Scouting
Be prepared
Purpose
Help the young men get prepared to have a successful camping experience.
Description
Organize a series of activities to prepare young men for a campout. These activities could span a number of months.
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Knot-tying. Go through a series of activities (such as a relay or competition) to teach and practice tying knots.
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Camp basics. Learn and practice how to pitch a tent and gain an understanding of “leave no trace” camping.
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Orienteering. Learn topographic map reading skills, how to use a compass, and what to do if lost in the outdoors. Consider completing an orienteering course.
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First aid. Practice safety and first aid skills, such as how to deal with blisters, sprains, and other minor injuries; recognizing and avoiding poisoning plants; CPR; and so on.
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Camp cooking. Learn about transport, fuel, and safety in using a camp stove or cooking over a fire. Practice making a meal in an outdoor setting.
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Campout. Apply the skills learned on an overnight campout. Complete requirements to fulfill merit badges or rank advancements.
For detailed direction on these activities, see Troop Program Features Volumes I–III.
Earn a merit badge
Purpose
Encourage young men to explore areas that interest them and learn valuable skills.
Description
Help the young men learn about sports, crafts, science, trades, business, and future careers by earning merit badges. Have them choose merit badges that interest them. Descriptions of all 131 merit badges can be found at the Boy Scouts of America website. Information about merit badges required for rank advancements are found here. Consider ways you can tie what the young men are learning from each merit badge to the restored gospel. For example, how will what they are learning help them be better fathers or citizens in their community? How will their knowledge and skills help them serve others?
Accomplish rank advancements
Purpose
Overcome obstacles and develop valuable skills that can be used to serve others.
Description
If you have young men who are working on rank advancements in Scouting, consider working on some of them together as a quorum. The requirements for rank advancements can be found on the BSA website. These requirements teach young men valuable skills in areas such as first aid, physical fitness, and caring for the outdoors. Consider ways you can help the young men relate what they are learning with a principle of the gospel. For example, how are they preparing to be better fathers or citizens in their community? How will their knowledge or skill help them serve others?
Go camping
Purpose
Strengthen relationships, have fun, learn skills, and develop appreciation for nature and God’s creations.
Description
Plan and carry out an overnight camping trip (this could be more than one night). Invite the young men to lead the planning—location, meals, activities, equipment, spiritual experiences, and so on. During the camping trip, help the young men learn a new skill (such as fire safety, fishing, outdoor survival, or another). Include activities that are fun and spiritual. For Church policies on overnight activities, see Handbook 2, 13.6.12. For more ideas, see “Camping and outdoors” on this website.
Be prepared
Purpose
Help the young men get prepared to have a successful high adventure outdoor experience.
Description
PurposeDescription
Help the young men get prepared to have a successful high adventure outdoor experience.
Organize a series of activities to prepare young men for an extended outdoor experience, such as a week-long campout. These activities could span a number of months.
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Get in shape. Identify a fitness specialist to assess the current fitness of each team member and to create a fitness plan for each team member, including mentoring and tracking progress.
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Gear up. Learn about clothing and gear needed for a backpacking trip, create lists, and practice gathering all the appropriate equipment.
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Weather watch. Learn to interpret and respond to various weather conditions to prevent injury and ensure safety.
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Take shelter. Invite an expert to teach the team members ways to find or construct shelter in various climates and geographies.
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Food and food preparation. Learn how to prepare food in the outdoors, properly care for and sanitize cooking equipment, purify water, and so on.
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Get warmed up. Gather the appropriate gear for an extended campout and participate in a mild or moderate hike to assess preparedness for longer activities.
Backpacking trip. Apply all the skills and strengths developed to go on an extended backpacking and camping trip.
For detailed directions for each of these activities, see Varsity Team Program Features, Volume 1.
Serve others
Purpose
Use skills and abilities to relieve suffering and bless the lives of others.
Description
Service is central to both the Aaronic Priesthood and Scouting. Teach the young men to recognize opportunities they have to bless people in need as the Savior did, and help them feel the satisfaction that comes from making a positive difference in someone’s life. For ideas about ways to serve others, see “Service” on this website.
Aviation
Purpose
Understand the science and principles of aviation and learn how the airline industry operates.
Description
Fields of emphasis
Plan a series of activities that will help you learn and understand the basics of flight and the career opportunities available in aviation. These activities should be planned by various team members and chosen from the following five fields of emphasis. You should also choose and plan a culminating activity—such as an orientation flight or experience in a flight simulator—from one of the fields of emphasis.
