Scouts BSA Merit Badge Fair

Family Life
Saturday June 8, 2025 1:00 - 2:30

Nina Sargent

Merit Badge Counselor Nina Sargent comes from a family of Scouts and Scout leaders. She is now the Scoutmaster of Troop 56 in Plymouth, NH. Nina's background as a librarian and being a mom of two boys has allowed her to share her interests with merit badges such as Reading, Scholarship, and Family Life.

FAMILY LIFE MERIT BADGE REQUIREMENTS

This Family Life presentation will fulfill requirements 1, 2, 6a and 7. The Scout must complete requirements 3, 4, 5abc, and 6b1-7 prior to arrival to complete this badge at Clark's. The merit badge counselor will sign off on all completed work. Scouts blue card and prerequisite work will be returned to them that day.

The family is the basic unit of society and is important to both individuals and communities. The world is rapidly changing, making today's society much more complex than ever before. As Scouts earn this merit badge, they will realize why it is important to know more about family life and how to strengthen their families.

1. Prepare an outline on what a family is and discuss this with your counselor. Tell why families are important to individuals and to society. Discuss how the actions of one member can affect other members.
2. List several reasons why you are important to your family and discuss this with your parents or guardians and with your counselor.
3. Prepare a list of your regular home duties or chores (at least five) and do them for 90 days. Keep a record of how often you do each of them. Discuss with your counselor the effect your chores had on your family.
4. With the approval of your parent or guardian and your counselor, decide on and carry out an individual project that you would do around the home that would benefit your family. After completion, discuss the objective or goal and the results of the project with your family and then your counselor.
5. Plan and carry out a project that involves the participation of your family. After completing the project, discuss the following with your counselor:
   • The objective or goal of the project
   • How individual members of your family participated
   • The results of the project
6. Do the following (discussion of each of these subjects may carry over to more than one family meeting):
   • Discuss with your counselor how to plan and carry out a family meeting.
   • Prepare a meeting agenda that includes the following topics, review it with your parents or guardians, and then carry out one or more family meetings:
     • How living the principles of the Scout Oath and Scout Law contributes to your family life
     • The greatest dangers and addictions facing youth in today's society (examples include mental health challenges, use of tobacco products, alcohol, or drugs and other items such as debts, social media, etc.)
     • The growing-up process and how the body changes, and making responsible decisions dealing with sex. This conversation may take place with only one parent or guardian.
     • Personal and family finances
     • A crisis situation within your family and who you can turn to for support during these situations.
     • The effect of technology on your family
     • Good etiquette and manners
7. Discuss with your counselor your understanding of what makes an effective parent or guardian and why, and your thoughts on the parent or guardian's role and responsibilities in the family.

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Clark's Bears
PO Box 1
110 Daniel Webster Highway
Lincoln, NH 03251