Citizenship in the Community Merit Badge

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Citizenship in the Community Merit Badge

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Citizenship in the Community Merit Badge Info

As a core part of the BSA Vision, citizenship education is critical to a Scout advancing. This merit badge emphasizes how a Scout can participate in society at a local level where the biggest impact tends to occur. The requirements help a Scout become familiar with local government, services, and issues, as well as understanding the influence a person can make.

Even though the requirements allow a lot of personal interpretation rather than specific demonstration of skills, this is not an easy merit badge. The easiest requirement is watching a movie. The most involved is either volunteering at least eight hours with a local charitable organization, or creation and delivery of a public presentation, both of which will require some real effort.

Citizenship in the Community is a very popular eagle-required merit badge at the 11th highest spot, with about 48,000 scouts earning it annually.

Revised January, 2025

Requirements for the Citizenship In The Community merit badge:

Discuss with your counselor what citizenship in the community means and what it takes to be a good citizen in your community. Discuss the rights, duties, and obligations of citizenship, and explain how you can demonstrate good citizenship in your community, Scouting unit, place of worship, or school.

Do the following:
1. Using an electronic mapping tool or paper map, locate and pinpoint the following services and landmarks in your community. Determine and record the distances from your home including driving time AND either walking or biking time.
  1. Chief government buildings such as your city hall, county courthouse, and public works/services facilities
  2. Fire station, police station, and hospital nearest your home
  3. Parks, playgrounds, recreation areas, and trails
  4. Historical or other interesting points of interest
2. Chart the organization of your local or state government. Show the top offices and tell whether they are elected or appointed.

Do the following:
1. Attend an in-person meeting of your city, town, or county council or school board, local court session; OR another state or local governmental meeting approved in advance by your counselor.
2. Choose one of the issues discussed at the meeting where a difference of opinions was expressed, and explain to your counselor why you agree with one opinion more than you do another one.

Choose an issue that is important to the citizens of your community; then do the following:
1. Find out which branch of local government is responsible for this issue.
2. With your counselor's and a parent's approval, interview one person from the branch of government you identified in requirement 4a. Ask what is being done about this issue and how young people can help.
3. Share what you have learned with your counselor.

With the approval of your counselor and a parent, watch a movie that shows how the actions of one individual or group of individuals can have a positive effect on a community. Discuss with your counselor what you learned from the movie about what it means to be a valuable and concerned member of the community.

List some of the services (such as the library, recreation center, public transportation, and public safety) your community provides that are funded by taxpayers. Tell your counselor why these services are important to your community.

Do the following:
1. Identify three charitable organizations outside of Scouting that interest you and bring people in your community together to work for the good of your community.
2. Pick ONE of the organizations you chose for requirement 7a. Using a variety of resources (including newspapers, fliers and other literature, the Internet, volunteers, and employees of the organization), find out more about this organization.
3. With your counselor's and your parent's approval, contact the organization you chose for requirement 7b and find out what young people can do to help. While working on this merit badge, volunteer at least eight hours of your time for the organization. After your volunteer experience is over, discuss what you have learned with your counselor.

Develop a public presentation (such as a video, slide show, speech, digital presentation, or photo exhibit) about important and unique aspects of your community. Include information about the history, cultures, and ethnic groups of your community; its best features and popular places where people gather; and the challenges it faces. Stage your presentation in front of your merit badge counselor or a group, such as your patrol or a class at school.

Citizenship In The Community Worksheet

Hints for Citizenship in the Community Merit Badge

Some movies to consider for requirement 5:
- Follow Me, Boys (G)
- It's a Wonderful Life (G)
- Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (G)
- A League of Their Own (PG)
- Holes (PG)
- Hoosiers (PG)
- Mr. Holland's Opus (PG)
- October Sky (PG)
- Remember the Titans (PG)
- The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind (PG)
- Blindside (PG13)
- Pay It Forward (PG13)
- The Patriot (R)
Requirement 6 services could include: police, ambulance, and fire departments, art centers, museums, food shelves, community gardens, mental health centers, senior centers
Wearing a scout uniform to town meetings, interviews, and volunteer work tends to yield better results.

Resources for Citizenship in the Community Merit Badge
Use Google Maps to find facilities, parks, and points of interest around your community.
Understand the Branches of Local Government.
Find your state's local government information.
Locate Charitable Organizations around your community.

Some other merit badges in the Citizenship theme include: Citizenship in Society, Citizenship in the Nation, and Citizenship in the World. You might check them out if you found the Citizenship in the Community merit badge interesting.

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Comments:

Jan 16, 2014 - Cubmaster Duff

I love this site. It has been the #1 resource for me now for over 6 years!!!

Jun 06, 2014 - armando montoya

This site is very resourceful. I've used it since my kid was a Tiger and now is in boy scouts. I've printed forms to help me with my presentations in leading the scouts for over four years now. Thank you founder of this site.

Jul 17, 2014 - Mary

Should the suite of "Citzen" merit badges be earned in any particular order? Ie Cit of Community before Nation?

Jul 18, 2014 - Scouter Paul

@Mary - They can be earned in any order. One does not build upon the other.

Sep 21, 2018 - zeeshan dharani

This is very helpful and resourceful site. I am using first time for my son is now in boys scouts, and will going to do first merit badge such a very educated helpful resource. Thanks founder of this site.

