Do you have a hobby, career, or background that you’d be willing to share with youth? There are over 135 Merit Badges offered by the Scouts BSA program, and there is a good chance one, or more of them, is something you already know something about. We need volunteers willing to teach and guide scouts about these topics as they work their way towards Eagle.
Through Merit Badges you may end up introducing a scout to a new lifelong hobby, or even peek their interest in career that will provide for them in the future. There is a lot of great information and knowledge that you have which you can pass on. The more engaged you are with the topic of a Merit Badge, the more the scouts will be engaged with learning it from you. Your passion can be infectious!
Check out the list of Merit badges on the main Scouting BSA website and find ones that match with your passions. Then let us know you’d like to share that enthusiasm with the scouts.
A few things to keep in mind when being a counselor:
You are only allowed to sign off on Merit Badges which you have been accepted as a counselor for
You must always follow the rules set forth in the Scouts BSA Youth Protection Training, including no one on one contact with a scout. Always make sure the scout has a buddy (a parent, another scout, a sibling, friend, etc.) with them when you work with them. If you are working with them remotely, make sure they have a buddy on their side of the phone or computer as well. Never send emails, texts, or other materials to the scout without also copying another adult. That adult can be their parent or another scout leader.
While you may have a ton of information and knowledge to share with the scout about the merit badge topic, the scout only has to complete the requirements as described by the merit badge requirements list.
Check the requirements lists for your Merit Badges prior to starting with a new scout. They sometimes change each year
You can find worksheets online which are very helpful for the scouts to fill out; however, these are generally not official Scouts BSA items and therefore can not be required for the scout to complete
When it the requirements say “discuss” that should be a conversation between you and each scout taking the merit badge
You can teach your own scout; however, when you do so there should be other scouts in the same group taking the merit badge
When you apply to be a Merit Badge Counselor with the Troop, please follow these steps:
Complete your Scouts BSA Youth Protection Training
Complete an Adult application. You have to fill one of these out even if you are already a registered adult in another position, such as a committee member or a Scoutmaster
Use position code 42 for Merit Badge Counselor
The council number is 438
Make sure to sign and print the agreement page from this form for the background check
There is no fee for registering as a merit badge counselor
Complete a Merit Badge Counselor application located on the Troop Files page.
Complete your Virtus Training. This training is required by our Charter Organization and is additional youth protection training. All of our registered adults within the troop must have this training.
Turn in your applications, along with a copy of your Scouts BSA Youth Protection Training certification and Virtus Training Certification to the Committee Chair or Committee Advancement Chair.
Prior to giving your first class, we recommend that you get a little training:
Read the Guide for Merit Badge Counselors from Scouts BSA
Take the Merit Badge Counselor training offered online (for free) by the Scouts BSA
Be familiar with the Merit Badge sections of the Guide to Advancement. This will help you understand how the program is expected to work
You can apply to be a Merit Badge Counselor, or NOVA program mentor, directly with the Dan Beard Council. Your name will then be included for scouts not just in our Troop, but across the council as well. The only real difference here is that we will tend to provide the names of Merit Badge Counselors within our Troop first to scouts who inquire about counselors because we know they have been through Virtus Training, which our Charter organization requires. We do not block scouts from reaching out to counselors who are not Virtus certified, but we do our best to recommend counselors who have been Virtus trained, and we let parents know when we are not sure if a counselor that has been recommended has had that training.
Find out more on the Dan Beard Merit Badge Counselor page.