Personal development
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Contact someone who works in aviation (pilot, air traffic controller, airline employee) and invite that person to teach your team about the career options and education required to work in that field.
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Visit a museum dedicated to the history of aviation.
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Invite a flight instructor to teach the team about the requirements to become a pilot.
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Learn how to use radio to communicate.
Service
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Volunteer at an air show in your community.
High adventure
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Arrange to take a flight in a small plane. Help prepare the flight plan.
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Find a flight simulator in your area. Arrange to visit the flight simulator and, if possible, participate in a flight simulation.
Special programs and events
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Visit an airport and take a tour.
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Visit the offices of an airline company in your area.
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Visit the Federal Aviation Administration office in your area.
Advancement
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Aviation merit badge
Backpacking
Purpose
Help young men become more unified as a quorum, enjoy physical activity, and draw nearer to the Lord as they enjoy the beauty of His creations.
Description
Organize a series of activities to help the young men prepare for a safe and exciting backpacking trip. These activities could span a number of weeks. A quorum member and a knowledgeable consultant from the ward, stake, or community could lead the activities. For each activity, consider including something to invite the influence of the Holy Ghost. For example, you could invite a young man to share an experience, bear testimony, or teach a doctrine to the quorum before the activity begins.
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Introduction to backpacking. Use maps, pictures, videos, and sample gear (including backpacks) to introduce backpacking adventures and appropriate gear.
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Cooking. Use backpacking recipes, lightweight ingredients, and backpacking stoves to prepare a nutritious evening meal.
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Practice hike 1. Complete a three-mile hike in terrain that matches as closely as possible the landscapes of the planned backpacking trip.
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Leave no trace. Use Boy Scouts of America resources, such as scouting.org, to teach leave-no-trace principles.
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Service project for local hikers. Arrange with public officials for a project to build or maintain trails on nearby public lands.
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Clothing and footwear preparation. Demonstrate a variety of appropriate outdoor clothing and footwear for backpacking.
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Fires, shelters, and survival skills. Use a variety of fire-starting materials, tents, and other essential equipment to give the young men experience with appropriate fires, shelters, and survival skills.
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Practice hike 2. Complete a second practice hike, this time using backpacking gear.
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Map and compass navigation. Provide a hands-on demonstration on the use of maps, compasses, and, if possible, GPS devices.
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Radio communication. If possible, demonstrate the use of radio communication devices such as satellite phones, ham radios, family radio service (FRS) radios, and personal response beacons. Demonstrate how each device works, and describe when it should be used.
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Trip plan and packing list. As a group, develop a detailed, written trip plan, including a purpose statement, a full itinerary with times and activities, routes, directions to trailheads, emergency contact information, and maps. Prepare a packing list. Also prepare for devotionals, nightly reflections, quorum prayers, journal writing, and scripture reading.
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Overnight backpacking shakedown. Complete an overnight camp, including a conditioning hike. Monitor the preparation and readiness of each young man.
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Backpacking trip. Make the final arrangements for the backpacking trip, giving top priority to safety. Take the trip, using the skills learned in the lead-up activities.
For detailed instructions about backpacking, see Varsity Team Program Features, Volume 1.
Basketball
Purpose
Develop your physical strength, confidence, and appreciation for others as you learn about basketball.
Description
Fields of emphasis
Plan a series of activities that will help you learn how to play, officiate in, and coach basketball. These activities should be planned by various team members and chosen from the following five fields of emphasis. You should also choose and plan a culminating activity—such as a basketball tournament—from one of the fields of emphasis.
Personal development
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Discuss as a team what it means to be physically, mentally, and spiritually fit. Develop and carry out a plan to improve your fitness.
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Invite a local basketball coach from your Church unit or community to teach the basics of coaching basketball.
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Learn the basics of keeping a scorebook for a basketball game. Practice keeping score at a local game or by watching a professional or college game on television.
Service
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Plan an activity where you teach basketball to children and play basketball with them.
High adventure and sports
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Organize a basketball tournament for Varsity Scout teams in your area. Team members could help as referees and scorekeepers.
Special programs and events
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Watch a college or professional basketball game. Afterward discuss the sportsmanship of players from both teams.
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Ask a certified referee to run a clinic on officiating.
Advancement
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Sports merit badge
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Personal fitness merit badge
Canoeing
Purpose
Learn about canoeing and plan and prepare for a challenging trip.
