minutemen

Eagle-Required Merit Badges:

Camping
Citizenship in the Community
Citizenship in the Nation
Citizenship in the World
Communications
Cycling or Swimming or Lifesaving
Emergency Preparedness or Lifesaving
Environmental Science Family Life
First Aid
Hiking
Personal Fitness
Personal Management

National BSA Page on Merit Badges

CAMPING
Show that you know first aid for injuries or illnesses that could occur while camping, including hypothermia, heatstroke, heat exhaustion, frostbite, dehydration, sunburn, insect stings, tick bites, snakebite, and blisters.
Learn the Leave No Trace principles and the Outdoor Code and explain what they mean. Write a personal plan for implementing these principles on your next outing.
Make a written plan for an overnight trek and explain how to get to your camping spot using a topographical map and compass.
Make a chart showing how a typical patrol is organized for an overnight campout. List assignments for each member.
Do the following:
a. Prepare a list of clothing you would need for overnight campouts in warm weather and in cold weather. b. Discuss footwear for different kinds of weather and how the right footwear is important for protecting your feet.
c. Explain the proper care and storage of camping equipment (clothing, footwear, bedding).
d. Explain the term “layering.”
e. Present yourself with your pack for inspection. Be correctly clothed and equipped for an overnight campout.

Do the following:
a. Describe the features of four types of tents and how to care for tents. Working with another Scout, pitch a tent.
b. Discuss the reasons and methods of water purification. Discuss camp sanitation.
c. Tell the difference between “internal” and “external” frame packs. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each.
d. Discuss the types of sleeping bags and what kind would be suitable for different conditions. Explain the proper care of your sleeping bag. Make a comfortable ground bed.

Prepare for an overnight campout with your patrol by doing the following:
a. Make a checklist of personal and patrol gear that will be needed.
b. Prepare a camp menu that is right for backpacking. Give recipes and make a food list for your patrol. Plan two breakfasts, three lunches, and two suppers. Discuss how to protect your food against bad weather, animals, and contamination.
c. Pack your own gear and your share of the patrol equipment and food for proper carrying. Show that your pack is right for quickly getting what is needed first, and that it has been assembled properly for comfort, weight, balance, size, and neatness.

Do the following:
a. Explain the safety procedures when using a:

Propane or butane/propane stove
Liquid fuel stove
b. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of different types of lightweight cooking stoves.

c. Cook for your patrol a trail meal requiring the use of a lightweight stove.

Show experience in camping by doing the following:
a. Camp a total of at least 20 days and nights. You may use a week of long-term camp toward this requirement. Sleep each night under the sky or in a tent you have pitched (long-term camp excluded).
b. On any of these camping experiences, you must do TWO of the following, only with proper preparation and under qualified supervision:

Hike up a mountain, gaining at least 2,000 vertical feet.
Backpack for at least four miles.
Take a bike trip of at least 15 miles or at least four hours.
Plan and carry out a float trip of at least four hours.
Rappel down a rappel route of 30 feet or more.
c. On one of your campouts, perform a conservation project approved in advance by the private landowner or public land management agency.

Discuss how the things you did to earn this badge have taught you about personal health and safety, survival, public health, conservation, and good citizenship.
BSA Advancement ID#: 1
Source: Boy Scout Requirements, #33215, revised 2004

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CITIZENSHIP IN THE COMMUNITY
1. Discuss with your counselor what citizenship in the community means and what it takes to be a good citizen in your community. Discuss the rights, duties, and obligations of citizenship, and explain how you can demonstrate good citizenship in your community, Scouting unit, place of worship, or school.

2. Do the following:

a. On a map of your community, locate and point out the following:

Chief government buildings such as your city hall, county courthouse, and public works/services facility
Fire station, police station, and hospital nearest your home
Historical or other interesting points
b. Chart the organization of your local or state government. Show the top offices and tell whether they are elected or appointed.

3. Do the following:

a. Attend a city or town council or school board meeting, or a municipal; county, or state court session.

b. Choose one of the issues discussed at the meeting where a difference of opinions was expressed, and explain to your counselor why you agree with one opinion more than you do another one.

4. Choose an issue that is important to the citizens of your community; then do the following:

a. Find out which branch of local government is responsible for this issue.

b. With your counselor’s and a parent’s approval, interview one person from the branch of government you identified in requirement 4a. Ask what is being done about this issue and how young people can help.

c. Share what you have learned with your counselor.

5. With the approval of your counselor and a parent, watch a movie that shows how the actions of one individual or group of individuals can have a positive effect on a community. Discuss with your counselor what you learned from the movie about what it means to be a valuable and concerned member of the community.

6. List some of the services (such as the library, recreation center, public transportation, and public safety) your community provides that are funded by taxpayers. Tell your counselor why these services are important to your community.

7. Do the following:

a. Choose a charitable organization outside of Scouting that interests you and brings people in your community together to work for the good of your community.

b. Using a variety of resources (including newspapers, fliers and other literature, the Internet, volunteers, and employees of the organization), find out more about this organization.

c. With your counselor’s and your parent’s approval, contact the organization and find out what young people can do to help. While working on this merit badge, volunteer at least eight hours of your time for the organization. After your volunteer experience is over, discuss what you have learned with your counselor.

8. Develop a public presentation (such as a video, slide show, speech, digital presentation, or photo exhibit) about important and unique aspects of your community. Include information about the history, cultures, and ethnic groups of your community; its best features and popular places where people gather; and the challenges it faces. Stage your presentation in front of your merit badge counselor or a group, such as your patrol or a class at school.

BSA Advancement ID#: 2
Source: Boy Scout Requirements, #33215a, revised 2005

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CITIZENSHIP IN THE NATION
1. Explain what citizenship in the nation means and what it takes to be a good citizen of this country. Discuss the rights, duties, and obligations of a responsible and active American citizen.

