Virtual Family Life Merit Badge

What:  Our family helps us to grow to become responsible adults.  Family Life is an Eagle-required Merit Badge and often considered one of the more important Merit Badges to understand how you fit in your family and can make your family work better.  It is designed to work on the importance of families (requirements 1 and 2), projects to help the family (requirements 3, 4 and 5), communication (requirement 6) and being a good father in the future (requirement 7). 

 Meet your Counselor - Kevin Beagan is a former Scoutmaster from Troop 25, Attleboro and the proud father of three Eagle Scouts.  In the twelve years that he was active with Troop 25, he coordinated many Merit Badge classes, including Personal Management and worked with many Scouts who attained the rank of Eagle Scout.  Although his last son graduated from Scouting last year, he continues to conduct Merit Badge classes for Narragansett Council.  Outside Scouting, Mr. Beagan is a Deputy Commissioner of Insurance and has been regulating insurance company operations in Massachusetts for 25 years.  Having also been a soccer coach for over 15 years and a religious education teacher for 20 years, he is continuing to learn from those he is teaching.

WHO: Open to all Scouts BSA members.

HOW:  The Family Life Merit Badge will be taught in a virtual classroom. The class has a capacity of 20 Scouts. Small classroom size provides all students with the opportunity to share and interact with the counselors and other Scouts. Scouts should be prepared to be challenged and to join the conversation! Participants who do not engage with the class may not receive credit for the badge. Scouts must be prompt for all badge sessions. Late participants may not receive credit for all requirements.

Before beginning work on any merit badge, scouts are to have a discussion with their unit leader regarding the specific badge and counselor.

WHEN: This class will be held virtually over two sessions:

September 8, 2020 7:00PM-9:00PM EST.

September 10, 2020 7:00PM-9:00PM EST.

Scouts must attend both sessions to complete the offered requirements.

After registering, Scouts will receive a link and login information via email the day of the scheduled class. Scouts will also receive instructor details that can be used to connect to the counselor on Scoutbook. This assures that completed requirements are easily recorded. 

Prerequisites:  For Merit Badge requirement #3, a Scout needs to complete 90 days of keeping track of at least 5 home duties or chores. If a Scout has completed before class, he is to present worksheet, signed by a parent, showing day-by-day tracking of expenses.  Otherwise, worksheet will need to be completed and Merit Badge earned after the Family Life Merit Badge classes are done.

      For Merit Badge requirement #5, a Scout needs to conduct a project that involves the participation of your family.  We will be discussing this in the second class.  Since the classes are in the same week, Scouts should do all they can to have this completed before classes begin.  Otherwise, worksheet will need to be completed and Merit Badge earned after the Family Life Merit Badge classes are done.

Suggested supplies/prep-work for students:  Get and read Family Life Merit Badge Book.  For first class, read requirements 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5.  Talk about chores and do family project. For second class, read requirements 6 and 7.  Bring responses to 4 and 5 to class.

Other Details:  The class will be relatively fast-paced and requires that you do a lot of work upfront on chores, and home projects in order to complete the badge.