Citizenship in the Community

Mr. O’Neill is an approved Merit Badge Counselor for “Citizenship in the Community” for Troop 279 and has suggested the following during this time of social distancing.

If anyone wants to get started on their Citizenship in the Community Merit Badge, you can complete the following items while still maintaining social distancing. Mr. O’Neill can set up video chats with the scouts, but their parents will need to be included!

Requirement Notes:

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.

The following movies are acceptable:

• 12 Angry Men
• Erin Brockovich
• Follow Me Boys
• It’s a Wonderful Life
• Lean on Me
• The Man Who Planted Trees
• Pay It Forward
• Stand and Deliver

7. Do the following:
a. Identify three charitable organizations outside of Scouting that interest you and bring people in your community together to work for the good of your community.
b. Pick ONE of the organizations you chose for requirement 7a. 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.

Note that there is an additional requirement to volunteer at least 8 hours in the organization you choose in 7b., which will need to be completed later.

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 pres-entation in front of your merit badge counselor or a group, such as your patrol or a class at school.

Presentations over the past year have included Mechanicsburg and Enola as the “community”.  There is also the broader idea of the “Harrisburg Area”, or the “Cumberland Valley” that can be used as your “community”.

Also, there is a requirement to choose an issue that is important to the citizens of your community and find out which branch of local government is responsible for this issue.

You will eventually have to interview someone from that branch of government, but for now, you can start to think about “your issue”.   Examples of issue address by previous scouts include:

• Cars speeding on Wertzville Rd.
• The need for a traffic signal at Orr’s Bridge Road and Mountainview Road
• The Township’s need for a new municipal building (being built now on Sporting Hill Road). 

Think about the functions a local government serves, and come up with an issue that you feel is important.   Local government (Township, School District, and County) provides a wide range of services such as emergency services (police, fire, ambulance), trash and recycling, road maintenance and snow plowing, approval of development projects, traffic issues, courts and prisons, recreation, elections, libraries, schools, water and sewer services, and more.  When you are choosing an issue, think about how it is funded and how that relates to its importance. 

Remember, to start a merit, please email the Scoutmasters at ScoutTroop279@yahoo.com before starting. The Scoutmaster will be able to start a virtual blue card for you online through Scoutbook. The next time the Troop meets, you’ll be given your paper blue card.

Also, any communication with leaders or merit badge counselors, online or over the phone, must include a second leader or the parent of the scout.

Please visit the Troop’s website (troop279.us/for-scouts/merit-badges/) to learn more about merit badges.