INA, Ill. – Southern Illinois’ second Mining in Society workshop is again teaming up with the Rend Lake College Mining and Industrial Department to give local Boy Scouts the chance to earn a new merit badge and learn all about the coal mining industry at the same time.
The classroom aspect of the workshop will meet at the RLC Coal Mine Training Center from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m., Saturday, March 21. Local scouts will get some hands-on experience with coal mining, an effort aimed to teach the boys about different career opportunities. There will be several guest speakers and activities focusing on mining enterprises in the state or region, understanding the hazards a miner may encounter while in an active mine, reviewing dangers someone might encounter in an abandoned mine, and many other topics.
“I don’t know which, the adults or the Boy Scouts, were more excited about the workshop last year,” said Dr. Joseph Hirschi, member of the Boy Scouts Content Development team and creator of the merit badge. “I was personally gratified because I’ve been doing a lot with the Boy Scouts for many years. At the end, they were all saying it was the most fun merit badge they’d ever worked on.”
Boy Scouts will then travel to one of Knight Hawk Coal Company’s mines for a tour of the facility from 8 a.m. – 4 p.m., Saturday, March 28. There, they will get a hands-on look at coal mining and hear from professionals in the industry.
The workshop is a combined partnership between RLC, Knight Hawk Coal, and the Illinois Mining Institute. The Boy Scouts of America officially approved the merit badge in February of 2014, making last fall’s Mining in Society workshop the first of its kind in the area to encourage young boys to look into coal mining as a potential career path in the future.
“The Boy Scouts program is all about exposing boys to opportunities and potential careers,” said Hirschi. “The Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration wanted this merit badge for the Boy Scouts because we need more people going into mining as a career. The goal is to expose as many people as possible.”
Meals and transportation to the Knight Hawk Coal Mine will be provided. Troops with multiple scouts must provide adult leadership and participation is limited to 20 youths and five adults. All participants must make reservations in advance by Friday, March 13. To make reservations, call the Herrin Service Center at 888-942-4863 or 618-942-4863. For more information about the Mining in Society Merit Badge, contact Joseph Hirschi at 618-751-0364 or jhirschi77@hotmail.com.
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