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New
Rangers Program FAQ
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Q:
Will the names of the various age groups be changing?
A:
Yes! We are moving away from thematic names to neutral
themes that will fit into any culture. The boys will be grouped
by grade rather than age. The new group names will be:
- Ranger
Kids—Kindergarten, 1st and 2nd grades.
- Discovery
Rangers—3rd, 4th, and 5th grades.
- Adventure
Rangers—6th, 7th, and 8th grades.
- Expedition
Rangers—9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th grades.
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Q:
Will the uniforms change for the boys? What about the leaders?
A:
The boys' uniforms will remain basically the same while
the advancements and awards (and their placement) will undergo significant
changes to reflect the new program.
- Class
A and Class B uniforms will have the American flag placed �" below
the RR emblem on the left sleeve.
- Ribbon
awards (formerly called the Class B ribbons) can also be worn
on Class A uniforms as an alternative to medals. Medals are approved
for the Class A uniform or dress blue blazer.
- Awards
vest for each outpost group for advancements, activities, and
merit awards will be available.
- No
patches will be worn on the lower arm sleeve such as first aid,
Jr. LFTL, and year stars.
- Class
C clothing consists of a Royal Rangers T-shirt, Royal Rangers
hat, and blue jeans or fatigue-type pants to be worn during activities
and camps at the commander's discretion.
- New
"Casual-wear" RR clothing featuring:
- Knit
Royal Rangers polo-type shirt.
- Button
down long and short sleeve Royal Rangers shirts.
- Pants
to be nice casual type slacks, i.e.; (Dockers-type pants).
- The
leader's "dress-blue" uniform is optional, similar to present,
using the small insignias now used on your Class A or B
uniforms.
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Q:
How is the actual structure of the advancement system being improved?
A:
The advancement system
will have options for both circular work (to be done in the weekly
meeting for Ranger Kids) and linear work (to be done both inside
and outside the weekly meeting for the older age groups). Advancement
awards will be based on the number of merits a boy earns, giving
tremendous flexibility and maintaining a standard for advancement.
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the FAQ page.)
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Q:
How is the advancement system being made easier to understand?
A:
First, and primary, it is being designed to be very visual, making
it easy to understand for the boys, parents and commanders. One
of the more significant changes is that the system will feature
weekly planning guides and workbooks for advancements and Bible
study. A commander can use the pre-plan outline or build-a-quarter
to reflect a different theme.
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Q:
Is the program being "watered-down" by the advancement changes?
A:
Absolutely not. The advancement system will have significant
changes to reflect the new program and to allow for different options,
but will not require less from our boys. Conversely, the new system
will allow additional advancements to be earned along the Advancement
Trail. This can be done without making the system complex.
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Q:
How will the awards and merits change for the boys and leaders?
A:
There will be a new system of medals, patches, and ribbons
for awards, including:
- Merits
in the form of very colorful patches (more than 240), rather than
the current pins. (Class B style ribbons also will be available
in 7-color borders with numerals.)
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Leaders may earn the merit awards along with the boys.
-
New guidelines for the placement of awards and merits on the uniform.
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Q:
What about the Gold Medal of Achievement?
A:
The current advancement system is primarily advancement
requirements driven. The Gold Medal of Achievement has been a merit
driven award where a list of merits was required for completing
the GMA. Now the Discovery and Adventure Rangers advancement systems
will provide a logical progression to the GMA because they will
be merit driven systems also.
There
will be several changes from the old GMA. First, merits with the
same theme or emphasis will be placed into groups. For example,
the missions theme is reflected by the Christian Missions or the
Light for the Lost merit. A boy may select either option to complete
the requirement for the GMA.
The
CPR, Hobby and Wilderness Survival merits will be missing from the
old GMA list. The CPR requirement has been absorbed by the First
Aid merit since CPR training is now part of any certified First
Aid Course. The Hobby merit will be absorbed into the new Royal
Rangers curriculum as a non-GMA option. The Wilderness Survival
merit will now become part of the FCF
"Trail of the Grizzly" Wilderness advancement.
Finally,
the total number of merits required for the GMA is 24. This is consistent
with our commitment to maintain equivalency with the Boy Scout Eagle
Award.
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Q:
What about Camping?
A:
Royal Rangers is a purpose-driven ministry. Its purpose
is multifunction. Royal Rangers will continue to include outdoor
activities and camping. Many non-camping merits will be available
as options. Cooking, Compass, Fire craft, Lashing, Tool craft, and
Rope craft are merits that can be earned at the outpost in an outdoors
setting. These are valuable personal skills to learn, even for the
non-camping enthusiast. The camping merit is required for the GMA.
Outdoor activities, campouts and other exciting outdoor outings
are outlined in the quarterly planner.
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Q:
How will FCF Change?
 A:
The "Trail of the Grizzly"
is designed to lead boys and leaders along the challenging FCF advancement
trail. The purpose of this "Trail" is to prepare boys and leaders
to successfully complete each of the FCF advancements by including
a unique set of merit award requirements for the "Frontiersmen,"
"Buckskin," and "Wilderness" steps. All of the "Trail of the Grizzly"
merit awards are easily identified with a grizzly paw print. The
Frontiersmen merit awards display a Green Grizzly Paw on the merit.
The Buckskin merit awards display a Black Grizzly Paw on the merit,
and the Wilderness merit awards display a White Grizzly Paw.
 After
completing the required merit awards, for both boys and leaders,
an application can be submitted for advancement to the district
FCF chapter. The "Frontier" Adventure trail is still required for
Frontiersman, the Buckskin prerequisite study and testing for Buckskin,
and the Wilderness Vigil for Wilderness. Read
all the details on the Trail of the Grizzly here.
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Q:
What other changes will there be to help leaders?
A:
The leader's training system will undergo a complete restructuring
to make it more user-friendly and specific to meet individual commanders'
needs such as:
- The
Leadership Training Course (LTC) will be redesigned into a modular
system to include seminars, weekly instruction, and video study.
This modular system will allow commanders to study for the specific
age group with whom they are working. With workbooks for the trainees
and PowerPoint presentations for the instructors, the modular
design provides for specialized training in a specific time frame.
- A
commander who completes the Ranger Basics 6-8 hour course and
learns from the hundreds of commander tips in the weekly planning
outlines will be successful at the outpost meeting.
- After
completing the Ranger Basics the leader will be encouraged to
continue and earn the Leaders' Medal of Achievement, which is
approximately an additional 20 hours of training.
- National
Training Camps will continue to be a focus point for Royal Rangers
training with updates as needed.
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For
more information about the Leadership Training Academy, click
here.
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Q:
Will there be a transition time from the old to new programs?
A:
Yes, there will be a transition period starting in March
2001 through December 31, 2003 for boys to complete or switch over
to the new program. A conversion chart will credit a boy for his
current advancement work and show his standing in the new program.
In most cases the boys and leaders will choose to change to the
exciting new program and its "Premier Advancement System."
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Q:
When should we start budgeting the money for the change over?
A:
Start setting money aside (in a church reserve account)
as soon as possible. We are recommending a minimum of six months
to one year before the release date. The size of the outpost will
determine how much you will need to budget. Be watching our website
for new program cost information beginning this summer.
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