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Sept. 16 (UPI) — A group of Scouts from underserved communities will get a chance to earn up to 40 merit badges in one day at Morehouse University in Atlanta.

The event, Alpha Merit Badge University, was created and is managed by members of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity. The event will host 300-350 youth from Scouting America and local councils on Sept. 27.

While earning their badges, including some Eagle-required badges, Scouts can engage with accomplished Alpha brothers, college students and community professionals who serve as merit-badge counselors, mentors and role models.

AMBU Chair Derek Smith said the event has been happening since 2023, and the fraternity’s affiliation with Scouting America, formerly Boy Scouts of America, has been in place since 2015.

Smith said that, as the father of a son who is working to become an Eagle Scout, he noticed some inequities.

“I just saw that Black Eagle Scouts are a unicorn,” Smith said in an interview. “[They’re] very hard to find. A half of 1% of all Eagle Scouts are Black Eagle Scouts.”

Smith spoke to former Scouts of different ages, and “they all said the same thing — that they were not given the same access or the same resources as the other Scouts. If they were told about merit badge clinics, it would be at the end and they were all filled up, or they would be so far out. So, I wanted to establish and create a merit badge clinic in metro Atlanta, where Scouts on the south side of Atlanta can get to because there was nothing for them.”

This year, the event has something new. Scouts who have partial badges completed but need someone to sign off on them can get that accomplished. The event also has combined several badges so that Scouts can use classes to apply for more than one badge.

The Scouts can’t just attend and load up on badges, though. They must take what they’ve learned at the AMBU and then do the work back home. Or, in some cases, they can do the work in advance and come in and take the class at AMBU. For example, a Scout working on an aviation merit badge would have to visit an airport or aviation museum to complete their learning for the badge, Smith said.

Smith said the event is going national and even international. Other cities are planning to host their own AMBU events. Some cities Smith mentioned include Charlotte, N.C.; Houston; central New Jersey; Oakland, Calif.; and Birmingham, Ala.

Next year, Smith said the organization hopes to have Alpha Merit Badge University Day the first Saturday in October, on which there will be AMBU events in each of the fraternity’s five regions.

Some classes available to participants include: environmental science and energy; safety and fire safety; crime prevention and fingerprinting; citizenship in the nation and world; engineering and inventing; entrepreneurship and sales; disability awareness and more.

The day includes an opening ceremony, Alpha Merit Badge classes, collaborative Alpha chapter strolling performances, a Real Talk panel and closing ceremony.

Alpha Phi Alpha partners with Scouting America because of the fraternity’s goal of encouraging leadership, Smith said.

“At Alpha, we develop leaders at college and professionally, but also, Boy Scouts develops leaders at a younger age,” he said. “So it just makes sense that we have similar missions that we would help out to start developing leaders at a younger age. And it’s a win-win for everyone. It’s a win-win for the youth. It’s a win-win for the community. It’s a win-win for us. It’s all about creating and developing future leaders.”

A Blue Badge holder travelling either as a driver or a passenger can park for free in disabled parking bays and may also be exempt from other parking restrictions

If you’re living with a physical disability, health condition that affects your ability to walk safely, or a hidden illness such as dementia, autism or Parkinson’s, you might be eligible for a Blue Badge. This badge allows you to park closer to your destination, whether you’re the driver or a passenger.

It also grants free parking in disabled bays and may exempt you from other parking restrictions. However, many of the 2.6 million Blue Badge holders – including 235,700 in Scotland – might not know that numerous countries worldwide have reciprocal parking arrangements with the UK.

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These arrangements allow disabled individuals to travel between countries without needing to fill out extensive paperwork for their parking card or permit to be recognised.

These concessions typically include access to parking spaces reserved for people with disabilities, extended parking durations, or exemptions from parking fees.

According to guidance on GOV.UK, you can use your UK Blue Badge when travelling in some EU countries, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland, reports the Daily Record.

This guidance also provides a list of countries with links to pages that contain:

• information about parking for disabled people in the country
• disabled parking notices that you can print off and display with your Blue Badge

You do not have to display a local parking notice in another country, but it may help. You should note that:

• local parking rules may apply in different parts of a country
• some countries may have changed their rules since the pages we link to were published

UK Blue Badges abroad

A full list of countries can be found on GOV.UK here, you can use the Blue Badge in:

• Austria
• Belgium
• Croatia
• Cypress
• Czech Republic
• Denmark
• Estonia
• Finland
• France – May not recognise non-EU issued parking cards
• Germany
• Greece
• Hungary
• Iceland
• Ireland
• Italy – Non-EU parking cards accepted in some regions only
• Latvia
• Liechtenstein
• Lithuania
• Luxembourg
• Malta
• Netherlands
• Norway
• Poland
• Portugal
• Romania – Accepts non-EU parking cards
• Slovakia
• Slovenia
• Spain (including Balearic and Canary Isles) – UK Blue Badge recognition across Spain decided by local administrations
• Sweden
• Switzerland

How to get a Blue Badge

Applications for a Blue Badge can be submitted online at GOV.UK though the guidance states that individuals with mental health conditions must contact their local council directly.

It explains: “If you have a mental condition that means you lack awareness about the danger of traffic, you cannot apply online. You should phone your local council’s Blue Badge team for a paper application form.”

The guidance further states that those who don’t automatically meet the criteria for the Blue Badge scheme may require a mobility assessment and consultation with a healthcare professional.

It’s also important to note that there isn’t a fixed processing timeframe for new applications or Blue Badge renewals, though it typically takes approximately 12 weeks.

Your local council handles Blue Badge applications and determines the cost – they can also provide advice on expected processing times.

Other people who may qualify for a Blue Badge

If you are not automatically eligible, you may be able to get a Blue Badge in certain circumstances, if you:.

• Have a substantial disability lasting at least 12 months that means you cannot walk at all.
• Have a substantial disability lasting at least 12 months that means you’re virtually unable to walk
• If you regularly drive and cannot use parking meters due to a severe disability in both arms, or if you’re responsible for a child under 3-years-old who needs to be kept close to a vehicle for medical treatment, or uses bulky medical equipment that can’t be carried around, or if you have a mental health condition that means you lack awareness about the danger of traffic when making journeys, then you may qualify for a Blue Badge.

Where can I park with my Blue Badge?

Your Blue Badge allows you to park for free in certain restricted areas, including at on-street parking meters, in pay and display bays, in disabled parking spaces, and on single and double yellow lines if there are no loading restrictions.

What do I need to apply?

Applications are made online to your local council and you’ll need a recent digital photo showing your head and shoulders – you can take this picture yourself.

You will also need a photo or scan of your proof of identity (such as a birth certificate, passport or driving licence) and proof of address such as a Council Tax bill or government letter – you can also choose to have your local council check the Electoral Register instead.

If you receive any benefits, you’ll need to provide proof. Additionally, you will need your National Insurance number and the details of your current Blue Badge if you’re reapplying.

Once you’ve applied, your local council will process your application and inform you of their decision. If your application is unsuccessful, your local council should explain why you didn’t qualify.

You can request them to reconsider their decision if you believe they overlooked some crucial information. Should your disability or health condition worsen, you can reapply.