Merit Badge Procedures
These are the steps that a Scout takes to earn a
merit badge, as outlined in the Boy Scout Handbook:
- Determine what merit badge he wants to earn.
- Get an Application for Merit Badge (“Blue
Card”) from the Troop Committee’s Advancement Chairman or a member of the
Advancement Committee, get it signed by the Scoutmaster, and find a buddy who
can attend the merit badge counselor meetings with him. (Note - work done on a
merit badge BEFORE the Application for Merit Badge (“Blue Card”) has been
approved and signed by the Scoutmaster will not be allowed.)
- Identify who the merit badge counselor will be
by contacting the Troop’s Merit Badge Coordinator. The Counselor may be a
registered merit badge counselor from the Troop level, District level, or
Council level. The Counselor may be someone in the community who has agreed to
participate in the Boy Scouts of America merit badge program. Except in rare
cases, the parent(s) of the Scout should not be the merit badge counselor for
their son. It is the Scout’s responsibility to identify, contact, and make
arrangements to meet with a qualified merit badge counselor.
- Get the merit badge pamphlet on his subject.
His Patrol or Troop may have one he can borrow. So may the local library. Or
he may purchase one from the local council service center or other authorized
distributor of Scouting materials.
- Contact the merit badge counselor and explain
that he would like to earn the badge. Along with his buddy, meet the counselor
and discusses how he can get the most out of the time he spends working on the
badge. The merit badge counselor sets the date and time for the Scout and his
buddy and suggests the Scout bring the following:
a. Merit badge pamphlet
b. Application for Merit Badge (“Blue Card”)
c. Any other indication of preparedness
- The number of counseling sessions depends on
the difficulty of the subject and the presentation and ability of the Scout.
At the first interview, the merit badge counselor and the Scout decide upon:
a. Short-term and long-term goals with dates of
completion in mind
b. Dates and times for future sessions
- Learn and do the things that the pamphlet
requires. Go as far as he can to fulfill the requirements on his own. The
Scout is expected to meet the requirements as stated -- no more and no less.
Furthermore, he is to do exactly what is stated. If it says "show or
demonstrate," that is what he 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."
- When he is ready, he and his buddy make
another appointment with the counselor. The counselor will spend time with him
going over the important parts of the subject. A good counselor will also help
him see beyond the requirements and discover ways to continue learning about
the subject. If the counselor is satisfied that the Scout has completed the
requirements, he will sign the merit badge form. If not, the counselor will
explain what he still must do.
- After he has completed all the merit badge
requirements the merit badge counselor will sign that the work has been
completed and will present the completed form to the Troop Advancement Chair
for his/her review and signature. The Advancement Chairman will get the badge
for him and have it presented to him during the next regular Troop meeting.
The Advancement Chair will hold a portion of the blue card for the Troop
records. The Scout’s portion will be given to him when the badge is presented.
The Counselor’s portion will be returned to the Counselor after the
Advancement Chair has verified the requirements and has signed the card.
NOTE: Each person involved will hold on to a
portion of the blue card: the Merit Badge Counselor; the Troop Advancement
Chairman; and the Scout. Each must hold on to these cards for 7 years, or until
the Scout makes Eagle. If anything should ever happen to the official records of
the Scout, the blue cards will serve as proof of earning the merit badge towards
the Eagle rank. Instruct the scouts, and/or his parents, to keep the blue cards
separate from the Merit Badge cards. That way if one is lost, the other can
replace it!
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