Description
Organize a series of activities to prepare for a one- or two-day canoeing trip. These activities could span a number of weeks or months. A team member and a knowledgeable consultant from the ward, stake, or community could lead the activities. Many of the following activities, including the canoeing trip itself, require the participation of a certified specialist to make the activity safe. Take steps to be certain everyone is safe during each activity. For each activity, include something—such as a devotional—to invite the influence of the Holy Ghost. For example, you could invite a team member to share an experience, bear testimony, or teach a doctrine before the activity begins.
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Introduction to canoeing. Invite an expert from your ward, stake, or community to use pictures, stories, and videos to introduce canoeing. You could use a large map of your area to become familiar with the places where you could practice canoeing. Learn more.
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Equipment. Learn about various types of canoes, their origins and construction, and associated gear, such as paddles. Practice with equipment and learn canoeing posture and paddling techniques. Learn more.
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Safety and swim test. Become familiar with canoe safety rules and complete a swim test. Learn more.
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Swamping and unswamping a canoe. Before taking a canoeing trip, learn how to swamp and unswamp a canoe. Make sure you know how and when to use this skill. Learn how to do this in shallow water and in deeper water, with assistance from team members in a second canoe. Learn more.
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Strokes and basic skills. Practice how to navigate a canoe using paddles. Learn basic paddling to propel the canoe forward, backward, in circles, and in a zigzag pattern. Learn more.
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Canoe maintenance. Learn how to keep canoeing equipment in great condition and how to prepare equipment for trips. Learn more.
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Respecting nature. Build your appreciation and respect for God’s creations. Make sure you know how to avoid disrupting plants and wildlife, and leave no trace when you camp. Learn more.
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Clothing and other gear. Understand the types of clothing and other gear that should be worn and brought on canoeing trips. Learn more.
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Physical conditioning. Get ready for your canoeing trip with physical conditioning. Use aerobic activities and endurance training. Learn more.
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Maps and navigation for canoeing. Learn how to read maps and navigate during a canoeing trip. Learn more.
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Trip planning and preparation. Select an appropriate location for your canoeing trip. Be sure to make adequate plans for food, transportation, safety, shelter, and equipment. Learn more.
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Canoeing trip. Enjoy a safe trip with your team members. Use all the skills you have learned and the physical conditioning you have developed during your preparation. Plan for a longer devotional that will strengthen the testimonies of your team members. Learn more.
Computers and gaming
Purpose
Learn how to work with computers and networks and how video games are developed and function.
Description
Plan a series of activities to help you learn how to work with computers and networks and how to develop video games. These activities should be planned by various team members and chosen from the following five fields of emphasis. You should also choose and plan a culminating activity—such as programming and publishing an app for your team—from one of the fields of emphasis. Make sure to include a discussion on how to make good choices about your media use in these activities.
Personal development
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Use the guidelines in For the Strength of Youth to plan a discussion or fireside on the appropriate uses of entertainment and media. Specifically discuss the game rating system and what material is considered inappropriate.
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Invite a computer science professional to teach your team about the employment opportunities and required education for that field. Take a tour of a facility where computer programming is done.
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Invite someone who has published an app to discuss the process for designing, programming, and testing an app.
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Invite an addiction counselor to teach your team about how to recognize and overcome video and computer game addictions.
Service
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Organize or participate in an electronics recycling drive for your community.
High adventure and sports
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Organize a multi-player gaming tournament using an appropriate video game. Consider inviting another team to participate in the tournament.
Special programs and events
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Visit a business or take a tour of a facility that is focused on information technologies to learn about career options in the computer industry.
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As a team, design, program, and publish a simple app. Show the app at a court of honor or pack meeting.
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Visit a local college or university to learn about computer science. Consider taking a few courses in computer science.
Advancement
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Digital technology merit badge
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Game design merit badge (focus on video gaming)
Cooking
Purpose
Learn how to cook simple meals and understand the role nutrition plays in your physical health.
Description
Fields of emphasis
Plan a series of activities to help you learn how to cook. These activities should be planned by various team members and chosen from the following five fields of emphasis. You should also choose and plan a culminating activity—such as a Dutch oven cook-off with other Scout teams—from one of the fields of emphasis.
Personal development
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Invite a local nutritionist or dietitian to teach the team principles of good nutrition and how nutrition affects physical well-being.
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Develop a nutritional menu and shopping list. Shop for your food using a small budget.
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Practice cooking various meals, including breakfast and dinner.
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Invite immigrants from your community to teach your team how to make meals from other countries.
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Visit a local restaurant, and discuss meal preparation and safety with the restaurant’s kitchen staff.
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Visit a local culinary arts school. Explore careers in the food industry and how to succeed in those careers.
Service
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Visit a soup kitchen, and provide service by preparing or serving a meal.
