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Citizenship in the Community

Scouts BSA · Merit Badge · Citizenship, Eagle-required

Printable worksheet (PDF)

Your community is where citizenship starts: the streets you walk, the parks you play in, and the people who keep things running. This badge helps you see how local government works and how you can make a real difference. By the end, you'll know your town better than most adults.

Why it's worth it

The pothole on your street, the hours at the library, and whether your town builds a new skate park all get decided in meetings that anyone can attend, including you. Citizenship in the Community shows you who makes those decisions, how to get your voice heard, and how charities fill the gaps. You'll come away knowing exactly who to call when something needs fixing, and with real volunteer hours helping people near you. It's an Eagle-required badge for good reason.

Start this week

  1. Write down one thing you'd change about your town if you could, like a crosswalk, a park, or a bus route. Keep it in mind as you work through the badge.
  2. Ask your Scoutmaster for the name of a Citizenship in the Community counselor, and send them a short message with a parent copied to set up a first meeting.
  3. With a parent, look up your city, town, or county website and find the calendar for council, board, or commission meetings.
  4. Make a list of three local charities or service groups you've heard of, and ask family members which ones they know or support.

Requirements · 8

Every official requirement and part, numbered to match Scouting America, in plain language. Sign off against the official wording (opens in a new tab) (updated 2025).

  1. Requirement 1

    Discuss with your counselor what community citizenship means, what makes a good citizen, and citizens' rights, duties, and obligations; explain how you can show good citizenship in your community, unit, place of worship, or school

    Tip: Think of people you know who make your community better. Talk about what they do that shows good citizenship.

  2. Requirement 2

    Map your community and its government

    Tips for this section: Draw your map by hand or with an online map, marking places like the library, fire station, and city hall. Your town's website can help with the government chart.

    Example for this section: Mark your home, city hall, the county courthouse, a public works yard, the closest fire station, police station, and hospital, a park and a trail, and a historic site. Next to each, note the distance from home and about how long it takes to drive and to walk or bike. Then chart your local government: mayor or board chair, council or commission, and the departments that run water, parks, and roads, marking which offices are elected and which are appointed.

    1. Requirement 2a

      On a paper or digital map, find and mark the places below and record each one's distance from home plus driving time and walking or biking time

      1. Requirement 2a1

        Main government buildings, such as city hall, the county courthouse, and public works or services facilities

      2. Requirement 2a2

        The fire station, police station, and hospital closest to your home

      3. Requirement 2a3

        Parks, playgrounds, recreation areas, and trails

      4. Requirement 2a4

        Historic sites or other interesting places

    2. Requirement 2b

      Make a chart of how your local or state government is organized, showing the top offices and whether each is elected or appointed

  3. Requirement 3

    Attend a local government meeting

    Tips for this section: Check your city or county website for meeting dates. Go with a parent, take notes, and pick one issue to follow.

    Example for this section: At a city council meeting, you might hear a debate about adding speed bumps on a street near a school. Note who spoke, what each side wanted, what the council decided, and how you would have voted and why.

    1. Requirement 3a

      Go in person to a city, town, or county council meeting, a school board meeting, a session of a local court, or another local or state government meeting your counselor approves ahead of time

    2. Requirement 3b

      Pick an issue from the meeting where people disagreed, and explain to your counselor why you side with one view over another

  4. Requirement 4

    Pick an issue that matters to people in your community, then do the following

    Tip: Choose an issue you care about, like a park or traffic safety. Prepare your questions before talking with the official.

    For example: Research an issue like a lack of safe bike routes to school. Gather facts, then interview a city traffic engineer or council member with a parent present: How are routes chosen? What does it cost? How can residents ask for changes?

    1. Requirement 4a

      Find out which branch of local government handles the issue

    2. Requirement 4b

      With approval from your counselor and a parent or guardian, interview someone from that branch about what's being done and how young people can help

    3. Requirement 4c

      Share what you learned with your counselor

  5. Requirement 5

    Once your counselor and a parent or guardian approve, watch a movie showing how one person or group made a community better, and discuss with your counselor what it taught you about being a caring, valuable community member

    Tip: Pick a movie with a parent and jot down how the characters changed their community. Think about what you could do too.

