Q. Dear Ray,
I was debating whether or not I would be willing to be a Vigil guide for a friend if he's selected, and my chief concern is choosing a name that doesn't represent him well. In the case that I am able to come up with a better name later, is it possible to change a Vigil name after it is submitted to the national service center? If yes, would the change need to be made before the Scout's Vigil, or could the change be made after?
A. Once the Vigil name is selected and recorded on the nominating form that is memorialized at the national service center, it would be too late for you to change your mind about it. Think carefully before you submit. Luckily, the lodge chief and lodge adviser must sign the form before it is recorded, so they may have ideas to add to the ones first considered by the youth Vigil committee members.
In the extraordinary situation where a name is found to be inappropriate in the sweep of time, the national director and chairman can work collaboratively to correct names which are later found to be indiscrete, mean spirited or ill-conceived. Bullying and name-calling have no place in Scouting. This mechanism to correct a Vigil name after the fact is an extreme rarity, and it has only happened once in the past ten years.
Ray