What
is Advancement? Advancement
is the process by which youth members
of the Boy Scouts of America progress
from rank to rank in the Scouting
program. Advancement is simply
a means to an end, not an end in
itself. Everything done to advance
and earn these ranks, from joining
until leaving the program, should
be designed to help the young person
have an exciting and meaningful
experience. Education and fun are
functions of the Scouting movement,
and they must be the basis of the
advancement program. A fundamental
principle of advancement in Cub
Scouting, Boy Scouting, Varsity
Scouting, and Venturing is the
growth a young person achieves
as a result of his/her participation
in unit program.
Advancement
Principles Council and district
advancement committees implement
procedures that help achieve the
following advancement principles.
Personal growth is the prime consideration
in the advancement program. Scouting
skills—what
a young person knows how to do—are
important, but they are not the most
important aspect of advancement.
Scouting’s concern is the total
growth of youth. This growth may
be measured by how youth live the
Scouting ideals, and how they do
their part in their daily lives. Learning
by doing. A Cub Scout, Boy Scout,
or Venturer may read about fire building
or good citizenship. He/she may hear
it discussed, and watch others in
action, but he/she has not learned
first aid until he/she has done it. Each
youth progresses at his or her
own rate. Advancement is not a
competition among individual young
people, but is an expression of
their interest and participation
in the program. Youth must be encouraged
to advance steadily and set their
own goals with guidance from their
parents, guardians, or leaders.
A badge is recognition of what
a young person is able to do, not
merely a reward for what he or
she has done. The badge is proof
of certain abilities, and is not
just a reward for the completion
of a task.
Advancement
encourages Scouting ideals. Scouting teaches
a young person how to care for
himself/herself and help others.
Advancement should reflect the
desire to live the Cub Scout, Boy
Scout, or Venturing Oath in his/her
daily life. No council, district,
unit, or individual has the
authority to add to or subtract
from advancement requirements.
(For the policies concerning
youth members with special
needs, Click
here) Suggestions for changes in requirements should be sent to the:
Venturing
Advancement