Mar 28, 2020 - Matthew

I appreciate that you've listed a few of the movies that are deemed appropriate to check off requirement 5

Apr 02, 2020 - Ms. Catalano

I updated this list for troops with mixed girls and boys.
a. A League of Their Own (PG)
b. Blind Side (PG13)
c. Braveheart (R)
d. Gravity (PG13)
e. Hidden Figures (PG13)
f. Hoosiers (PG)
g. Iron Jawed Angels (PG13)
h. Mr. Holland's Opus (PG)
i. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (G)
j. October Sky (PG)
k. Pay It Forward (PG13)
l. Persepolis (PG13)
m. Remember the Titans (PG)
n. She’s Beautiful When She’s Angry (no rating)
o. Suffragette (PG13)
p. The Patriot (R)

Apr 22, 2020 - Ms. Jen

Another good movie for younger entry level scouts is "Because of Winn-Dixie"

May 11, 2020 - Andrea Luken

Currently with the COVID-19 Pandemic occurring what are some ways the scouts able to volunteer at least eight hours of their time, while not out in public? Some of our scouts and parents are afraid to have their child physically helping out currently in the community.

May 22, 2020 - Sarah Knox

I also have a question about volunteering during COVID. I have a scout who had done 6 hours at one organization, and 5 hours at another. The MB says 8 hours a "that location" which sounds like it MUST be at one location. What if a scout has helped in two community locations? Could that combined volunteering before COVID closed down our community be considered for the MB?

May 22, 2020 - Scouter Paul

@Andrea - Requirement 7c has the scout contact the charitable organization and find out how they can help, and then volunteer the hours. So, the organization has told the scout what work they can do to volunteer. If it is now not possible to do that work, the scout should contact the organization to find out what other work can be done. It is up to the organization and scout to define the volunteering tasks.

@Sarah - The requirement says "one organization" and I would enthusiastically encourage the scout to contact them to find appropriate volunteer work to fill out that last 2 hours.

Jun 01, 2020 - Kathryn Goldstein

During this time of Covid 19, would attending a televised meeting of a city council or school board qualify for requirement #a?

Would a phone interview, Zoom meeting or email exchange with the appropriate government official qualify as meeting requirement #4?

Jun 01, 2020 - Scouter Paul

@Kathryn - The scout needs to discuss with their merit badge counselor what would be accepted.
Requirement #3a is to attend a meeting. If meetings are being held online (as they are in my city) then attending in the manner directed by the city council makes sense to me.
Requirement #4b doesn't specify the manner of the interview, so I'd think a phone interview or any other interaction facilitating an interview would be fine.

Jun 17, 2020 - Ryan Hauck

Regarding service projects during a pandemic: my suggestion would be the local SPCA/Humane Society. They may have projects that lend well to social distancing: dog walking, kennel cleaning, etc. But maybe best of all would be animal fostering. That last one alone would knock out 8 hours of service in one night AND you do it right at home. And it's harder than it sounds, while also being a desperately needed service! Another one: in my state (SC), there is an organization called Palmetto Pride which is basically a litter cleanup campaign. Trash cleanup accommodates social distancing well, whether you're cleaning up a road or a park, and in my particular case this group is flexible about the venue. Volunteering 2 hours for 4 weekends (or 4 hours for 2 weekends) would meet the requirement easily. Last suggestion: contact your city or county parks and rec department. They may have service projects in some of their properties, such as trailblazing or maintenance, that would let volunteers spread out. The only catch there is that it might take a few months to log 8 hours.

Sep 23, 2020 - Compton Reeves

Writing as a professor of medieval European history, I suggest you drop BRAVEHEART from the list of movies. It is full of historical inaccuracies and is anachronistic in its presentation of nationalism. I do not recommend the movie to Scouts doing Citizenship in the Community with me.

Nov 06, 2021 - Aprilleigh Lauer

@ Ryan Hauck Your city or county parks and rec department is *not* a charitable organization and would not work for this requirement. For the same reason you can't volunteer at the local library, but you *can* volunteer with the library's Friends group if they have one (most do).

Jan 26, 2022 - Garrett

The movie I use for #5 is Cars. Lightning McQueen makes all the difference in Radiator Springs, and his attitude turns around as he learns about the community history and understands why others love it.

Feb 04, 2022 - Holly

I have a scout that listed an interview he did with his 5th grade teacher's husband (who became the Mayor of our town) for requirement 4b. Can a scout use an interview from a year ago even though he started the MB a few months ago?

Feb 04, 2022 - Scouter Paul

@Holly - Please refer to section 7 of the Guide to Advancement, especially 7.0.0.3 There is a note - "All merit badge requirements must be met while a registered Scout in Scouts BSA" - so, if the scout was not yet in Scouts BSA, it should not be counted. More text - "It is the counselor's decision whether to accept work or activities completed prior to any meeting with the unit leader or the merit badge counselor." - so, if you are the MB counselor, you decide to accept it or not. If the scout met with the mayor to specifically discuss the identified issue and can discuss with you how the interview went, that sounds good. If the scout talked to someone for some other reason, and that person became the mayor later, it wouldn't.

Apr 21, 2022 - Jaret

I love the website! Eversense covid hit illinois in 2020 I been using this to get merit badge's done so i can advance in ranking. Very useful for doing all merit badge work.

Jun 21, 2022 - Alison

My son's patrol decided to work on this together, and we chose to watch "Boycott" - it's a great film, great writing, great acting, and is very historically accurate.

Aug 09, 2022 - Erin Howarth

Whenever I counsel this merit badge, I make a list of recent movies made in the last 12 years that were popular enough to make at least $100M at the box office, based on a true story, and not rated R. Here's my list for this year: -Lincoln (2012), PG-13 -Captain Phillips (2013), PG-13 -Lee Daniels The Butler (2013), PG-13 -Hidden Figure (2017), PG -Dunkirk (2017), PG-13 -The Greatest Showman (2018), PG -Bohemian Rhapsody (2018), PG-13 -Ford v. Ferrari (2019), PG-13 -Elvis (2022), PG-13

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