2. Do TWO of the following:

a. Visit a place that is listed as a National Historic Landmark or that is on the National Register of Historic Places. Tell your counselor what you learned about the landmark or site and what you found interesting about it.

b. Tour your state capitol building or the U.S. Capitol. Tell your counselor what you learned about the capitol, its function, and the history.

c. Tour a federal facility. Explain to your counselor what you saw there and what you learned about its function in the local community and how it serves this nation.

d. Choose a national monument that interests you. Using books, brochures, the Internet (with your parent’s permission), and other resources, find out more about the monument. Tell your counselor what you learned, and explain why the monument is important to this country’s citizens.

3. Watch the national evening news five days in a row OR read the front page of a major daily newspaper five days in a row. Discuss the national issues you learned about with your counselor. Choose one of the issues and explain how it affects you and your family.

4. Discuss each of the following documents with your counselor. Tell your counselor how you feel life in the United States might be different without each one.

a. Declaration of Independence

b. Preamble to the Constitution

c. The Constitution

d. Bill of Rights

e. Amendments to the Constitution

5. List the six functions of government as noted in the preamble to the Constitution. Discuss with your counselor how these functions affect your family and local community.

6. With your counselor’s approval, choose a speech of national historical importance. Find out about the author, and tell your counselor about the person who gave the speech. Explain the importance of the speech at the time it was given, and tell how it applies to American citizens today. Choose a sentence or two from the speech that has significant meaning to you, and tell your counselor why.

7. Name the three branches of our federal government and explain to your counselor their functions. Explain how citizens are involved in each branch. For each branch of government, explain the importance of the system of checks and balances.

8. Name your two senators and the member of Congress from your congressional district. Write a letter about a national issue and send it to one of these elected officials, sharing your view with him or her. Show your letter and any response you receive to your counselor.

BSA Advancement ID#: 3
Source: Boy Scout Requirements, #33215a, revised 2005

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CITIZENSHIP IN THE WORLD
1. Explain what citizenship in the world means to you and what you think it takes to be a good world citizen.

2. Explain how one becomes a citizen in the United States , and explain the rights, duties, and obligations of U.S. citizenship. Discuss the similarities and differences between the rights, duties, and obligations of U.S. citizens and the citizens of two other countries.

3. Do the following:

a. Pick a current world event. In relation to this current event, discuss with your counselor how a country’s national interest and its relationship with other countries might affect areas such as its security, its economy, its values, and the health of its citizens.

b. Select a foreign country and discuss with your counselor how its geography, natural resources, and climate influence its economy and its global partnerships with other countries.

4. Do TWO of the following:

a. Explain international law and how it differs from national law. Explain the role of international law and how international law can be used as a tool for conflict resolution.

b. Using resources such as major daily newspapers, the Internet (with your parent’s permission), and news magazines, observe a current issue that involves international trade, foreign exchange, balance of payments, tariffs, and free trade. Explain what you have learned. Include in your discussion an explanation of why countries must cooperate in order for world trade and global competition to thrive.

c. Select TWO of the following organizations and describe their role in the world.

1) The United Nations

2) The World Court

3) World Organization of the Scout Movement

4) The World Health Organization

5) Amnesty International

6) The International Committee of the Red Cross

7) CARE

5. Do the following:

a. Discuss the differences between constitutional and nonconstitutional governments.

b. Name at least five different types of governments currently in power in the world.

c. Show on a world map countries that use each of these five different forms of government.

6. Do the following:

a.Explain how a government is represented abroad and how the United States government is accredited to international organizations.

b. Describe the roles of the following in the conduct of foreign relations.

1) Ambassador

2) Consul

3) Bureau of International Information Programs

4) Agency for International Development

5) United States and Foreign Commercial Service

c. Explain the purpose of a passport and visa for international travel.

7. Do TWO of the following (with your parent’s permission) and share with your counselor what you have learned:

a. Visit the Web site of the U.S. State Department. Learn more about an issue you find interesting that is discussed on this Web site.

b. Visit the Web site of an international news organization or foreign government, OR examine a foreign newspaper available at our local library, bookstore, or newsstand. Find a news story about a human right realized in the United States that is not recognized in another country.

c. Visit with a student or Scout from another country and discuss the typical values, holidays, ethnic foods, and traditions practiced or enjoyed there.

d. Attend a world Scout jamboree.

e. Participate in or attend an international event in your area, such as an ethnic festival, concert or play.

BSA Advancement ID#: 4
Source: Boy Scout Requirements, #33215, revised 2006

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COMMUNICATIONS

Do ONE of the following:

a. For one day, keep a log in which you describe your communication activities. Keep track of the time and different ways you spend communicating, such as talking person-to-person, listening to your teachers or the radio, watching television, reading books, and other print media, and communicating online. Discuss with your counselor what your log reveals about the importance of communication in your life. Think of ways to improve your communications skills.
b For three days, keep a journal of your listening experiences. Identify one example of each of the following, and discuss with your counselor when you have listened to:

Obtain information
A persuasive argument
Appreciate or enjoy something
Understand someone’s feelings
c. In a small-group setting, meet with other scouts or with friends. Have them share personal stories about significant events in their lives that affected them in some way. Take note of how each scout participates in the group discussion and how effective each one is in telling his story. Report what you have learned to your counselor about the differences you observed in effective communication.

d. List as many ways as you can think of to communicate with others (face-to-face, by telephone, letter, e-mail, fax). For each type of communication discuss with your counselor an instance when that method might not be appropriate or effective.

2. Do ONE of the following:
a. Think of a creative way to describe yourself, using, for example, a collage, short story or autobiography, drawing or series of photographs, or a song or skit. Using the aid you created, make a presentation to your counselor about yourself.

b. Choose a concept, product, or service in which you have great confidence. Build a sales plan based on its good points. Try to persuade the counselor to agree with, use, or buy your concept, product or service. After your sales talk, discuss with your counselor how persuasive you were.