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Prepare and serve a meal for a Cub Scout Blue and Gold banquet.
High adventure
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Plan and participate in a trip to a gourmet restaurant. Observe the food they serve and the various roles and responsibilities of the staff.
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Plan for and prepare a gourmet dinner with your team members for your families. Make sure to include careful budgeting and meal-planning techniques.
Special programs and events
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Organize a Dutch oven cook-off with other Varsity Scout teams. Invite other units to participate as cooks or judges.
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Organize an etiquette dinner as a combined activity for other youth or for the parents of your team.
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Develop your own recipe and share it with your team.
Advancement
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Conduct a merit badge clinic for cooking
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Learn ways to cook on an overnight campout. Demonstrate what you learn on a team campout.
Cycling
Purpose
Develop physical strength and confidence as you plan for and work together to complete a demanding physical challenge.
Description
Fields of emphasis
Plan a series of activities to help you learn about cycling. These activities should be planned by various team members and chosen from the following five fields of emphasis. You should also choose and plan a culminating activity—such as a two-day cycling high adventure or service activity—from one of the fields of emphasis.
All Scouts and adult leaders will need bicycles for these activities. The bikes should be appropriate for the terrain. Bikes can also be rented or borrowed for those team members who do not own them.
Personal development
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Develop and implement a fitness-training program for your team.
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Learn about safety in cycling.
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Learn first aid for common cycling injuries.
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Plan devotionals for each activity, including a longer devotional for the culminating activity.
Service
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Plan a cycling safety clinic for your local Cub Scout pack.
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Clean up or help with the maintenance of local trails.
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Plan a bike repair workshop for people in your community.
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Organize a drive to collect bike helmets for needy children.
High adventure
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Plan and participate in a mountain, trail, or road cycling trip that lasts a few days.
Special programs and events
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Sponsor a community bike ride.
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Invite the young women or another Scout team to participate in a cycling activity or ride.
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Attend a district-sponsored event.
Advancement
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Cycling merit badge
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Varsity activity pin
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Personal fitness merit badge
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Fulfill the 50-miler requirements
Emergency survival
Purpose
Learn the self-reliance and preparedness skills that will enable you to survive and serve others during a disaster.
Description
Fields of emphasis
In order to survive a disaster, we must prepare essential items and develop the attitude that we can cope with and overcome problems. Plan a series of activities that will help you gain the skills you need to survive and serve others during a disaster. These activities should be planned by various team members and chosen from the following five fields of emphasis. You should also choose and plan a culminating activity—such as a mock disaster or survival camp—from one of the fields of emphasis.
Personal development
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Learn how to provide the type of first aid required during various disasters, such as a flood, fire, or earthquake.
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Learn how to find and purify water. Create an emergency kit that includes means for water purification, and keep the kit in a place that will be accessible during a disaster.
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Explore ways to store food for long periods of time.
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Build a shelter out of the type of materials that would be available during a disaster. Sleep in your shelter without a sleeping bag.
Service
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Fill sand bags for flood relief and prevention.
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Visit and serve in a local food pantry.
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Organize a preparedness workshop for your community or Church unit.
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Publicize and help at a local blood drive.
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Organize or participate in a food drive for your local food pantry.
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Take a short trip to an area that recently experienced a disaster. Clean up the area and provide service.
High adventure
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Plan and attend a survival campout where you put your emergency skills to use.
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Visit a disaster museum or monument.
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Cook a meal using food that has been stored. Use only the cooking utensils and appliances that would be available to you in a disaster.
Special programs and events
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Invite a disaster relief professional to teach a class on disasters common to your community. Make a plan to prepare for and respond to those types of disasters.
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Invite other Scouting groups or young women to participate in a workshop where you build hygiene kits or 72-hour emergency car kits.
Advancement
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Emergency preparedness merit badge
Fishing
Purpose
Help young men become more unified as a quorum, enjoy physical activity, and draw nearer to the Lord as they enjoy the beauty of His creations.
Description
Organize a series of activities to help the young men prepare for a safe and exciting fishing trip. These activities could span a number of weeks. A quorum member and a knowledgeable consultant from the ward, stake, or community could lead the activities. For each activity, consider including something to invite the influence of the Holy Ghost. For example, you could invite a young man to share an experience, bear testimony, or teach a doctrine to the quorum before the activity begins.
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Introduction to fishing. Use visual aids and personal experiences to introduce fishing and build anticipation for the fishing trip. Learn more.
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The tackle box. Help the young men learn about different types of lures, hooks, poles, fishing line, and other tackle. Learn more.
