Citizenship in Society with Ms. Finch

Important Note:

Dear Scouts and Scouters,

I am writing to inform you that the Citizenship in Society Merit Badge has been discontinued at the national level and will no longer be offered. As a result, our upcoming classes have been cancelled.

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January 21, 2025 President Donald Trump signed Executive Order 14173, titled "Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity". The order seeks to end publicly funded Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs by reinterpreting them as forms of illegal discrimination that violate existing federal civil rights laws. The administration argues that DEI initiatives undermine "traditional American values" of individual achievement and excellence in favor of what it describes as an "identity-based spoils system". It requires federal contractors and grantees, like Scouting America, to certify they do not operate DEI programs as a condition for receiving federal funds. Compliance is made material to government payments, meaning organizations found using DEI could face prosecution under the False Claims Act. The order revoked President Lyndon B. Johnson’s September 24, 1965 Executive Order 11246, which prohibited federal contractors and subcontractors from discriminating in employment based on race, color, religion, and national origin, and required them to take affirmative action to ensure equal opportunity. Scouting America announced that it has finalized an agreement with the Department of War and, in compliance with President Donald Trump’s Executive Order 14173, will be discontinuing the Citizenship in Society merit badge.

 

This decision removes from the advancement program a badge that provided structured, intentional space for Scouts to engage deeply with issues of diversity, equity, inclusion, and ethical leadership. I want to clearly explain what this badge represented and what Scouts were actually required to do.

 

The badge was designed to help Scouts learn about the different identities and characteristics we each possess, understand diverse perspectives and lived experiences, and promote good citizenship in society.

In our class, Scouts were expected to do meaningful preparation and reflection. This included:

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• Beginning each class by reciting the Scout Oath and Scout Law together
• Researching and defining identities, diversity, equality, equity, inclusion, discrimination, ethical, upstander, ethical leadership, and the bystander effect/diffusion of responsibility
• Explaining how each of those concepts connects directly to the Scout Oath and Scout Law
• Identifying and analyzing an individual who demonstrated positive ethical leadership
• Reflecting on a time they faced an ethical decision and evaluating how they handled it
• Considering real-life ethical dilemmas at school, at home, in the workplace, and in the community
• Working through scenarios involving exclusion, offensive comments, impersonation, and discrimination
• Practicing respectful dialogue in small groups while being observed for leadership and maturity
• Examining stereotyping and how prejudice and discrimination develop
• Studying historical events that positively changed how society viewed marginalized groups
• Interviewing or researching individuals who promoted inclusion and dignity
• Identifying concrete ways to act as upstanders and “help other people at all times”
• Documenting areas in their lives where they could strengthen inclusion, active listening, and leadership

 

Scouts conducted research prior to class. They hosted conversations with adults, parents, peers, and community members. They were asked to articulate their thoughts respectfully, listen carefully to differing perspectives, and connect complex social issues back to Scouting values.

 

While Scouting America affirms that its mission remains unchanged, this specific, structured opportunity to examine these topics intentionally and thoroughly will no longer exist within the advancement program.

Leadership decisions at the highest levels do not exist in isolation. The tone set at the top influences culture more broadly. When leadership operates from hostility, excessive competition, or disregard for human dignity, that posture does not remain contained, it shapes how people interact in everyday life. It can normalize “every person for themselves” thinking. It can shift relationships from empathy toward suspicion, from cooperation toward dominance. Over time, that kind of tone erodes expectations of basic decency and mutual respect within communities.

 

The Citizenship in Society merit badge created space for Scouts to push against that erosion, to practice empathy, ethical courage, active listening, and principled leadership grounded in the Scout Oath and Scout Law. It required them to think critically about how they treat others and how they will lead in a diverse and evolving world.

 

I appreciate all of your support and the Scouts I met, taught, and learned from during this merit badge.