3. Write a five-minute speech. Give it at a meeting of a group.
4. Interview someone you know fairly well, like, or respect because of his or her position, talent, career or life experiences. Listen actively to learn as much as you can about the person. Then prepare and deliver to your counselor an introduction of the person as though this person were to be a guest speaker, and include reasons why the audience would want to hear this person speak. Show how you would call to invite this person to speak.

5. Attend a public meeting (city council, school board, debate) approved by your counselor where several points of view are given on a single issue. Practice active listening skills and take careful notes of each point of view. Present an objective report that includes all points of view that were expressed, and share this with your counselor.
6. With your counselor’s approval, develop a plan to teach a skill or inform someone about something. Prepare teaching aids for your plan. Carry out your plan. With your counselor, determine whether the person has learned what you intended.

7. Do ONE of the following:
a. Write to the editor of a magazine or your local newspaper to express your opinion or share information on any subject you choose. Send your message by fax, email or regular mail.

b. Create a web page for your scout troop, school, or other organization. Include at least one article and one photograph or illustration, and one link to some other web page that would be helpful to someone who visits the web page you have created. It is not necessary to post your web page to the internet, but if you decide to do so, you must first share it with your parents and counselor and get their permission.

c. Use desktop publishing to produce a newsletter, brochure, flier or other printed material for your scout troop, class at school, or other group. Include at least one article and one photograph or illustration.

8. Plan a troop court of honor or campfire program. Have the patrol leaders’ council approve it, then write the script and prepare the program. Serve as master of ceremonies.
9. Learn about opportunities in the field of communication. Choose one career in which you are interested and discuss with your counselor the major responsibilities of that position and the qualifications, education, and preparation it requires.

BSA Advancement ID#: 5
Source: Boy Scout Requirements, #33215, revised 2004

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CYCLING
Show that you know first aid for injuries or illnesses that could occur while cycling, including hypothermia, heat reactions, frostbite, dehydration, insect stings, tick bites, snakebites, blisters, and hyperventilation.
Clean and adjust a bicycle. Prepare it for inspection using a bicycle safety checklist. Be sure the bicycle meets local laws.
Show your bicycle to your counselor for inspection. Point out the adjustments or repairs you have made. Do the following:
a. Show all points that need oiling regularly.
b. Show points that should be checked regularly to make sure the bicycle is safe to ride.
c. Show how to adjust brakes, seat level and height, and steering tube.

Describe how to brake safely with foot brakes and with hand brakes.
Show how to repair a flat. Use an old bicycle tire.
Take a road test with your counselor and demonstrate the following:
a. Properly mount, pedal, and brake including emergency stops.

b. On an urban street with light traffic, properly execute a left turn from the center of the street; also demonstrate an alternate left turn technique used during periods of heavy traffic.

c. Properly execute a right turn.

d. Demonstrate appropriate actions at a right-turn-only lane when you are continuing straight.

e. Show proper curbside and road-edge riding. Show how to safely ride along a row of parked cars.

f. Cross railroad tracks properly.

Describe your state’s traffic laws for bicycles. Compare them with motor-vehicle laws. Know the bicycle-safety guidelines.
Avoiding main highways, take two rides of 10 miles each, two rides of 15 miles each, and two rides of 25 miles each. You must make a report of the rides taken. List dates, routes traveled, and interesting things seen.
The bicycle must have all required safety features. It must be registered as required by your local traffic laws.

After fulfilling requirement 8, lay out on a road map a 50-mile trip. Stay away from main highways. Using your map, make this ride in eight hours.
BSA Advancement ID#: 39
Source: Boy Scout Requirements, #33215, revised 2004

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EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS
Earn the First Aid Merit Badge.
Do the following:
a. Discuss with your counselor these three aspects of emergency preparedness:

Recognition of a potential emergency situation
Prevention of an emergency situation
Reaction to an emergency situation
Include in your discussion the kinds of questions that are important to ask yourself as you consider each of these.

b. Make a chart that demonstrates your understanding of each of the three aspects of emergency preparedness in requirement 2a (recognition, prevention, and reaction) with regard to 10 of the situations listed below. You must use situations 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5* but may choose any other five for a total of 10 situations. Discuss this chart with your counselor.

Home kitchen fire*
Home basement/storage room/garage fire*
Explosion in the home*
Automobile accident*
Food-borne disease (food poisoning)*
Fire or explosion in a public place
Vehicle stalled in the desert
Vehicle trapped in a blizzard
Flash flooding in town or the country
Mountain/backcountry accident
Boating accident
Gas leak in a building
Tornado or hurricane
Major flood
Nuclear power plant emergency
Avalanche (snowslide or rockslide)
Violence in a public place
c. Meet with and teach your family how to recognize, prevent, and react to the situations on the chart you created for requirement 2b. Then meet with your counselor and report on your family meeting, discussing their responses.
3. Show how you could safely save a person from the following:

a. Touching a live electric wire.
b. A room with carbon monoxide
c. Clothes on fire.
d. Drowning using nonswimming rescues (including accidents on ice).

4. Show three ways of attracting and communicating with rescue planes/aircraft.

5. With another person, show a good way to move an injured person out of a remote and/or rugged area, conserving the energy of rescuers while ensuring the well-being and protection of the injured person.

6. Do the following:

a. Tell the things a group of Scouts should be prepared to do, the training needed, and the safety precautions they should take for the following emergency services:

Crowd and traffic control
Messenger service and communication.
Collection and distribution services.
Group feeding, shelter, and sanitation.
b. Identify the government or community agencies that normally handle and prepare for the emergency services listed under 6a, and explain to your counselor how a group of Scouts could volunteer to help in the event of these types of emergencies.

c. Find out who is your community’s disaster/emergency response coordinator and learn what this person does to recognize, prevent and respond to emergency situations in your community. Discuss this information with your counselor and apply what you discover to the chart you created for requirement 2b.