  6. Requirement 6

    List some taxpayer-funded services in your community (such as the library, recreation center, public transit, and public safety) and tell your counselor why they matter

    Tip: Walk or drive around town and list services paid for by taxes, like roads, parks, and libraries. Think about what life would be like without them.

    For example: List services your family uses in a week that taxes pay for: the roads to school, streetlights, the library, the public pool, trash pickup, firefighters, and the park. Pick one and explain what would happen if it disappeared for a month.

  7. Requirement 7

    Charities and volunteering

    Tips for this section: Pick a charity you care about. Ask how it helps people and schedule your volunteer time with a parent.

    Example for this section: Volunteer with a food bank: sort donations, pack boxes, or help at a distribution day with your family or patrol. Ask staff how many people they serve, where the food comes from, and what they need most.

    1. Requirement 7a

      Name 3 charities outside Scouting that interest you and that bring people together to improve your community

    2. Requirement 7b

      Choose one charity from 7a and learn more about it from several sources, such as news stories, flyers, the internet, and its volunteers and staff

    3. Requirement 7c

      With approval from your counselor and a parent or guardian, contact your 7b charity to ask how youth can help, volunteer at least 8 hours for it while earning this badge, and afterward discuss what you learned with your counselor

  8. Requirement 8

    Create a public presentation (like a video, slides, speech, or photo display) on your community's history, cultures, ethnic groups, best features, gathering places, and challenges, and give it to your counselor or a group

    Tip: Make a slideshow, poster, or short video about what makes your community special. Practice before you present.

    For example: Make a five-minute slideshow for your troop called "Five Things You Didn't Know About Our Town," with photos of places from your map, one fact from the meeting you attended, and one way Scouts can help.

Places to visit

Ask an adult to set it up, and go with your family, den, patrol, or crew.

  • A city council, county board, or school board meeting

    You'll watch local government make real decisions and hear residents speak during public comment.

    How: Check the meeting calendar with a parent and go together, or attend online if meetings are streamed. Arrive early and grab an agenda.

  • A fire station, library, or public works yard

    Seeing the people and equipment your taxes pay for makes requirement 6 concrete.

    How: Have an adult call ahead and ask for a short tour for a Scout working on a merit badge. Go with your family or patrol.

  • A local charity or food bank

    Volunteering there for requirement 7 shows you how neighbors help neighbors.

    How: A parent contacts the volunteer coordinator to schedule a time and ask about minimum ages. Go with your family or patrol.

Where it can lead

  • City manager or public administratorRuns the day-to-day work of a town's departments and budget.
  • Urban plannerDecides where roads, parks, and housing should go as a community grows.
  • Nonprofit program coordinatorOrganizes volunteers and services at charities and community groups.
  • Firefighter or police officerServes the community directly; trained through academies after high school.
  • Elected officialSome people serve on a city council or school board while working other jobs.

Ask yourself

  • What do you love about your community, and what would you most like to improve?
  • What surprised you about how decisions actually get made in your town?
  • How did it feel to speak with a local official or attend a public meeting?
  • Who in your community do you now notice working behind the scenes?
  • What's one way you could keep helping your community after this badge, even in a small way?

Good questions to ask a local official or community leader

  • What made you decide to serve the community this way?
  • What's the hardest decision you've had to make in this role?
  • How do residents' comments actually change what the government does?
  • What's a problem in our town that people don't hear much about?
  • How can young people get involved before they're old enough to vote?

Helpful reads

For leaders & parents

  • Plan a troop visit to a city council or school board meeting.
  • Help scouts find volunteer opportunities with local charities.

People & places that can help

Pairs well with

Helps you earn

Into this? Explore more

Tips, examples, and questions are ideas from experienced leaders, not extra requirements. Your unit leader or counselor decides when a requirement is complete.