes through the merit badge suggestions and recommends to the Program Group Director four or five merit badges; it then goes around to other parts of the Program Group for concurrence; and then finally, it goes to the Editorial Service to coordinate and compose the actual merit badge requirements. The BSA's National Executive Board decides if the badge will go or not based upon the Program Group's recommendation. The entire process takes about three to five years. On the other hand, if there are a lot of Scouts and Scouters that feel that this deserves a chance (by writing to National in support of the new merit badge) the process can go a little faster. Hope this helps out!
Bob Torkelson, of Woods Cross, Utah, was curious if the National Council published info from the advancement department about new MBs that were under consideration and ones that were rejected and why. He called the National office and was directed to Terry Lawson, the Director of Boy Scout Advancement, and staff representative to the committee that considers new Merit Badges.
Here some of the things Terry told him:
- The committee that considers new MBs meets 3 times a year.
- The new MBs need to promote a hobby or career interest and promote the aims of Scouting.
- When submitting an idea, you need to include the rationale behind the idea, as well as potential sample requirements for the badge.
- Nearly all of the ideas for new badges are turned down for one reason
or another, very few get tabled for consideration. There are two reasons
for this.
- First, it takes around $75,000 to introduce a new MB due to creating the badges themselves, printing of pamphlets, and updating and printing of the Requirement book.
- Second, there are currently 121 MBs and instead of growing that number to 200 or 500 they want to keep it around 120, so if a new MB is considered another one is usually dropped. That total has remained fairly consistent for the past 20 years or more, ranging from a high of 124 to a low of 116 in that period. Here's a table showing the changes since 1983:
Period Added Dropped Total 1983-1987 1 118 1987-1989 6 5 119 1989-1991 1 120 1991-1995 4 124 1995-1996 8 116 1996-1998 1 117 1998-2003 2 119 2003-2005 1 120 2006- present 1 121
Changes, of course, don't require as complicated a process, but it still can take years for a change to be approved.
The letter should be sent to the Director of the appropriate Program Division, or the Advancement Committee, at the BSA's National Office. The address is:
Director, Boy Scout Program Division
Director, Cub Scout Program Division
Director, Venturing Program Division
or
Advancement Committee, S209
Boy Scouts of America
1325 West Walnut Hill Lane
P.O. Box 152079
Irving, TX 75015-2079
