Outdoor Service Guides is excited to announce a new badge book! We now have a booklet full of badges for Rovers to earn! You can download the Rover Badge Suppliment and get started today as long as you have passed your Tenderfoot and been invested as a Squire! You can also earn them if you’ve been scouting with us for years and are already Knighted!
Similar to Pathfinders
Many of these new badges mirror the badges for Senior Level Pathfinders from the new Pathfinder Handbook. As a result, Rovers and Pathfinders can earn the same badges! However, as a Rover it is important to look up the requirements for adults, as the language has been changed to incorporate prerequisite requirements. The language for Rovers is also updated to account for adults learning instead of youth who need supervision. Finally, please remember that these badges are designed to appeal to Rovers age 18-108, which is nearly impossible. You may find that some badges do not appeal to you, and that’s okay.
The OSG Rover program still has all the self directed options of going on a quest as a Knight. These additional new badges are for those who would like more direction and specific requirements than a quest provides. They can also be earned before a Rover chooses to be Knighted, as part of their scouting journey with us. Earning badges is a foundational part of scouting and we hope that these new badges will bring our members joy and encourage them to take on new challenges.
Purple Badges
There are 5 new badges just for Rovers who want to use their skills in the arts to render service! These newest badges are outlined in purple, so that they stand out from the Pathfinder badges. Some of these badges require service to your community and others encourage service to OSG, to help us complete our mission of “Scouting for Everybody.”
Wilderness First Aid
There is also a new badge for those who have completed a Wilderness First Aid Course. The WFA badge is to be worn on the front of the uniform, so that we all know who has this training in an emergency! Wilderness First Aid training is quite the achievement, so we are excited to acknowledge it with a badge.
Where to Wear
These badges may be worn on the sleeves of your Rover uniform. Badges with red, yellow or purple outlines are to be worn on the right sleeve. Badges with green or blue outlines go on the left sleeve. You may also choose to earn badges and not wear all that you earn. It is up to you.
Download the Rover Badge Supplement here: https://docs.guides4guides.org/Rovers/Rover+Badge+Supplement.pdf
Changes or Recommendations
If you try out a badge and have feedback for that badge, you can send your feedback to RoverBadges@osg-us.org where we will be collecting information on how well these badges work out for our membership. Please keep in mind, that badge requirements can be altered to meet your own special set of circumstances including access or disability issues. You can read more about altering badge requirements for special needs situation in our Accessible and Adaptive Scouting Guide. We do welcome feedback that will make these badges better for our community of Rovers.
Updating the Rover Program
There is a new committee forming to work on updating our Rover handbook. The youth program books have all been updated and we want to update the Rover program now. We are seeking committed members from every region with a variety of experiences to contribute to updating the Rover materials. If you are interested, please email susanpz@clackamas.edu with your information including your scouting experience and relevant information.
