Re: perforated blue cards and summer camp

First you will need to know if the camp will even use the cards.  Many camps have their own software to track the merit badge completions and then furnish the troop with a report at the end of camp or soon after with this information.  If they are asked to also use the blue cards, then they are performing redundant work and may not comply.

Having been our troop's advancement chair as well as chairman of and and a counselor at our councils annual Merit Badge Day, I can tell you that in my opinion, the blue cards are best suited for the badges that are obtained in a smaller setting or the one on one type of merit badges.  If there is a large group like at camp or a merit badge event. it is much easier for the camp or counselor to hand out the completion report.  Another advantage to this is the camp and/or council has the information should the report get lost.  I have seen several boys show up at Merit Badge Day with a blue card and then later I get a call needing information on him because he lost his card.  I know Scouting teaches responsibility and if he loses it then that should be a lesson learned for him but, it's nice to know there is a record that can be obtained.

One last statement and then off to other things - The use of the blue cards is not mandatory.  Some people will tell you that you HAVE TO HAVE THEM.  This is not true.  Nowhere in any of the advancement information are the cards listed as mandatory.  They are simply a troop option to track the progress and completion of the merit badge.

YIS,

Randy
--- On Tue, 6/30/09, Tim Williams <tjandacw@...> wrote:

From: Tim Williams <tjandacw@...>
Subject: [TMTUG] perforated blue cards and summer camp
To: TMTUG@...
Date: Tuesday, June 30, 2009, 11:49 PM











   
           
           


     
      Hello all,



I just ordered the TroopMaster perforated blue cards for our troop. How do people use this with summer camp?



Do you fill out the Scout's name and merit badge for all the ones they plan to sign up for and then print them out to bring to camp, or are they filled out after camp? I would think that the camp MB counselor needs to sign it, so I'm guessing that you're mainly printing blank cards with no requirements checked off.



What's the best way to handle this?



Thanks in advance.