7. Take part in an emergency service project, either a real one or a practice drill, with a Scouting unit or a community agency.

8. Do the following:

a. Prepare a written plan for mobilizing your troop when needed to do emergency service. If there is already a plan, explain it. Tell your part in making it work.

b. Take part in at least one troop mobilization. Before the exercise, describe your part to your counselor. Afterward, conduct an “after-action” lesson, discussing what you learned during the exercise that required changes or adjustments to the plan.

c. Prepare a personal emergency service pack for a mobilization call. Prepare a family kit (suitcase or waterproof box) for use by your family in case an emergency evacuation is needed. Explain the needs and uses of the contents.

9. Do ONE of the following:

a. Using a safety checklist approved by your counselor, inspect your home for potential hazards. Explain the hazards you find and how they can be corrected.

b. Review or develop a plan of escape for your family in case of fire in your home.

c. Develop an accident prevention program for five family activities outside the home (such as taking a picnic or seeing a movie) that includes an analysis of possible hazards, a proposed plan to correct those hazards, and the reasons for the corrections you propose.

BSA Advancement ID#: 6
Source: Boy Scout Requirements, #33215a, revised 2005

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ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
Make a timeline of the history of environmental science in America. Identify the contribution made by the Boy Scouts of America to environmental science. Include dates, names of people or organizations, and important events.
Define the following terms and describe the relationships among them: population, community, ecosystem, biosphere, symbiosis, niche, habitat, conservation, threatened species, endangered species, extinction.
Do ONE activity in EACH of the following categories (using the activities in this pamphlet as the basis for planning and carrying out your projects):
a. Ecology

Conduct an experiment to find out how living things respond to changes in their environments. Discuss your observations with your counselor.
Conduct an experiment illustrating the greenhouse effect. Keep a journal of your data and observations. Discuss your conclusions with your counselor.
b. Air Pollution

Perform an experiment to test for particulates that contribute to air pollution. Discuss your findings with your counselor.
Conduct a study to test the effects of acid rain on plants. Discuss your findings with your counselor.
c. Water Pollution

Conduct an experiment to show how living things react to thermal pollution. Discuss your observations with your counselor.
Conduct an experiment to identify the methods that could be used to mediate (reduce) the effects of an oil spill on waterfowl. Discuss your results with your counselor.
d. Land Pollution

Conduct an experiment to illustrate soil erosion by water. Take photographs or make a drawing of the soil before and after your experiment, and make a poster showing your results. Present your poster to your patrol or troop.
Perform an experiment to determine the effect of an oil spill on land. Share your journal and discuss your conclusions with your counselor.
e. Endangered Species

Do research on one endangered species found in your state. Find out what its natural habitat is, why it is endangered, what is being done to preserve it, and how many individual organisms are left in the wild. Prepare a 100-word report about the organism, including a drawing. Present your report to your patrol or troop.
Do research on one species that was endangered or threatened but which has now recovered. Find out how the organism recovered, and what its new status is. Write a 100-word report on the species and discuss it with your counselor.
f. Resource Recovery

Perform an experiment on packaging materials to find out which ones are biodegradable. Discuss your conclusions with your counselor.
Find out if your local community has a recycling program in effect. If it does, find out what items are recycled, and who pays for recycling. If your community does not have a recycling program, write questions for and conduct a survey on recycling. Include questions about attitudes toward recycling, what should be recycled, and your community’s willingness to support a recycling program. Discuss your findings with your counselor.
Build an ecosystem in a bottle. Include soil, plants, fungi, and small animals found in your local environment. Maintain the ecosystem for at least seven days after completing construction of the ecosystem. Observe it daily, and keep a record of your observations. Discuss your observations with your counselor.
Choose an outdoor area to study. In your study area, do ONE of the following:
a. Mark off three study plots of four square yards each, and count the number of species found there. Then estimate how much space is occupied by each species found in the plots. Make a chart, graph, or table to compare the plots. Write a report that adequately discusses the biodiversity and population density of your study area. Discuss your report with your counselor.

b. Make four visits to the study area, staying for at least 30 minutes each time, to observe the living and nonliving parts of the ecosystem. Keep a journal of your observations, including a discussion of differences noted during the four visits. Write a report on your observations and discuss it with your counselor.

Propose a hypothetical construction project in your community and prepare a limited environmental impact statement for the project. Study the area to see what the impact of the project might be upon the living and nonliving parts of the ecosystem.
Develop a plan that would help solve an environmental problem, reduce an environmental impact, or affect environmental awareness in your community. Include plans for a specific project that could be done by your patrol or troop.
Discuss three possible careers in the field of environmental science. Identify the education that you would need to pursue ONE of these careers.
BSA Advancement ID#: 7
Source: Boy Scout Requirements, #33215, revised 2004

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FAMILY LIFE
Prepare an outline on what a family is and discuss this with your merit badge counselor. Tell why families are important to individuals and to society. Discuss how the actions of one member can affect other members.
List several reasons why you are important to your family and discuss this with your parents or guardians and with your merit badge counselor.
Prepare a list of your regular home duties or chores (at least five) and do them for 90 days. Keep a record of how often you do each of them.
With the approval of your parents or guardians and your merit badge counselor, decide on and carry out a project that you would do around the home that would benefit your family. Submit a report to your merit badge counselor outlining how the project benefited your family.
Plan and carry out a project that involves the participation of your family. After completing the project, discuss the following with your merit badge counselor:
a. The objective or goal of the project

b. How individual members of your family participated

c. The results of the project

Do the following:
a. Discuss with your merit badge counselor how to plan and carry out a family meeting.

b. After this discussion, plan and carry out a family meeting to include the following subjects:

Avoiding substance abuse
Understanding the growing-up process and how the body changes, and making responsible decisions dealing with sex
Personal and family finances
A crisis situation within your family
The effect of technology on your family
Discussion of each of these subjects will very likely carry over to more than one family meeting.
Discuss the following with your counselor:
a. Your understanding of what makes an effective father and why, and your thoughts on the father’s role in the family

b. Your understanding of the responsibilities of a parent.
BSA Advancement ID#: 129
Source: Boy Scout Requirements, #33215a, revised 2005

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FIRST AID
Satisfy your counselor that you have current knowledge of all first-aid requirements for Tenderfoot, Second Class, and First Class ranks.
Do the following:
a. Explain how you would obtain emergency medical assistance from your home, on a wilderness camping trip, and during an activity on open water.

b. Prepare a first aid kit for your home. Display and discuss its contents with your counselor.

