Merit
Badges
“You can learn about sports, crafts, science, trades,
business, and future careers as you earn these merit badges. There
are more than 100 merit badges. Any Boy Scout may earn any merit
badge at any time. You don't need to have had rank advancement to
be eligible.” – scouting.org
Merit Badges are the second main area of the Boy Scout
advancement program. Unlike ranks, there is a degree of choice in
the merit badge program. A sub-group of merit badges are known as
Eagle required merit badges. To earn Eagle Scout, most of these
badges must be earned although some are "either/or" badges. The
remainder of the badges help with earning ranks as well as Eagle
Palms after the Eagle Scout award has been earned.
Fingerprinting Merit
Badge
Fingerprinting - In earning the Fingerprinting merit badge,
Scouts will learn about and use an important technique that is used
by law enforcement officers, along with other materials like
matching dental records and DNA sampling, to help identify amnesia
victims, missing persons, abducted children, and others.
Merit Badge
Midways
The best-known Merit Badge Midway is held at the National Boy
Scout Jamboree held every four years. More than a hundred booths
will fill the Merit Badge Midway featuring the many exciting
hands-on activities for Scouts. While they have the opportunity to
practice many skills related to the merit badges, they meet some of
the requirements of the badge(s) at the jamboree and then complete
the requirements at home. By the same token, some merit badge work
begun at home may be completed at the jamboree.