Last week marked the 105th anniversary of the inception of the Boy Scouts organization. This centurion organization was brought over from England and by 1910 was an established, if fledgling, organization across the United States. It took hold immediately, though not without growing pains, and by the 1950's was over five million Scouts strong. Through its continued evolution, the basic tenants of Scouting have remained firmly in place. The purpose of the Scouting organization is to help young men and women reach their full potential and to explore hobbies and careers through the earning of embroidered patches, or merit badges. And while the variety of badges has grown and changed, the enthusiasm they create in Scouts has not changed for over 100 years.

In the first decade of Scouting there were a total of 57 embroidered patches that could be earned through various activities and achievements. Today only 11 are still used in Scouting, though some of the original badges, such as the "civics" badge, have instead been divided up into multiple badges that cover more specific areas of civics. These embroidered patches are decided upon by Scouting councils and the designs and shapes are carefully monitored to maintain Scout regulations. Throughout the 100 + years of Scouting history, the style of merit badges has changed no fewer than 11 times, with a change in shape, boarders, and fabrics used. But when the change was made for one merit badge, it was changed for them all.

Today Scouts can work towards badges that harken back to the original goals of their Scouting forefathers and earn embroidered patches in Veterinary Science, or they can set their sights on more recent additions to Scouting, such as Robotics. The purpose of merit badges is multifold, according to the organization, serving to teach Scouts various skills they might not otherwise have been introduced to, to build a healthy sense of competition and instill work ethic in young men and women, and perhaps to help foster a child's eventual career vocation. And badge collecting in general becomes a goal in and of itself, and these collections are saved and shared for years after Scouting days are done.

Scouting prides itself on teaching young men and women how to survive, adapt, and succeed in life through various methods, and perhaps that's why Scouting itself has held up as well as it has over 100 years, and why the embroidered patches so synonymous with Scouting have not become obsolete over the years, but have simply become more diverse, unique, and appreciated.