Do the following:
a. Explain what action you should take for someone who shows signs of a heart attack.

b. Identify the conditions that must exist before performing CPR on a person.

c. Demonstrate proper technique in performing CPR using a training device approved by your counselor.

d. Show the steps that need to be taken for someone suffering from a severe laceration on the leg and on the wrist. Tell the dangers in the use of a tourniquet and the conditions under which its use is justified.

e. Explain when a bee sting could be life threatening and what action should be taken for prevention and for first aid.

f. Explain the symptoms of heat stroke and what action needs to be taken for first aid and for prevention.

Do the following:
a. Describe the signs of a broken bone. Show first-aid procedures for handling fractures, including open (compound) fractures of the forearm, wrist, upper leg, and lower leg using improvised materials.

b. Describe the symptoms and possible complications and demonstrate proper procedures for treating suspected injuries to the head, neck, and back. Explain what measures should be taken to reduce the possibility of further complicating these injuries.

Describe the symptoms, proper first-aid procedures, and possible prevention measures for the following conditions:
a. Hypothermia

b. Convulsions / seizures

c. Frostbite

d. Dehydration

e. Bruises, strains, sprains

f. Burns

g. Abdominal pain

h. Broken, chipped, or loosened tooth

i. Knocked-out tooth

j. Muscle cramps

Do the following:
a. If a sick or injured person must be moved, tell how you would determine the best method.

b. With helpers under your supervision, improvise a stretcher and move a presumably unconscious person.

Teach another Scout a first-aid skill selected by your counselor.
BSA Advancement ID#: 8
Source: Boy Scout Requirements, #33215a, revised 2005

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HIKING
Show that you know first aid for injuries or illnesses that could occur while hiking, including hypothermia, heatstroke, heat exhaustion, frostbite, dehydration, sunburn, sprained ankle, insect stings, tick bites, snakebite, blisters, hyperventilation, and altitude sickness.
Explain and, where possible, show the points of good hiking practices including the principles of Leave No Trace, hiking safety in the daytime and at night, courtesy to others, choice of footwear, and proper care of feet and footwear.
Explain how hiking is an aerobic activity. Develop a plan for conditioning yourself for 10-mile hikes, and describe how you will increase your fitness for longer hikes.
Make a written plan for a 10-mile hike. Include map routes, a clothing and equipment list, and a list of items for a trail lunch.
Take five hikes, each on a different day, and each of 10 continuous miles. Prepare a hike plan for each hike. *
Take a hike of 20 continuous miles in one day following a hike plan you have prepared. *
After each of the hikes (or during each hike if on one continuous “trek”) in requirements 5 and 6, write a short report of your experience. Give dates and descriptions of routes covered, the weather, and any interesting things you saw. Share this report with your merit badge counselor.
________
* The hikes in requirements 5 and 6 can be used in fulfilling Second Class (2a) and First Class (3) rank requirements, but only if Hiking merit badge requirements 1, 2, 3, and 4 have been completed to the satisfaction of your counselor. The hikes of requirements 5 and 6 cannot be used to fulfill requirements of other merit badges.

BSA Advancement ID#: 61
Source: Boy Scout Requirements, #33215, revised 2004

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LIFESAVING
Before doing requirements 2 through 15:

a. Complete Second Class rank requirements 7a through 7c and First Class rank requirements 9a through 9c.

Second Class rank requirements 7a through 7c:

(7a) Tell what precautions must be taken for a safe swim.

(7b) Demonstrate your ability to jump feetfirst into water over your head in depth, level off and swim 25 feet on the surface, stop, turn sharply, resume swimming, then return to your starting place.

(7c) Demonstrate water rescue methods by reaching with your arm or leg, by reaching with a suitable object, and by throwing lines and objects. Explain why swimming rescues should not be attempted when a reaching or throwing rescue is possible, and explain why and how a rescue swimmer should avoid contact with the victim.

First Class rank requirements 9a through 9c:

(9a) Tell what precautions should be taken for a safe trip afloat.

(9b) Successfully complete the BSA swimmer test.

(9c) With a helper and a practice victim, show a line rescue both as tender and as rescuer. (The practice victim should be approximately 30 feet from shore in deep water).

b. Swim continuously for 400 yards using each of the following strokes in a strong manner for at least 50 continuous yards: front crawl, sidestroke, breaststroke, and elementary backstroke.

2. Explain the following:

a. Common drowning situations and how to prevent them.

b. How to identify persons in the water who need assistance.

c. The order of methods in water rescue.

d. How rescue techniques vary depending on the setting and the condition of the person needing assistance.

e. Situations for which in-water rescues should not be undertaken.

3. Demonstrate “reaching” rescues using various items such as arms, legs, towels, shirts, paddles, and poles.

4. Demonstrate “throwing” rescues using various items such as lines, ring buoys, rescue bags, and free-floating supports. Successfully place at least one such aid within reach of a practice victim 25 feet from shore.

5. Show or explain the use of rowboats, canoes, and other small craft in performing rescues.

6. List various items that can be used as rescue aids in a noncontact swimming rescue. Explain why buoyant aids are preferred.

