Fun & Adventure
Merit Badges
I think we need to keep in mind that the merit badge program isn't designed to make an "expert" out of anyone, but, rather, to give a young man a solid introduction to the subject matter-whether it's one of the Citizenships, or Camping, or American Business, or Pet Care, or any of the others, even First Aid.
The NetCommish - Ask Andy
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Merit Badge Process
- The Scout picks a merit badge to earn. If partial work has already been done by the Scout on the merit badge, the Scout gets from the Advancements group an official list of the requirements already completed.
- The Scout contacts a Troop Merit Badge Advisor.
- The Advisor gives the Scout a signed Merit Badge Application. If the Scout is working on a partially completed merit badge, the Advisor verifies by signature the already completed requirements. The Advisor gives the Scout the names of Merit Badge Counselors within the troop for the merit badge.
- The Scout contacts a Counselor and makes an appointment to meet with the Counselor. This is the Counselor who will sign off merit badge requirements until the merit badge is complete. This begins the merit badge work. The Scout works with only one Counselor for the merit badge.
- At any time a Counselor can offer to the Troop to teach a merit badge, including making such as offering after being approached by a single Scout for assistance on a merit badge.
- The Scout works on the merit badge requirements.
- The Scout contacts the Counselor again to make an appointment to test and sign off on the requirements. The Scout will share with the Counselor the work he has started or accomplished. This is repeated until all of the requirements are met.
- When all requirements are met, the Counselor signs the Application as completed.
- The Scout asks the Scoutmaster or the Merit Badge Advisor to sign the Application as completed.
- The Scout gives the completed and signed Application to the Advancements group.
- The Advancements group secures the merit badge for the Scout.
- The Scout receives the merit badge and card at a troop meeting or court of honor.
Merit Badge Counseling Process
- At the first meeting,
- The Merit Badge Counselor and the Scout review the merit badge requirements.
- The Counselor expresses his or her expectations for the Scout’s work.
- The Counselor and the Scout work out a tentative schedule for completing the requirements.
- As each requirement is completed, the Counselor will test the Scout individually.
- As the Scout completes each requirement to the satisfaction of the Counselor, the Counselor will sign and date the requirement on the Merit Badge Application as completed.
- When the Scout has completed all requirements to the satisfaction of the Counselor, the Counselor will sign and date the Application as completed and returns the Application to the Scout.
Becoming A Troop 403 Merit Badge Counselor
To be a Troop 403 Merit Badge Counselor:
- Follow the Troop 403 process for registering as an adult leader. Unit leaders are not automatically approved to serve as merit badge counselors.
- Complete the Merit Badge Counselor Information Form and return it to the Merit Badge Advisor.
- The Advisor will review the list of merit badge counselors annually.
- Merit badge counselors may be approved for as many badges as they are qualified.
- A merit badge counselor can coach his or her own son or close relatives only if the young man is part of a group of Scouts who are all working on the same merit badge.
- Complete BSA Youth Protection training within 90 days of assuming a leadership position.
- Any adult that works with a youth on the grounds of a Catholic organization must also complete the youth protection training required by the Diocese of Austin. The Ethics and Integrity in Ministry (EIM) application must be completed within 30 days of registering as an adult leader, and the attendance at a Protecting God’s Children workshop is required within 60 days of submitting the application.
Merit Badge Application
- The Merit Badge Application is a Troop 403 form used to document a Scout’s work toward a merit badge.
- The Application is given to a Scout by the Merit Badge Advisor along with the names of possible Merit Badge Counselors. If partial work has already been done by the Scout on the merit badge, the Scout gets from the Advancements group an official list of the requirements already completed.
- If a Scout has partially completed the work toward a merit badge, the Advisor verifies by signature the partially completed merit badge requirements.
- The Application is signed by the Counselor each time a merit badge requirement is completed.
- The Application is kept by the Scout until all requirements for a merit badge are completed and approved by a Counselor, at which time the Application is given to the Scoutmaster or Merit Badge Advisor for final approval, and then to the Advancements group for entry into Troop records.
Meeting Merit Badge Requirements
- The Merit Badge Counselor offers his or her time, knowledge, and other resources so that Scouts can explore the topic. The Counselor joins fun with learning to pique a young man's interest in the merit badge subject. The Counselor is a teacher and mentor
- A Scout is expected to meet the requirements as they are stated --- no more and no less. The merit badge requirements can’t be adjusted to make them more difficult or any easier than stated. The Scout may need to be retested later to ensure the requirement has been fulfilled. If it says "show or demonstrate," that is what the Scout must do. Just telling about it isn’t enough. The same thing holds true for such words as "make," "list," "in the field," and "collect," "identify," and "label."