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Locating fish. Learn about methods of locating fish. Learn more.
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Fishing pole preparation and casting. Learn how to prepare a fishing pole and the line setup. Practice tying knots and casting. Learn more.
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Hooking, preparing, and cooking fish. Help the young men learn how to properly set a hook and clean and cook a fish. Learn more.
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First aid and safety. Help the young men learn the possible dangers associated with fishing trips and how to avoid those dangers. Learn more.
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Clothing and gear. Learn about necessary clothing, including clothing for unexpected weather conditions, and proper fishing gear. Learn more.
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Trip plan and packing list. As a group, develop a detailed, written trip plan, including a purpose statement, a full itinerary with times and activities, emergency contact information, and maps. Prepare a packing list. Also prepare for devotionals, nightly reflections, quorum prayers, journaling, and scripture reading. Learn more.
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Fishing Trip. Go on the trip. Use all of the skills learned in the lead-up activities. Learn more.
For detailed instructions about fishing, see Varsity Team Program Features, Volume 1.
Frontiersman
Purpose
Gain self-reliance, resourcefulness, and survival skills by learning the skills used by mountain men, trappers, and frontiersmen.
Description
Fields of emphasis
During the early 19th century, much of the western United States was mapped and explored by the frontiersmen and traders who traveled through the North American wilderness. Unable to carry many supplies with them, these men learned skills from the Native Americans that allowed them to use the resources in their environment to provide food, shelter, clothing, and other necessities for themselves and for their families. Plan a series of activities to help you learn some of the skills of the frontiersmen. These activities should be planned by various team members and chosen from the following five fields of emphasis. You should also choose and plan a culminating activity—such as a trading activity where your team trades goods they have made—from one of the fields of emphasis.
Personal development
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Learn to cook a complete meal using Dutch ovens, a campfire, or another primitive cooking method.
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Make throwing knives and tomahawks, and learn how to use them safely.
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Learn how to make a capote, moccasins, or another article of clothing.
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With proper supervision from a licensed professional, learn about and practice using a muzzle-loading rifle.
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Learn how to build and start a fire using flint and steel, or use a bow drill.
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Plan a fireside where your team can learn some stories about the early LDS pioneers.
Service
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Learn how to leave no trace when camping, and teach these principles to a younger Scout troop.
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Plan a project to help the elderly or disabled members of your community care for their home or yard.
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Volunteer at the local bishops’ storehouse.
High adventure
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Plan an activity with another Varsity team where you can trade or display goods you have made and compete in events such as shooting muzzle-loading rifles, throwing knives and tomahawks, building fires, running races, and caber tossing.
Special programs and events
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Participate in a district or council rendezvous event.
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Learn the hand signals used in silent trading, and hold a trading event with other Varsity teams.
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Visit a museum related to Native American or frontiersman history.
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Invite an expert or a historian to teach the team about the history of the fur-trapping trade and share stories of famous trappers or traders.
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Attend a storytelling festival, or invite a storyteller to teach your team some American tall tales. Learn how to tell stories, and plan a storytelling night where your team members share stories with one another.
Advancement
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Leatherwork merit badge
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Indian lore merit badge
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Rifle shooting merit badge
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Environmental science merit badge
Geocaching
Purpose
Explore the world around you, and learn to navigate using the Global Positioning System (GPS).
Description
Fields of Emphasis
Geocaching is when an individual or team uses a GPS-enabled device to locate a geocache, or container, that is hidden in an area. There are thousands of geocaches in cities, towns, and forests across the world. In order to go geocaching, you will need to obtain the coordinates for a nearby geocache and attempt to find it using a GPS-enabled device. For an ideal experience, groups of two to four people should go geocaching, making sure that each member has an opportunity to navigate with the GPS.
Plan a series of activities to help you learn how to go geocaching. These activities should be planned by various team members and chosen from the following five fields of emphasis. You should also choose and plan a culminating activity—such as a geocaching treasure hunt with other Varsity teams—from one of the fields of emphasis.
All Scouts and adult leaders will need to have a smartphone or other GPS-enabled device. You will also need to search the Internet to find geocaching websites, coordinates, and applications.
Personal development
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Invite an expert to teach your team how to use GPS, including marking way points, making track logs, and backtracking.
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Learn how to find coordinates on a map and how to navigate to a marked point. Learn how to enter GPS coordinates for longitude and latitude.
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Learn geocaching etiquette and protocol.
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Practice finding geocaches in your community.
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Create and share with your team a scripture geocaching course that teaches a gospel principle.
Service
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Clean up around a geocaching site.
