Introduction
The merit badge program is part of the advancement plan of the Boy Scouts of America. It has guided the interests and energies of Boy Scouts for over 85 years and is one of the most unusual educational programs ever devised. A merit badge is an award that is presented to a Boy Scout when he has completed the requirements for one of more than 115 subjects in a wide variety of art, craft, hobby, sport, trade, profession, agribusiness, service, or self-improvement areas. The badge is only a small piece of cloth with a design embroidered in color -- but its significance is as large as the interest of the merit badge counselor who helps a Scout earn it.
A Scout earns a merit badge by working with a registered adult counselor, an expert in the chosen subject. The Scout, along with a buddy, makes an appointment with the counselor and works on the merit badge with the counselor during one or more visits. When the counselor approves the Scout's application, the Scoutmaster submits it to the council service center and obtains the badge. As with rank awards, the Scout is awarded the merit badge at the next regular troop meeting.
The merit badge program is one of Scouting's basic character-developing tools. Earning merit badges gives boys the kind of self-confidence that comes only from overcoming obstacles to achieve a goal.
Through the merit badge program, boys learn career skills that might help them choose their lifework. Some merit badges help boys develop physical fitness and provide hobbies that give a lifetime of healthful recreation.
Working with a merit badge counselor gives the Scouts contact with an adult with whom they might not be acquainted. This is a valuable experience. The Scouts could be shy and fearful in this new situation, so the counselor must see that the counseling session is relaxed, informal, and friendly.
Although at times two or more Scouts will be working as buddies on the same merit badge, each Scout is judged on his own performance of the requirements and should receive the maximum benefit from the knowledge, skill, character, and personal interest of the counselor. Group instruction and orientation are encouraged where special facilities and expert personnel make this most practical or when Scouts are dependent on a few counselors for assistance. However, this group experience should include individual attention to each candidate's projects and his ability to fulfill all requirements.
A Scout must have a buddy with him at each meeting with a merit badge counselor. A Scout's buddy could be another Scout, or be a parent or guardian, brother or sister, relative or friend.