- Unless the merit badge requirements specifically allow for a group project, each Scout still must complete the requirements individually, and the Scout must meet with a Counselor (adhering to youth protection guidelines) to complete the requirements.
- The Merit Badge Counselor’s duty is to be satisfied that each Scout the Counselor works with meets all the requirements for the merit badge. The Counselor may not add new requirements or extra work. While the Counselor may guide and instruct a Scout on the subject matter, the scout must do the work himself.
- Youth protection guidelines must always be observed on the part of the Scout and the adult leader. The Scout must have another person with him at each meeting with the merit badge counselor, or meet only in an open area in view of the public.
- It is the responsibility of the Scout to keep and maintain the Merit Badge Application until the required work is completed and the form is turned in to the Advancements group. It is suggested that when a merit badge requirement is completed and acknowledged by the Counselor that the Scout submit the Application to the Advancements group so that the Scout’s advancement record can be updated. If the Application is lost, the Scout must repeat the merit badge requirements not on record with the Advancements group.
Deadlines For Completing a Merit Badge
- There is no deadline for earning Merit Badges, except the Scout's 18th Birthday. Once a Scout has started working on a Merit Badge (obtained a signed merit badge application, had an initial discussion with a merit badge Counselor, and started working on the requirements), he may continue using those requirements until he completes the badge or turns 18.
- There is no one year limit on partials.
Establishing Which Merit Badge Requirements To Meet
The current edition of the Boy Scout Requirements book lists the official set of requirements for rank advancement and for each individual merit badge.
Once the Boy Scout Requirements are updated, all Scouts starting the merit badge must use the new requirements.
If the requirements change while a Scout is working on the badge, he may continue to use the old requirements until he completes the work, or he may use the new requirements if he wishes. It is the Scout’s choice, and his alone. The Scout must use the full set of old requirements or the full set of new requirements.
If a Merit Badge is discontinued, Scouts working on the badge when it is removed from the Boy Scout Requirements booklet may continue to work toward completing the badge, and get credit for earning the badge, until they turn 18. However, it may not be possible to obtain an actual merit badge patch, once the local council's supply is exhausted.
If a discontinued Merit Badge is replaced with one or more other Merit Badges covering the same or similar topics (such as Rifle and Shotgun Shooting MB which was replaced by Rifle Shooting MB and Shotgun Shooting MB), a Scout that has earned the discontinued badge may also earn the new badge or badges. If the badge is simply renamed (such as Firemanship MB which was changed to Fire Safety MB), Scouts may NOT earn the badge again. If the badge number in BSA's numbering system is the same before and after the change, it is a renaming. If a new number is assigned, it is a replacement.
Merit Badge Counseling Training and Information
Current requirements for all of the current merit badges
http://usscouts.org/mb/mbindex.asp
Worksheets that you can download and print, to facilitate working on each merit badge.
http://usscouts.org/mb/worksheets/list.asp
Recent Revisions to Merit Badges and Boy Scout Advancements
http://usscouts.org/meritbadges.asp
USScouts introduction to merit badges
http://usscouts.org/mb/intro.asp
Boy Scouts of America National Council introduction to merit badges
http://www.scouting.org/BoyScouts/AdvancementandAwards/MeritBadges.aspx
Boy Scouts of America National Council guide for merit badge counselors
http://www.scouting.org/BoyScouts/GuideforMeritBadgeCounselors.aspx
Boy Scouts of America National Council merit badge frequently asked questions
http://www.scouting.org/BoyScouts/GuideforMeritBadgeCounselors/FAQ.aspx
Diocese of Austin, Ethics and Integrity in Ministry
http://www.austindiocese.org/department_home.php?id=9
Merit Badge Counselor Orientation, No. 34542 Merit badge counselors in training can use this two-page resource as a quick reference.
Boy Scout Requirements (current year), No. 33215 This is the book for complete, official requirements for each merit badge, rank advancement, and special awards and recognitions. This booklet is revised every year and takes precedence over any other resource regarding rank and merit badge requirements.
Guidance
http://usscouts.org/mb/intro.asp
- When the counselor is satisfied that the merit badge requirements are met, he or she will sign the merit badge application.
- A Scout is expected to meet the merit badge requirements as they are stated — no more and no less.