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Teach another group of Scouts to use a GPS-enabled device or orienteering compass.
High adventure
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Plan an overnight camp and geocaching excursion in an area where there are multiple geocaches.
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Create one or more geocaches. Respect private property rights, and ask permission before creating a site.
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Build a GPS track log for a wilderness trail in your area.
Special programs and events
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Organize a competition among several Varsity teams. Have the teams race to find the greatest amount of geocaches in the shortest amount of time. These geocaches could be real geocaches or created by team leaders. This activity may cover a widespread area and require hiking, cycling, or other forms of transportation; it could also be combined with an overnight camping trip.
Advancement
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Geocaching merit badge
Grow your own garden
Purpose
Acquire basic gardening skills, and understand the role your food plays in your physical health.
Description
Fields of emphasis
Plan a series of activities where you and your team plant and maintain an individual or team garden. If possible, you could also raise chickens or other animals for meat. These activities should be planned by various team members and chosen from the following five fields of emphasis. You should also choose and plan a culminating activity—such as entering produce into your county fair—from one of the fields of emphasis. In ideal circumstances, this series of activities should be completed over a three-month period.
Personal development
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Visit a local farm and discuss the crops that grow best in your local environment, how to cultivate soil, and the annual cycle for planting and harvesting.
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Learn how to preserve fruits and vegetables by drying or canning them.
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Learn about the poultry, cattle, or dairy industries.
Service
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Plan a service project at a local farm, nursery, or botanical garden.
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Hold a food drive for your local food bank.
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Assist elderly people or families in need with the maintenance of their yard or garden.
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Donate the food that your garden produces to needy families in your community.
High adventure
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Plant and maintain a garden until the food is ready to harvest. After you harvest your food, prepare a meal that uses the items grown in your garden.
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Participate in a city, county, or state fair by entering your produce in the competition.
Special programs and events
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Visit a local agricultural college, nursery, botanical garden, or arboretum.
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Visit a local grocery store, and learn how produce moves from the farm to the grocery store.
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Grow a giant pumpkin, and enter it in a weight competition.
Advancement
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Gardening merit badge
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Sustainability merit badge
Healthy lifelong habits
Purpose
Learn how to use proper nutrition and exercise to build a healthy lifestyle.
Description
Fields of emphasis
Plan a series of activities over a period of three to six months to help the members of your team learn the habits of a healthy lifestyle. These activities should be planned by various team members and chosen from the following five fields of emphasis. You should also choose and plan a culminating activity—such as a triathlon or fitness competition among teams—from one of the fields of emphasis. Consider including other youth in these activities.
Personal development
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Learn about the body mass index. Ask team members to calculate their BMI and develop a plan to improve their health.
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Invite a dietitian to teach your team about healthy eating portions and habits. Develop a plan for your team to improve their eating habits.
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Lead a sports night or fitness activity where the members of your team learn some new skills.
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Learn about and apply the principles of regular exercise. Record your eating, exercise, and other physical activities for at least 12 weeks.
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For 12 weeks, track and limit the amount time you spend playing video or computer games or watching TV or movies.
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Learn about substance abuse and other addictions and how to avoid and overcome them.
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Invite a doctor or other medical professional to teach your team about the benefits of sleep. If necessary, help your team members find ways to get enough sleep.
Service
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Provide fitness tracking sheets to members of your Church unit so that they can track their diet and exercise.
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Provide a list and description of hiking trails, bike paths, and other resources in your community. Test these trails and rate their difficulty.
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Offer to volunteer for or serve meals at a local shelter or other facility.
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Plan an activity to teach proper safety precautions—such as seat belts, bike helmets, and reflective vests for jogging—to your community.
High adventure
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Plan, organize, and lead a health competition with other Varsity teams. The competition could last for several months and end in a large-scale activity where the team members compete in physical skill, nutritional knowledge, and overall health. You could also measure the teams’ performance of physical tasks at the beginning of the three months and measure their performance again, granting points to the teams with the greatest improvement.
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Organize a fitness activity, such as a 5K run, triathlon, or bike ride.
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Lead a 50 miler or other hike for your team.
Special programs and events
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Invite an expert on addiction recovery to teach your team principles of addiction recovery. Learn how to avoid and overcome addictions.
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Join a community campaign and volunteer to distribute information on the harmful effects of tobacco, drugs, or drunk driving.
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Invite other teams or groups to join in your healthy living challenge.
Advancement
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Personal fitness merit badge
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Sports, swimming, cycling, or other fitness merit badge
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Varsity letter or pin in a fitness activity
History and heroes
Purpose
Improve your understanding of yourself as you explore historical events and people.
