things you could be doing!!!

I hope everyone is staying well (and safe) at this time...over the past month, we have had the opportunity to learn (and practice) a few new concepts such as "sheltering in place," "social distancing," and I'm sure your favorite "E-Learning."  So, what are you doing during this time to further advance your scouting career? 

You can hold remote patrol meetings!  There are a variety of platforms out there such as Google Hangouts, Zoom and Discord, to name a few.  We are gearing up to have our first PLC meetings as well as Troop-wide "virtual" meetings!  These meetings will be held on Zoom.  Remember to communicate with your patrol advisor and parents before signing up or onto any video conferencing system.  Once you've established a meeting date and time, think about asking a friend who is not in scouting to join in so they can learn about Scouting.

Did you know that there are 58 merit badges you can complete from home?  These merit badges don't involve a visit to a public place or companies and all of their requirements can be completed indoors or an average-sized yard.  Want to work on a merit badge that requires special materials?  There are plenty of on-line resources or you might be able to secure them from someplace like Michaels or Jo-Ann's Fabrics that offer on-line ordering with curbsite pick-up!  If you don't already have it, I would highly recommend starting your Family Life Merit Badge, after all, you are already stuck at home!  You could even earn a merit badge while working with your patrol with many of the online social networking tools!  Before starting any merit badge, make sure you know all the requirements.  Go to http://usscouts.org/mb/worksheets/list.asp to download requirements and worksheets. 

If you want to know what the other 57 merit badges are, you can find the list here > https://blog.scoutingmagazine.org/2020/03/20/merit-badges-for-social-distancing/

Merit badge counselors can be found on the San Diego Imperial Council website (https://www.sdicbsa.org/Advancement/CounselorLookup.php) or send me an email and I will let you know if we have a merit badge counselor within the troop that can help you.