- The Merit Badge Counselor must be satisfied that the Scout has met all the requirements for the merit badge.
- The Merit Badge Counselor’s responsibility, in addition to coaching, is to satisfy himself or herself that the merit badge requirements have been met. If the completion of a merit badge requirement is performed outside a meeting between the Scout and the counselor, the counselor should question the Scout and, if there is any doubt, contact the adult who approved the requirement’s completion. When the merit badge counselor is satisfied that the Scout has met the requirements, the merit badge application is signed.
- Group Instruction of Merit Badges. The question arises as to whether it is permissible to have Scouts earn merit badges in groups. Many subjects may be presented to groups of Scouts without defeating one of the purposes of the merit badge plan -- working closely with a qualified Scout.
The National Executive Board has approved this policy statement on merit badge counseling:
"To the fullest extent possible, the merit badge counseling relationship is a counselor-Scout arrangement in which the boy is not only judged on his performance of the requirements, but receives maximum benefit from the knowledge, skill, character, and personal interest of his counselor. Group instruction and orientation are encouraged where special facilities and expert personnel make this most practical, or when Scouts are dependent on only a few counselors for assistance. However, this group experience should be followed by attention to each individual candidate's projects and his ability to fulfill all requirements."
The NetCommish - Ask Andy
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Dear Andy,
Our advancement chair recently included in our troop’s “New Scout Handout” a guide to advancement in which she says that the cooking requirement for the Camping merit badge can be fulfilled at the same time as the First Class rank’s three-meal requirement, so long as one of those meals is over a lightweight stove. This has our older Scouts, who did these two requirements separately, pretty torqued. I didn't think any requirement could be used twice. What's up? (Martha Parks, Circle Ten Council, TX)
One way to approach this issue is to understand that the requirements for a merit badge are fulfilled once the Scout has actually begun the merit badge. The BSA defines this beginning has having had a first meeting with the merit badge counselor. Anything done without actually having started the merit badge may not necessarily be credited by the Merit Badge Counselor, who has final and absolute say-so regarding requirement completion.
Another way to approach this is to ask ourselves which we’re interested in… Are we interested in helping boys knock off requirements, or are we interested in helping boys become proficient in outdoor skills? The answer to that question will direct your actions. I’m sure you can guess how the BSA has viewed it for the past ten decades.
Hi Andy,
We have some Scouts who are looking for credit for activities from years past. How long does a Scout have to complete a merit badge, once it’s started? Any direction in this area? (Mark Corcoran, CC, Greater Cleveland Council, OH)
A merit badge is considered to have started when the Scout has his first face-to-face meeting with his Merit Badge Counselor; after that, he has until his 18th birthday to complete it. If credit for "past work" or "past activity" is being given, one would expect that that work or activity was done while he was a Boy Scout; not before--But the whole concept of "stuff done before actually starting the merit badge" is, of course, entirely up to the individual Merit Badge Counselor, who has final and total say-so regarding requirement completion, and no one else.
Hi Andy,
…A family in our troop will be going skiing soon, and the boys—both Scouts—want to do Snow Sports merit badge. Their dad is willing to document the completion of certain activities, including making up a check-list and even photographing his sons doing the maneuvers…Where can I go, to find out if it’s acceptable for him to sign off on these requirements as a parent? (David Goodnight)
…we're talking about pretty fundamental stuff, like showing how to ride a lift, a straight run, linked wedge turns and some other wedge maneuvers, a few Christies, side-step, herringbone, skiing an intermediate slope with three types of parallel turns, and a sideslip and hockey stop to each side…If we assume that you're in an area where there's at least one reasonably local day-skiing operation, is there some reason why you and the boys can't spend a morning or afternoon on the slopes, where they can show you their stuff and you can use your own experience to show them some refinements?...
As for having a surrogate do this for you, that's fine in a sense but rather self-defeating in another sense. Sure, they'll "pass" the stuff they need to, but what will you have actually accomplished, as far as having some role in their lives and imparting perhaps some skill or insight that's not merely "in the book"?
Anyway, I'd think Dad's word would be just fine. He doesn't need to register or be "deputized" in any formal sense. It's simply "Scout's honor," and that's that! (Heck, if you can't trust a couple of Scouts and their Dad, who's left to trust?) Remember that he's not doing the signing off—you are. He's simply telling you what you can confidently sign off on.