Description
Fields of emphasis
Learning about history will help you see yourself as a part of history in the making. You can learn the stories of history in a variety of ways and with numerous technological tools. Plan a series of activities to help you learn about history and historical figures. These activities should be planned by various team members and chosen from the following five fields of emphasis. You should also plan a culminating activity—such as visiting a significant historical site or attending a history fair—from one of the fields of emphasis.
Personal development
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Invite a war veteran to share with your team his story of when he grew up and when he served.
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Help converts to write down the story of how they joined the Church. Include the opposition they faced and how they remained faithful. With permission, you may want to share their story with others, such as during a sacrament meeting talk.
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Help an elderly person sort his or her photographs and create an organized photo album. Help this person scan the pictures into the database on FamilySearch. Share some of the significant stories from this person’s life with your team.
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Plan a fireside where the parents of your team members share their most significant stories from their lives, including trials or challenges they experienced and how these experiences changed them.
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Ask each team member to share the most difficult experience he has had and why it was important to him.
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Set a goal as a team for every member to keep a journal every day for three months. Record acts of service that you witness or participate in. At the end of three months, give each team member a chance to share something from his journal.
Service
Identify a historical site in your community, and organize a service project to help maintain it and clean it up.
Create a map of your community that features historical sites. Make an interactive web page of your map. You could contact your city hall and ask them for permission to post a link on the city home page to your online map.
Collect photographs of the men and women who helped to found and build your community. Collect stories about the challenges they had to overcome to help the community succeed.
High adventure
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Plan a bike ride where you and your team visit significant historical sites in your community. If possible, bring historical photographs of those sites and share with your team the story behind why those sites are significant.
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Choose a river in your area and identify the famous people who have visited or traveled on the river. Then plan and prepare for your own trip down the river.
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Research any natural disasters that happened in your community. Create a display for your community that shares the story of this natural disaster and gives counsel on emergency preparedness.
Special programs and events
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Have team members prepare a short presentation on their favorite historical figure—someone whom they consider a hero. Share your presentations with one another.
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Invite a person who survived the Great Depression to share his or her story with the team, including details of what it was like to live during difficult times.
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Record an interview with a person of a different nationality or race. Ask him or her to describe how living in a different culture influences his or her perspective or increases courage. Prepare the recording to share with your team members.
Advancement
The following merit badges can be connected to the history and heroes activities:
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American cultures
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American heritage
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American labor
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Citizenship in the community, nation, and world
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Communication
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Family life
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Genealogy
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Journalism
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Moviemaking
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Programming
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Public speaking
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Reading
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Scouting heritage
Navigating on the water
Purpose
Build teamwork and acquire the skills to navigate boats and other vessels on the water.
Description
Fields of emphasis
Navigating on the water requires you to learn how to plot courses using latitude and longitude, plan for and respond to severe weather conditions, and avoid collisions. Plan a series of activities to help you learn about water navigation. These activities should be planned by various team members and chosen from the following five fields of emphasis. You should also choose and plan a culminating activity—such as a river rafting or sailing trip—from one of the fields of emphasis.
For these activities, Scouts and adult leaders will need access to watercraft—rafts, canoes, kayaks, sailboats, or motorboats.
Personal development
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Explore different types of watercraft, and learn how to use one type. Also learn how to plot courses using latitude and longitude.
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Invite an expert to teach the team how to protect our water resources from pollution and conserve water during a drought.
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Learn how to avoid collisions, what to do during severe weather, and how to respond to an emergency situation while on the water. Learn how to waterproof items such as food and matches.
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Learn first aid for injuries related to water recreation.
Service
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Do service projects for any Navy or Coast Guard veterans in your community. Invite them to share their experiences with the team after the service project.
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Clean up an area with a water resource.
High adventure
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Choose a nearby lake, river, or ocean. Divide assignments among your team and plan a trip that will last a few days and put your water navigation skills to use. Make sure your plans include preparation for water safety, different weather conditions, charting your course, the type of watercraft you will use, shelter, and food. Create a packing list. Also prepare for devotionals, personal reflections, quorum prayers, and scripture reading. Then go on your trip.
Special programs and events
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Take a tour of nearby facilities for the Marines, Coast Guard, or Navy. Discuss the importance of proper navigation and water safety.
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Participate in a safe water class or course.
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Participate in a water navigation class or course.
Advancement
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Canoeing merit badge
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First aid merit badge
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Rowing merit badge
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Swimming merit badge
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Whitewater merit badge
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Small-boat sailing merit badge
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Mile swim
Running
Purpose
Develop physical strength, confidence, and the ability to do hard things as you learn the details of running.
