Merit Badge Counselor

Fun • Voluntary • Meaningful

3 Levels of Counselors

• Guest Speaker• Standard Merit Badge Counselor• Advanced Merit Badge Counselor

How to Become a Guest Speaker

• Fill out volunteer form (or ask a Scout leader to be added to the list).

• Wait to be asked to speak.

Duties of a Guest Speaker

• Present information about a topic or participate in a panel discussion when asked to do so.

• A proactive Guest Speaker might prepare a presentation and approach Scout leaders to volunteer to present their topic.

• Technically is NOT a Merit Badge Counselor• Does not require registration or training

How to BecomeStandard Merit Badge Counselor

• Must be a man or woman 18 years of age or older with skill, education or strong interest in the Merit Badge subject(s) you are signing up to be a Counselor for.

• Fill out and submit Boy Scouts of America Adult Application

• Fill out and submit the Merit Badge Counselor Information Form

• Complete Youth Protection Training (YPT)

Duties of a Merit Badge Counselor

• Pass off Merit Badge Requirements• Counsel• No one-on-one contact (YPT guidelines)

Pass Off Requirements

• When a Scout has completed the requirements for a Merit Badge, a Merit Badge Counselor will review the Scout's work and certify that he has completed all requirements by completing and signing the Merit Badge Application (blue card). A Counselor can not add, delete, or modify any requirements.

Duties: Counsel

• At the Scout's request, a Merit Badge Counselor should be available to meet with a Scout prior to or during his work on a Merit Badge, in order to provide any necessary counsel or information.

Duties: YPT

• The Merit Badge Counselor should ensure that there is no one-on-one contact with any Scout. Three or more people must be present during all meetings. (This could mean, for example: the Counselor, the Scout, and the Scout's parent; or the Counselor, the Scout, and a Scout leader; or the Scout, the Counselor, and the Counselor's spouse.)

How to Become anAdvanced Merit Badge Counselor

• Follow all of the steps to become a standard Merit Badge Counselor.

• Develop a course curriculum through which you can teach a group of Scouts all of the information they need to know and do all of the activities they need to do in order to complete a Merit Badge.

Duties of Advanced MBC

• All the same duties as a standard Merit Badge Counselor

• PLUS: be prepared to teach a course during an evening or during multiple meetings and/or activities through which a group of Scouts can earn a Merit Badge.

• The requirements of some merit badges may necessitate the need for Scouts to do some work at home or own their own. But wherever possible, Scouts should be able to complete all Merit Badge requirements by participating in the group teaching and activities that you lead.