7. Perform the following equipment-based rescues for a conscious practice subject 30 feet from shore. Use a proper entry and a strong approach stroke. Speak to the subject to determine his condition and to provide instructions and encouragement.

a. Present a rescue tube to the subject, release it, and escort the victim to safety.

b. Present a rescue tube to the subject and use it to tow the victim to safety.

c. Present a buoyant aid other than a rescue tube to the subject, release it, and escort the victim to safety.

d. Present a buoyant aid other than a rescue tube to the subject and use it to tow the victim to safety.

e. Remove street clothes in 20 seconds or less and use a non-buoyant aid, such as a shirt or towel, to tow the subject to safety. Explain when it is appropriate to remove heavy clothing before attempting a swimming rescue.

8. Explain the importance of avoiding contact with an active victim and describe lead-and-wait tactics.

9. Perform the following nonequipment rescues for a conscious practice subject 30 feet from shore. Begin in the water from a position near the subject. Speak to the subject to determine his condition and to provide instructions and encouragement.

a. Provide a swim-along assist for a calm, responsive, tired swimmer moving with a weak forward stroke.

b. Perform an armpit tow for a calm, responsive, tired swimmer resting with a back float.

c. Perform a cross-chest carry for an exhausted, passive victim who does not respond to instructions to aid himself.

10. In deep water, show how to escape from a victim’s grasp on your wrist. Repeat for front and rear holds about the head and shoulders.

11. Perform the following rescues for an unconscious practice subject at or near the surface 30 feet from shore. Use a proper entry and strong approach stroke. Speak to the subject and splash water on him to determine his condition before making contact. Remove the victim from the water, with assistance if needed, and position for CPR.

a. Perform an equipment assist using a buoyant aid.

b. Perform a front approach and wrist tow.

c. Perform a rear approach and armpit tow.

12. Describe how to respond if a victim submerges before being reached by a rescuer, and do the following:

a. Recover a 10-pound weight in 8 to 10 feet of water using a feetfirst surface dive.

b. Repeat using a headfirst surface dive.

13. Demonstrate knowledge of resuscitation procedures:

a. Describe how to recognize the need for rescue breathing and CPR.

b. Demonstrate proper CPR technique for at least 3 minutes using a mannequin designed to simulate ventilations and compressions.

14. Demonstrate management of a spinal injury:

a. Explaining the signs and symptoms of a spinal injury.

b. Support a face up victim in calm, shallow water.

c. Turn a subject from a facedown to a faceup position while maintaining support.

15. Show that you know first aid for other injuries or illnesses that could occur while swimming or boating, including hypothermia, heat reactions, muscle cramps, sunburn, stings, and hyperventilation.

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Note: Alternative requirements for the Second Class and First Class ranks are available for Scouts with physical or mental disabilities if they meet the criteria listed on Alternate Requirements for Tenderfoot, Second Class, and First Class Ranks .

BSA Advancement ID#: 9
Source: Boy Scout Requirements, #33215, revised 2004

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PERSONAL FITNESS
If meeting any of the requirements for this merit badge is against the Scout’s religious convictions, it does not have to be done if the Scout’s parents and proper religious advisors state in writing that:

To do so would be against religious convictions.
The parents accept full responsibility for anything that might happen because of such exemption. They release the Boy Scouts of America from any responsibility.
a. Before you try to meet any other requirements, have your health-care provider give you a physical examination, using the Scout medical examination form. Describe the examination. Tell what questions you were asked about your health. Tell what health or medical recommendations were made and report what you have done in response to the recommendations.
Explain the following:
Why physical exams are important
Why preventative habits are important in maintaining good health
Diseases that can be prevented and how
The seven warning signs of cancer
The youth risk factors that affect cardiovascular fitness in adulthood
b. Have an examination made by your dentist. Get a statement saying that your teeth have been checked and cared for. Tell how to care for your teeth.

2. Explain to your merit badge counselor verbally or in writing what personal fitness means to you, including

a. Components of personal fitness.

b. Reasons for being fit in all components.

c. What it means to be mentally healthy.

d. What it means to be physically healthy and fit.

e. What it means to be socially healthy. Discuss your activity in the eight areas of healthy social fitness.

f. What you can do to prevent social, emotional, or mental problems.

3. With your counselor answer and discuss the following questions:

a. Are you free from all curable diseases? Are you living in such a way that your risk of preventable diseases is minimized?

b. Are you immunized and vaccinated according to the advice of your health-care provider?

c. Do you understand the meaning of a nutritious diet and know why it is important for you? Does your diet include foods from all the food groups?

d. Are your body weight and composition what you would like them to be, and do you know how to modify them safely through exercise, diet, and behavior modification?

e. Do you carry out daily activities without noticeable effort? Do you have extra energy for other activities?

f.Are you free from habits relating to nutrition and the use of alcohol, tobacco, drugs, and other practices that could be harmful to your health?

g. Do you participate in a regular exercise program or recreational activities?

h. Do you sleep well at night and wake up feeling refreshed and energized for the new day?

i. Are you actively involved in the religious organization of your choice, and do you participate in their youth activities?

j. Do you spend quality time with your family and friends in social and recreational activities?

k. Do you support family activities and efforts to maintain a good home life?

4. Explain the following about physical fitness:

a. The components of physical fitness

b. Your weakest and strongest component of physical fitness

c. The need to have a balance in all four components of physical fitness

d. How the components of personal fitness relate to the Scout Law and Scout Oath

5. Explain the following about nutrition:

a. The importance of good nutrition

b. What good nutrition means to you

c. How good nutrition is related to the other components of personal fitness

d. The three components of a sound weight (fat) control program

6. Before doing requirements 7 and 8, complete the aerobic fitness, flexibility, muscular strength, and body composition tests as described in the Personal Fitness merit badge pamphlet. Record your results and identify those areas where you feel you need to improve.

