Fingerprinting merit badge

[L.J.Steele]

SOUTHBRIDGE— Boy Scouts Jacob Van Horn, 13, left, and Chris Vertefeuille, 12, examine their fingerprints during a fingerprinting merit badge classroom session Saturday at the Southbridge Police Station.

http://www.telegram.com/article/2008111 ... 003/NEWS03

(So, are there fingerprinting merit badges for Girl Scouts too?)

[Gerald Clough]

(So, are there fingerprinting merit badges for Girl Scouts too?)

Not as such. There is an "Interest Project Award" titled "Uncovering the Evidence" that requires a survey of forensic fields and a presentation, which can be on fingerprints, as well as a number of other topics. And one of the example sharing activities is built around fingerprints. While Girl Scouts has many single topic award activities similar to the Boy Scout merit badges, they seem to favor broader topics, titling them much like this one, rather than the simple name of the activity. And many of these are structured for more individual creative effort, rather than the more defined BSA merit badge activities. They've steadily moved away from a "boy scouts for girls" to something a bit different. Boy Scouts retains their rank structure based largely on merit badges, so the merit badge activities tend to be narrowly focused. It makes it a bit more cumbersome for BSA to incorporate newer topics. GSUSA can just add something new to one of their interest projects, so they got quickly into the CSI thing on the suggestion of a girl in 2005. It takes about five years for BSA to produce a new merit badge, and they add fewer than one per year and pay about $75,000 to produce the merit badge book. The girls seem to be able to get a new one running on their web site. It's a difference in philosophy. Since BSA tries to build them toward the Eagle rank, with its very real resume benefits, I think they try to keep things more stable and structured.

[Dennis Degler]

[sharon cook]

I was a Campfire Girl. CAMPFIRE GIRLS RULE!!!!!!!

[Gerald Clough]

Haven't you heard? It's no longer Campfire Girls. It's now Camp Fire USA, with boys and girls, and Dennis can join up.

(Humm. So you were in it pre-1975, which makes you.....)