Advancement & Awards
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The current Boy Scout Requirements book is available from your local Scouting merchandise distributor. It may also be ordered online atwww.scoutstuff.org  . Requirements for the Astronomy, Horsemanship, and Nuclear Science merit badge have extensive changes. Those with minor revisions include Archery (5, options A[f]2 and B[f]2) and Sports (2). Geocaching, Inventing, and Scouting Heritage are new merit badges. The 2009 printing of the Boy Scout Handbook inadvertently included bugler as a position of responsibility under Eagle Scout requirement 4; it is not. The requirements in the 2011 Boy Scout Requirements book are correct and official. |
Boy Scouting provides a series of surmountable obstacles and steps in overcoming them through the advancement method. The Boy Scout plans his advancement and progresses at his own pace as he meets each challenge. The Boy Scout is rewarded for each achievement, which helps him gain self-confidence. The steps in the advancement system help a Boy Scout grow in self-reliance and in the ability to help others.