Aerobic Fitness Test

Record your performance on ONE of the following tests:

a. Run/walk as far as you can in nine minutes.

b. Run/walk one mile as fast as you can.

Flexibility Test

Using a sit-and-reach box constructed according to specifications in this merit badge pamphlet, make four repetitions and record the fourth reach. This last reach must be held for 15 seconds to qualify.

Muscular Strength Test

You must use the sit-up test and EITHER the pull-up or push-up test.

a. Sit-ups. Record the number of sit-ups done correctly in 60 seconds. The sit-ups must be done in the form explained and illustrated in this merit badge pamphlet.

b. Pull-ups. Record the total number of pull-ups completed consistent with the procedures presented in this merit badge pamphlet.

c. Push-ups. Record the total number of push-ups completed consistent with the procedures presented in this merit badge pamphlet.

Body Composition Test

Have your parent, counselor, or other adult take and record the following measurements:

a. Circumference of the right upper arm, midway between the shoulder and the elbow, with the arm hanging naturally and not flexed.

b. Shoulders, with arms hanging by placing the tape two inches below the top of the shoulder and around the arms, chest, and back during breath expiration.

c. Chest, by placing the tape under the arms and around the chest and back at the nipple line during breath expiration.

d. Abdomen circumference at navel level (relaxed).

e. Right thigh, midway between the hip and the knee.

If possible, have the same person take the measurements whenever they are recorded.

7. Outline a comprehensive 12-week physical fitness program using the results of your fitness tests. Be sure your program incorporates the endurance, intensity, and warm-up guidelines discussed in the Personal Fitness merit badge pamphlet. Before beginning your exercises, have the program approved by your counselor and parents.

8. Complete the physical fitness program you outlined in requirement 7. Keep a log of your fitness program activity (how long you exercised; how far you ran, swam, or biked; how many exercise repetitions you completed; your exercise heart rate; etc.). Repeat the aerobic fitness, muscular strength, and flexibility tests every two weeks and record your results. After the 12th week, repeat all four tests, record your results, and show improvement in each one. Compare and analyze your preprogram and postprogram body composition measurements. Discuss the meaning and benefit of your experience.

9. Describe your long-term plans regarding your personal fitness.

BSA Advancement ID#: 10
Source: Boy Scout Requirements, #33215, revised 2004

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PERSONAL MANAGEMENT
Do the following:
a.Choose an item that your family might want to purchase that is considered a major expense.

b. Write a plan that tells how your family would save money for the purchase identified in requirement 1a.

Discuss the plan with your merit badge counselor
Discuss the plan with your family
Discuss how other family needs must be considered in this plan.
c. Develop a written shopping strategy for the purchase identified in requirement 1a.

Determine the quality of the item or service (using consumer publications or rating systems).
Comparison shop for the item. Find out where you can buy the item for the best price. (Provide prices from at least two different price sources.) Call around; study ads. Look for a sale or discount coupon. Consider alternatives. Can you buy the item used? Should you wait for a sale?
Do the following:
a. Prepare a budget reflecting your expected income (allowance, gifts, wages), expenses, and savings. Track your actual income, expenses, and savings for 13 consecutive weeks. (You may use the forms provided in this pamphlet, devise your own, or use a computer generated version.) When complete, present the results to your merit badge counselor.

b. Compare expected income with expected expenses.

If expenses exceed income, determine steps to balance your budget.
If income exceeds expenses, state how you would use the excess money (new goal, savings).
Discuss with your merit badge counselor FIVE of the following concepts:
a. The emotions you feel when you receive money.

b. Your understanding of how the amount of money you have with you affects your spending habits.

c. Your thoughts when you buy something new and your thoughts about the same item three months later. Explain the concept of buyer’s remorse.

d. How hunger affects you when shopping for food items (snacks, groceries).

e. Your experience of an item you have purchased after seeing or hearing advertisements for it. Did the item work as well as advertised?

f. Your understanding of what happens when you put money into a savings account.

g. Charitable giving. Explain its purpose and your thoughts about it.

h. What you can do to better manage your money.

Explain the following to your merit badge counselor:
a. The differences between saving and investing, including reasons for using one over the other.

b. The concepts of return on investment and risk.

c. The concepts of simple interest and compound interest and how these affected the results of your investment exercise.

Select five publicly traded stocks from the business section of the newspaper. Explain to your merit badge counselor the importance of the following information for each stock:
a. Current price

b. How much the price changed from the previous day

c. The 52-week high and the 52-week low prices

Pretend you have $1,000 to save, invest, and help prepare yourself for the future. Explain to your merit badge counselor the advantages or disadvantages of saving or investing in each of the following:
a. Common stocks

b. Mutual funds

c. Life insurance

d. A certificate of deposit (CD)

e. A savings account or U.S. savings bond

Explain to your merit badge counselor the following:
a. What a loan is, what interest is, and how the annual percentage rate (APR) measures the true cost of a loan.

b. The different ways to borrow money.

c. The differences between a charge card, debit card, and credit card. What are the costs and pitfalls of using these financial tools? Explain why it is unwise to make only the minimum payment on your credit card.

d. Credit reports and how personal responsibility can affect your credit report.

e. Ways to eliminate debt.

Demonstrate to your merit badge counselor your understanding of time management by doing the following:
a. Write a “to do” list of tasks or activities, such as homework assignments, chores, and personal projects, that must be done in the coming week. List these in order of importance to you.

b. Make a seven-day calendar or schedule. Put in your set activities, such as school classes, sports practices or games, jobs or chores, and/or Scout or church or club meetings, then plan when you will do all the tasks from your “to do” list between your set activities.

c. Follow the one-week schedule you planned. Keep a daily diary or journal during each of the seven days of this week’s activities, writing down when you completed each of the tasks on your “to do” list compared to when you scheduled them.

d. Review your “to do” list, one-week schedule, and diary/journal to understand when your schedule worked and when it did not work. With your merit badge counselor, discuss and understand what you learned from this requirement and what you might do differently the next time.