Description
Fields of emphasis
Plan a series of activities that will help you develop physical strength and endurance through running. These activities should be planned by various team members and chosen from the following five fields of emphasis. You should also choose and plan a culminating activity—such as a five-kilometer run or team relay race—from one of the fields of emphasis.
Personal development
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Invite a track coach from a local college, high school, or club to teach the team about the training, equipment, and nutrition needed for running.
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Record a video of team members running, and use the videos to analyze proper running form, especially the way the foot strikes the ground.
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Discuss appropriate training regimens for a 5K, 10K, half marathon and marathon. As the team, select one and compete as a team.
Service
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Conduct a track and field activity for a younger Scout group.
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Volunteer at a community running event.
High adventure and sports
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Participate in a local community race, such as a 5K, 10K, triathlon, or long-distance relay race.
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Plan and participate in a race among other Varsity Scout teams.
Special programs and events
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Attend a collegiate track and field meet.
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Invite a local race timing company to teach a class on timing races. Discuss the timing technology and elements of a successful event.
Advancement
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Conduct a merit badge clinic for personal fitness. Gear your activities for this program around requirements 7 and 8.
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Conduct a merit badge clinic for athletics.
Scuba diving
Purpose
Develop your skills and confidence by learning scuba diving.
Description
Fields of emphasis
Plan a series of activities that will help you learn how to scuba dive. These activities should be planned by various team members and chosen from the following five fields of emphasis. You should also choose and plan a culminating activity—such as a supervised dive in a pool—from one of the fields of emphasis.
Make sure to have a physical examination before completing the following activities. Also make sure that your parents or guardians have signed a permission slip for you to participate. Research any local diving shops to find more information about scuba diving. All Scouts will need access to scuba equipment for these activities.
Personal Development
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Develop a physical fitness plan and hold a series of activities that will help you improve your physical fitness and the efficiency with which your body absorbs oxygen.
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Learn first aid for diving injuries and emergencies. Become familiar with diving safety equipment and procedures.
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Explore and learn about the local wildlife that live in a nearby water resource. Learn how to identify different types of fish or plants.
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Learn about scuba diving equipment. Under the supervision of a trained professional, try the equipment on and become familiar with it.
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Learn how to regulate your breathing while swimming. You could test yourself by swimming in colder waters to see how your breathing changes.
Service
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Plan and complete a service project to clean up a nearby river, lake, beach, or other local water resource.
High adventure
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Plan for the team to take a dive in a pool under the supervision of a trained professional.
Special programs and events
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Go snorkeling as a team in a nearby water resource.
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Complete your Safety Afloat certification.
Advancement
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Varsity activity pin
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Personal fitness merit badge
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Scuba diving merit badge
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First aid merit badge
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Swimming merit badge
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Lifesaving merit badge
Videography and Photography
Purpose
Learn about the principles of videography and photography and explore career options in these areas.
Description
Fields of emphasis
Plan a series of activities to help you learn about making videos and taking photos. These activities should be planned by various team members and chosen from the following five fields of emphasis. You should also choose and plan a culminating activity—such as a film festival or gallery night—from one of the fields of emphasis.
All Scouts and adult leaders will need to have a camera or cell phone with photo and video capabilities for these activities.
Personal development
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Invite an expert videographer or photographer to teach your team about the principles of video or photo composition. Learn about video and photo editing technology.
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Take a short trip, and get some practice shooting photos. Subjects or areas of interest could include natural landscapes, old architecture, historical sites, or notable people in your community or family.
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Invite a professional to share some career options involving video and photo. Take a tour of a facility where creative work is produced.
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Prepare a home video as a team.
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Plan devotionals for each activity, including a longer devotional for the culminating activity.
Service
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Plan a community service project, and document it with photos and video.
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Contact a community program for children with special needs. With permission, provide the families of these children with photos or videos of their kids participating in the program.
High adventure
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Plan a film festival or gallery night, and invite your family and others to attend. Those who attend could cast votes for their favorite works, and those works could then be uploaded to YouTube or submitted for a non-Scout competition.
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Document a high adventure trip with photos or video.
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Create a slide show presentation with photos and video for a court of honor.
Special programs and events
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Invite the young women or others to participate in an activity or help make a short video.
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Attend a local art gallery. Ask the museum curator to give a tour to your team.
Advancement
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Photography merit badge
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Cinematography merit badge
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Varsity activity pin
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Personal fitness merit badge