American Cultures

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American Cultures Merit Badge requirement resources include the Merit Badge Worksheet Adobe Acrobat PDF,
links, and links to related Merit Badges and Boy Scout Awards.
The Troop Cultural Awareness Monthly Theme includes meeting and activity materials.
American Cultures is a rare Merit Badge with only 2,334 earned in 2007!
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American Cultures Merit Badge
Field of study: Personal Development
Status: Elective BSA Advancement ID: 017
Created: 1979 Requirements Revision: 2006
Discontinued: N/A Pamphlet Revision: 2008

Contents


American Cultures Requirements

Choose THREE groups that have different racial, cultural, national, or ethnic backgrounds, one of which comes from your own background. Use these groups to meet requirements 1, 2, and 3.

  1. Do TWO of the following, choosing a different group for each:
    a. Go to a festival, celebration, or other event identified with one of the groups. Report on what you see and learn.
    b. Go to a place of worship, school, or other institution identified with one of the groups. Report on what you see and learn.
    c. Talk with a person from one of the groups about the heritage and traditions of the group. Report on what you learn.
    d. Learn a song, dance, poem, or story which is traditional to one group, and teach it to a group of your friends.
    e. Go to a library or museum to see a program or exhibit featuring one group's traditions. Report on what you see and learn.
  2. Imagine that one of the groups had always lived alone in a city or country to which no other groups ever came. Tell what you think the city or country might be like today. Now tell what you think it might be like if the three groups you chose lived there at the same time.
  3. Tell about some differences between the religions and social customs of the three groups. Tell about some ideas, or ways of doing things that are similar in the three groups.
  4. Tell about a contribution made to our country by three different people each from a different racial, ethnic, or religious background.
  5. Give a talk to your Scout unit or class at school on how people from different groups have gotten along together. Lead a discussion on what can be done to help various groups understand one another better.
The official source for the information shown in this article or section is:
Boy Scout Requirements, 2009 Edition (BSA Supply No. 33216)
The text of these requirements is locked and can only be edited by an Administrator.
Please make a note of any errors in the requirements on this article's Talk Page


Notes

Worksheet A Free Workbook is Available! Adobe Acrobat PDF

with the maps, charts, links, and checklists you need!
There is also a printable requirements page.

Merit Badge & Rank Workbooks
Webelos Activity & Rank Workbooks
Cub Scout Belt Loop Workbooks
  1. Per the BSA: "You should read the merit badge pamphlet on the subject." Pamphlets (books) are at local Scout Shops and online at ScoutStuff.org.
  2. "Get a signed Merit Badge application from your Scoutmaster." An online, printable Word doc file version is available.
  3. The BSA Cultural Awareness Troop Program Feature offers meeting and activity plans to include American Cultures as one of your monthly themes.


Requirement resources

The Troop Cultural Awareness Monthly Theme includes meeting and activity materials.

1 - 5. American Cultures resources:

America's Story - Story of cultures in America
Library of Congress Jukebox - Cultural music
Library of Congress American Memory Exhibit - Historic maps, photos, documents, audio and video
  • General Cultural Links:
US Government's Cultures and Ethnic Groups links - Digital History: Ethnic America - The Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation - Immigration - Ethnic Group Links
American Heroes - Notable persons of black, Irish, Hispanic, Jewish, Christian, and American Indian heritages.
Wikipedia: Ethnic Groups in the US - Wikipedia: Melting pot - Center for Applied Studies in American Ethnicity - Project Race

Related awards

Personal Development Awards


See also

Boy Scout portal
Varsity Scout portal


External links

Personal tools
language