Hello Andy,
My sons transferred from one troop to another about a year ago. They’d had started some merit badges with a counselor in their old troop…but didn’t provide Scoutmaster-signed “blue cards” up front…Well, my boys are now in a new troop, and that old MBC isn’t in the area any more…One son began two merit badges with this counselor and has no signed blue card. He’d like to complete the merit badges without being required to repeat work he’s already done…we can’t figure out how to get the card signed with dates that will make sense…we don’t want to penalize the boys because the paperwork was mishandled by the adults. (Name & Council Withheld)
Current problem's a crack in the sidewalk; not the Grand Canyon. I do understand the "90-day" and "3-month" situations, and the two dates you're all concerned about are the start-date from when the Scoutmaster first signed the "blue card," and the end-date, when the Merit Badge Counselor signifies that all requirements are completed. Now, take a very close look at what it says right at the top of the blue card segment that the troop keeps (on the inside of the APPLICATION segment): It says, "The applicant has personally appeared before me and has demonstrated to my satisfaction that he has met all requirements for the (XXX Merit Badge)." It doesn't say, "The applicant has done each and every requirement before my very eyes." That's important! The BSA, I believe, has actually anticipated your sons' situation, and made a little allowance for it. The MBC simply signs, dates, and gives the card back to the Scout, so he can pass it back to his Scoutmaster (keeping his own segment, of course).
Dear Andy,
We have a Scout who earned both Swimming and Hiking as “Eagle- required” merit badges to apply toward his Star rank. But now some of our adult leaders are questioning whether his rank is valid, because the wording says: “Either this merit badge or Hiking merit badge or Cycling merit badge is required to earn the Eagle Scout Rank.” My thinking is that his rank is valid, but that if he works all the way to Eagle he’ll need to earn another Eagle-required to replace either Swimming or Hiking, to have the correct number of Eagle-required merit badges. Nothing in the Handbook says he can’t earn every Eagle-required merit badge; only that only one of the three—Swimming, Hiking, or Cycling—will count toward Eagle rank. Can you help clear this up? (Sean Eubanks, Baltimore Area Council, MD)
For the rank of Star, this Scout can use both of these two merit badges toward the four "required for Eagle." This is stated clearly on page 14 of the Boy Scout Requirements book: Read the fine print. It's also stated, of course, in the Boy Scout Handbook, on page 444. He may do this for Life rank, also. For Eagle rank, however, it narrows down, and the category alternatives become "electives." Good question and thanks for asking!
Hi Andy,
…merit badge exceptions and requirement changes for Scouts with serious medical issues…the Scout…couldn't do Personal Fitness or Backpacking merit badges because of health reasons… So what’s the BSA policy on substitution of merit badges, or changes in requirements as dictated by health limitations? Presumably, there’s some level of documentation required, and a way to instruct Merit Badge Counselors to work around health issues. If there’s a standard publication I'd love to know what it is, so I can pass it on. (Rob Harrison, ASM & District Training Staff, Atlanta Area Council, GA)
You're asking important questions, and they definitely need to be addressed. I'm going to be brief here, and recommend that for further details you consult the Boy Scout Requirements book and then direct this particular Scout to (with you at his side, perhaps) have a serious conversation with your district's or your council's advancement chair.
You see, there’s an alternate path to all ranks including Eagle for permanently handicapped Scouts, and the process begins with a written statement from a licensed medical practitioner stating what the handicap is and its degree of permanence. Once this is established, and acknowledged by the district and/or council advancement committee, the door is open to proceed.
However, the notion of asking or instructing a Merit Badge Counselor to "bend" a requirement or two to accommodate some undiagnosed or unsubstantiated limitation is asking the MBC to violate BSA policy. BSA policy is that merit badge requirements must be met as written, without exception.
As for this particular Scout, there’s absolutely no reason why he should in any way feel disheartened, especially since he's already reached Life rank! After all, we already know he can swim at least the length of a football field without stopping, and he can hike at least five miles. We also know that Backpacking is not an Eagle-required merit badge. And we know that Camping merit badge, which is a required for Eagle, asks no more hiking of him than he already did for Second Class. Finally, we know that Personal Fitness merit badge is keyed to “personal best” and not to some arbitrary standard, so that he would have to be exceptionally and permanently disabled in order to not be able to complete its requirements.
Dear Andy,
Can you complete a requirement for a merit badge before you start the badge? For example, you take an airplane flight on a commercial airline in June, and then in September you decide to start the Aviation merit badge. Can you count that flight as satisfying one of the two for requirement no. 2? (Sandy)
In his introductory meeting with his Merit Badge Counselor, the Scout can ask this question. It's a good one, and worth asking.
