AMERICAN FEDERATION OF MINERALOGICAL SOCIETIES Future Rockhounds of America Badge Program Fourth Edition Jim Brace-Thompson AFMS Juniors Program Chair
[email protected] (805) 659-3577 This packet is available on-line on the AFMS website: www.amfed.org © 2004, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2016 Jim Brace-Thompson & the American Federation of Mineralogical Societies AMERICAN FEDERATION OF MINERALOGICAL SOCIETIES Future Rockhounds of America Badge Program MISSION STATEMENT Future Rockhounds of America is a nationwide nonprofit program within the American Federation of Mineralogical Societies that develops and delivers quality youth activities in the earth sciences and lapidary arts in a fun, family environment. Our underlying goals are to foster science literacy and arts education through structured activities that are engaging and challenging and by which kids—and the adults who mentor them—learn while having fun. INTRODUCTION . Philosophy behind the FRA Badge Program & Suggestions on Using It I’ve developed this manual so as to enable the American Federation of Mineralogical Societies to sponsor a youth program via Future Rockhounds of America, a program that rewards kids on an on-going basis as a means of encouraging and cultivating their interest in the earth sciences and lapidary arts. Through this, each of our individual clubs and societies will uphold our chartered goals as nonprofit, educational organizations by actively seeking to foster and develop science literacy and arts education amongst our youngest members. My guiding philosophy has three underpinnings. They come from both my own values as a person invested in the positive development of young people and from a wealth of academic research indicating that if one wants to design and deliver programs that effectively promote positive development among young people, three steps are crucial to enact.