Prepare a written project plan demonstrating the steps below, including the desired outcome. This is a project on paper, not a real-life project. Examples could include planning a camping trip, developing a community service project or a school or religious event, or creating an annual patrol plan with additional activities not already included in the troop annual plan. Discuss your completed project plan with your merit badge counselor.
a. Define the project. What is your goal?

b. Develop a timeline for your project that shows the steps you must take from beginning to completion.

c. Describe your project.

d. Develop a list of resources. Identify how these resources will help you achieve your goal.

e. If necessary, develop a budget for your project.

Do the following:
a. Choose a career you might want to enter after high school or college graduation.

b. Research the limitations of your anticipated career and discuss with your merit badge counselor what you have learned about qualifications such as education, skills, and experience.

BSA Advancement ID#: 11
Source: Boy Scout Requirements, #33215, revised 2004

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SWIMMING
Show that you know first aid for injuries or illnesses that could occur while swimming, including hypothermia, dehydration, heat reactions, muscle cramps, stings and bites, cuts and scrapes, spinal injuries, and hyperventilation.
Do the following:
a. Identify the conditions that must exist before performing CPR on a person. Explain how to recognize such conditions.

b. Demonstrate proper technique for performing CPR using a training device approved by your counselor.

Before doing the following requirements, successfully complete Second Class rank requirements 7a-7c and First Class rank requirements 9a-9c.

Second Class rank requirements:

(7a) Tell what precautions must be taken for a safe swim.

(7b) Demonstrate your ability to jump feetfirst into water over your head in depth, level off and swim 25 feet on the surface, stop, turn sharply, resume swimming, then return to your starting place.

(7c) Demonstrate water rescue methods by reaching your arm or leg, by reaching with a suitable object, and by throwing lines and objects. Explain why swimming rescues should not be attempted when a reaching or throwing rescue is possible, and explain why and how a rescue swimmer should avoid contact with the victim.

First Class rank requirements:

(9a) Tell what precautions should be taken for a safe trip afloat.

(9b) Before doing the following requirements, successfully complete the BSA swimmer test:
Jump feetfirst into water over your head in depth, swim 75 yards in a strong manner using one or more of the following strokes: sidestroke, breaststroke, trudgen, or crawl; then swim 25 yards using an easy, resting backstroke. The 100 yards must be swum continuously and include at least one sharp turn. After completing the swim, rest by floating.

(9c) With a helper and a practice victim, show a line rescue both as tender and as rescuer. The practice victim should be approximately 30 feet from shore in deep water.

Demonstrate survival skills by leaping into deep water wearing clothes (shoes, socks, swim trunks, long pants, belt, and long-sleeved shirt). Remove shoes and socks, remove and inflate the shirt, and show that you can float using the shirt for support. Remove and inflate the pants for support. Swim 50 feet using the inflated pants for support, then show how to reinflate the pants while using them for support.
Swim continuously for 150 yards using the following strokes in good form and in a strong manner: front crawl or trudgen for 25 yards, back crawl for 25 yards, sidestroke for 25 yards, breaststroke for 25 yards, and elementary backstroke for 50 yards.
Do the following:
a. Float faceup in a resting position for at least one minute.

b. Demonstrate survival floating for at least five minutes.

c. While wearing a properly fitted personal floatation device (PFD), demonstrate the HELP and huddle positions. Explain their purposes.

d. Explain why swimming or survival floating will hasten the onset of hypothermia in cold water.

In water over your head, but not to exceed 10 feet, do each of the following:
a. Use the feetfirst method of surface diving and bring an object up from the bottom.

b. Do a headfirst surface dive (pike or tuck) and bring the object up again.

c. Do a headfirst surface dive to a depth of at least 5 feet and swim underwater for three strokes. Come to the surface, take a breath, and repeat the sequence twice.

Do ONE of the following:
a. Demonstrate snorkeling and scuba diving knowledge:

Demonstrate selection and fit of mask, snorkel, and fins; discuss safety in both pool and open-water snorkeling.
Demonstrate proper use of mask, snorkel, and fins for underwater search and rescue.
Describe the sport of scuba diving or snorkeling, and demonstrate your knowledge of BSA policies and procedures relating to that sport.
OR
b. Demonstrate the following competitive swim skills:

Racing dive from a pool edge or dock edge (no elevated dives from racing platforms or starting blocks)
Racing form for 25 yards on one competitive stroke (front crawl, back crawl, breaststroke, or butterfly)
Racing turns for the stroke you chose in 8b2, OR, if the camp facilities cannot accommodate the racing turn, repeat 8b2 with an additional stroke.
Describe the sport of competitive swimming.
In water at least 8 feet deep, show a headfirst dive (kneeling start, bent-knee start, or standing dive) from a dock or pool deck. Show a long shallow dive, also from the dock or pool deck. If a low board (not to exceed 40 inches above water at least 9 feet deep) is available, show a plain front dive.
Do the following:
a. Explain the health benefits of regular aerobic exercise, and explain why many people today do not get enough of the beneficial kinds of exercise.

b. Discuss why swimming is favored as both a fitness and a therapeutic exercise.

c. Write a plan for a swimming exercise program that will promote aerobic/vascular fitness, strength and muscle tone, body flexibility, and weight control for a person of Scout age. Identify resources and facilities available in your home community that would be needed for such a program.

d. Discuss with your counselor the incentives and obstacles for staying with the fitness program you created in requirement 10c. Explain the unique benefits that could be gained from this program, and discuss how personal health awareness and self-discipline would relate to your willingness and ability to pursue such a program.

BSA Advancement ID#: 14
Source: Boy Scout Requirements, #33215, revised 2004