BVARC, The Sam Houston Area Council (of Scouts BSA - formerly known as Boy Scouts of America) has several upcoming Merit Badge Fairs. They would like to offer the Radio Merit Badge class at each of these events, and they have a number of interested scouts already signed up.
Requirements for earning the Radio Merit Badge are here: https://filestore.scouting.org/filestore/Merit_Badge_ReqandRes/Radio.pdf There are several slide decks available for instructors, as well as a workbook, but the resources could use refining prior to the next class, I'm told. Recent volunteers told us that the slide deck they used went in a slightly different order than the workbook, which cost them some valuable time. (I think these are all 6-hour classes, and there's a lot of material to cover.) We have a loosely organized team working on putting together an info packet for the kids who are interested, including how to find and participate in a POTA event (requirements for the merit badge include visiting a radio station and making QSOs, which can be - but don't have to be - covered in the classes) and how to study for the ham exams, where to find exams sessions, how to get in touch with local ham radio clubs, etc. We've learned that it works best to have at least 2 and preferably 3 teachers in the room. All the instructors will need to take (free, online) Youth Protection Training prior to participating, and at least one will need to become a merit badge councilor (which involves filling out some paperwork). We're looking for volunteers for the dates below, but also looking to build a team of interested parties, as we expect there will be other opportunities to teach the class not listed here throughout the year. Known dates so far: April 1 at 8:30 and 1:00 (or extend into an all-day session); contact is Ross Cunningham - [email protected] April 15 @ SHAC HQ; contact is Sophia Hwang - [email protected] Someone in the room will need to be a registered Merit Badge Councilor, and all may need to be registred with BSA. Ross and Sophia can help with the process. If you are interested, please reach out to Ross and/or Sophia directly. Thanks! Jeff Greer, W5JEF BVARC Corresponding Secretary
________________________________________________ Brazos Valley Amateur Radio Club BVARC mailing list [email protected] http://mail.bvarc.org/mailman/listinfo/bvarc_bvarc.org Publicly available archives are available here: https://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/