Dear Andy,
…a question was raised about being a Merit Badge Counselor for your own son. It was clarified to me in training that you can sign on your own son's merit badge requirements; however, BSA guidelines suggest that your son have a buddy take the merit badge with him…he couldn’t get a buddy to work with him…he was told that his troop wouldn’t recognize those merit badges because he didn’t work with a buddy…advancement chair…a “troop policy” that you had to have a buddy. I counter-argued that doing this constituted changing a national policy—essentially, they were adding to each merit badge a requirement that "you must work on this with a buddy."…he was told that his work wouldn’t be honored unless he worked with a buddy, even though he couldn’t leave the hospital and was not permitted visitors in his room. (Stewart “Sarge” Morrison, MBC, Circle 10 Council, TX)
I'm going to assume that you're not only a registered Merit Badge Counselor, but you're also listed for the ones you counseled your son on. That being the case, it’s plain that your son’s troop needs some reeducation:
"Buddy"
The BSA is very specific as to who may be a buddy for a Scout wishing to earn a merit badge—It may be any one of these three: Another Scout, a relative (e.g., parent, aunt or uncle, brother, cousin), or a friend (neighbor, classmate, etc.). This is so stated on page 187 of the Boy Scout Handbook. This is further stated in any edition of the Boy Scout Requirements books (in the current edition, it's on page 22): "Scout Buddy System...This person can be another Scout, your parents or guardian, a brother or sister, a relative, or a friend."
Parent-as-Counselor
Advancement Committee Policies and Procedures (No.33088C), page 13, contains this statement: An approved Merit Badge Counselor may counsel any youth member, including his or her own son, ward, or relative."
Number of Same-Counselor Merit Badges (this one's "just in case...")
On the same page as noted immediately above, this statement: "There is no limit on the number of merit badges a youth may earn from one counselor."
Superseding BSA National Policy
No individual, unit, district, or council may establish a policy that supersedes BSA national policy.
The unhappy conclusion to be drawn is that this troop, while possibly trying to be well-meaning, is totally incorrect in its understanding of both what a merit badge buddy is and as regards setting itself above the National Council of the Boy Scouts of America.
… apologize to every other Scout who has been stymied by arbitrary "rules" set in place by ill-informed adults who have failed in their responsibility for knowing these aspects of the program they're supposed to be delivering.
Merit Badge List For Troop 403
Merit Badge Counselor Name
American Business
American Cultures
American Heritage
American Labor
Animal Science
Archaeology
Archery
Architecture
Art
Astronomy
Athletics
Auto Mechanics
Aviation
Backpacking
Basketry
Bird Study
Bugling
Camping (ER)
Canoeing
Chemistry
Cinematography
Citizenship In The Community (ER)
Citizenship In The Nation (ER)
Citizenship In The World (ER)
Climbing
Coin Collecting
Collections
Communications (ER)
Composite Materials
Computers
Cooking
Crime Prevention
Cycling (ER)
Dentistry
Disabilities Awareness
Dog Care
Drafting
Electricity
Electronics
Emergency Preparedness (ER)
Energy
Engineering
Entrepreneurship
Environmental Science (ER)
Family Life (ER)
Farm Mechanics
Fingerprinting
Fire Safety
First Aid (ER)
Fish And Wildlife Management
Fishing
Fly Fishing
Forestry
Gardening
Genealogy
Geology
Golf
Graphic Arts
Hiking (ER)
Home Repairs
Horsemanship
Indian Lore
Insect Study
Journalism
Landscape Architecture
Law
Leatherwork
Lifesaving (ER)
Mammal Study
Medicine
Metalwork
Model Design And Building
Motorboating
Music
Nature
Nuclear Science
Oceanography
Orienteering
Painting
Personal Fitness (ER)
Personal Management (ER)
Pets
Photography
Pioneering
Plant Science
Plumbing
Pottery
Public Health
Public Speaking
Pulp And Paper
Radio
Railroading
Reading
Reptile And Amphibian Study
Rifle Shooting
Rowing
Safety
Salesmanship
Scholarship
Sculpture
Shotgun Shooting
Skating
Small-Boat Sailing
Snow Sports
Soil And Water Conservation
Space Exploration
Sports
Stamp Collecting
Surveying
Swimming (ER)
Textile
Theater
Traffic Safety
Truck Transportation
Veterinary Medicine
Water Sports
Weather
Whitewater
Wilderness Survival
Wood Carving
Woodwork