Merit Badge Counselor
Training
Prepared by:
National Capital Area Council
Advancement and Recognition Committee
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REGISTERING AS A MERIT
BADGE COUNSELOR
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The Three Forms Required for MBC
• Submit all Forms to the Troop Merit Badge
Coordinator
– BSA Adult Application (who you are)
– BSA Merit Badge Counselor Information Form (what you want to
teach)
– Certificate of Completion for Youth Protection Training
• Forms are sent to the District for approval
• Youth Protection Training must be updated every
two years. The Application and Information forms
are good indefinitely (unless you let your registration
lapse).
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Step 1 - Complete a BSA Adult
Application (524-501)
• Read, fill-in, and sign the Disclosure/Authorization Form
• Complete the Adult Application form
– On the top row, for “Council/district position” put “MBC” and for
“District name” put your District
– Provide your Social Security Number - this is mandatory, the
application will not be processed without it
– On the lower left, for “Position Code,” write “42”
– For “Scouting position (description),” write “Merit Badge
Counselor”
• Sign and date at the bottom
• In the NCAC, the Unit Committee Chair and Chartered
Organization Representative signatures are not required
for Merit Badge Counselors
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Step 2 - Complete a BSA Merit Badge
Counselor Information Form (34405)
• Include all personal information requested
• List the merit badge(s) you want to teach
– IMPORTANT: Provide a brief summary of your qualifications in the
box provided for Vocation, Avocation, or Special Training. Use the
back of the form or an attachment if necessary
• Vocation: Is this subject in line with your job, business, or profession?
• Avocation: Do you follow this subject as a hobby, having more than a
“working knowledge” of the requirements?
• Special Training: If not, do you have any special training or other
qualifications for this subject?
– This is how the District determines your qualifications to teach a
certain merit badge
• Indicate whether you want to work only with a specific
Unit or all units in the District
• Sign and date at the bottom
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Step 3 - Complete Youth Protection
Training On-Line
NOTE: Link works in
full screen mode
• On-line go to
https://myscouting.scouting.org/Pages/eLearning.aspx
• If you don’t already have an account, sign-up for a MyScouting
account
• Take the Youth Protection Training course
– From the menu on the left, click E-Learning
– On the General tab, find YPT, and click Take Course
– After you complete the course save & print a certificate to submit with
the adult application
– When the adult application is approved you will get a BSA membership
card with your ID number
• Log onto MyScouting, click My Profile, and enter Member ID, and
association with the National Capital Area Council, 082
• This will link your training records to your BSA membership
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Step 4 - Submit All Forms to the Merit
Badge Coordinator
• The Troop’s Advancement Chairman will pass on these forms
to the District’s Merit Badge Dean
• Old Dominion MB Dean: Ed Phillips, 8396 Crosslake Dr, Fairfax
Station, VA 22039, odd.mbs@gmail.com
• There is no fee to register as a merit badge counselor
• The Merit Badge Dean reviews and sign the forms, then
submits them to the Council for processing
– They will contact you if they have any questions
• Do NOT send only one form
– Your submission cannot be processed
• Do NOT mail or take your forms directly to the Council
– Council will either refuse to accept the forms when brought to NCAC or
leave them for the District Executive to process at the District level first
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QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS
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Why does it matter that merit badge
counselors be registered separately?
•
•
•
•
•
•
Because it’s BSA policy
Because Merit Badge Counselor is a completely separate position from a
Unit or District position you might already hold
Because official Merit Badge Counselor records are maintained by the
District and Council not the Unit
Because the District or Council must approve Merit Badge Counselors
Because BSA requires a background check of all adults who participate in
Scouting
Because a Scout is Trustworthy. Someone from your Unit attests to the
following statement on the Advancement Report every time advancement
badges are bought at the Scout Shop:
“To: Council Advancement Committee
“I certify that the following record of advancement is
correct and that it meets the standards and
requirements of the Boy Scouts of America, and that
merit badge counselors are registered adult members
of the BSA [emphasis added].”
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Even if I only want to work with Scouts in
my troop, do I still have to register as a merit
badge counselor?
• Yes
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Is there a limit to the number of merit
badges a person can register to counsel?
• No. The only limit is by qualification – counselors
must be qualified by vocation (job) or avocation
(hobby)
– The intent is for Scouts to learn from those with a significant
level of expertise
• It is important that applicants provide a short
summary of why they believe they are qualified, so
that the advancement committee (which reviews and
approves merit badge counselors) has enough
information on which to judge an applicant’s merits
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Does a Scout need to be a certain rank
before he can begin working on merit
badges?
• No. For most merit badges, a Scout can work on any
one at any time, subject to approval by his
Scoutmaster
• Note that there are some exceptions
• For example, earning the First Aid merit badge is
requirement #1 for the Emergency Preparedness
merit badge
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Is there a time limit, from start to finish, for
completing a merit badge?
• The only time limit is the Scout’s 18th birthday*
• There is no BSA policy that stipulates that a Scout
must earn all requirements for a merit badge within a
stipulated time period (e.g., within 6 months) or he
must start over again
* The only exception relates to disabled Scouts with prior approval, via the
procedures outlined in BSA’s Guide to Advancement.
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Can Scouts work on more than one
merit badge at a time?
• Yes. There is no limitation on how many merit
badges a Scout can work on at any given time,
subject to following the proper process
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Can Scouts work with me as their counselor
for a lot of their merit badges?
• Yes. “There is no limit on the number of merit
badges a youth may earn from one counselor.”
• But, using one counselor for a significant number of
badges goes against a purpose of the merit badge
program which is to broaden a Scouts horizon
– Scouts meeting with counselors beyond their families and
beyond even their own units are doing that
– They will benefit from the perspectives of many “teachers”
and will learn more as a result
– They should be encouraged to reach out
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Can a knowledgeable Scout be a merit
badge counselor?
• No. The minimum age for a merit badge counselor is
18
• A Scout may assist in merit badge sessions, but a
registered adult counselor must supervise these
sessions
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Can a person be a merit badge
counselor for his/her son?
• Yes. “An approved merit badge counselor may
counsel any youth member, including his or her own
son, ward, or relative.”
• Since one of the benefits of the merit badge program
is association with adults with whom the Scout
might not be acquainted, many troops routinely
assign a merit badge counselor other than a parent
• However, an excellent way to involve parents (as
merit badge counselors) and their sons is for the
parent to teach a group session where his or her son
is involved with other Scouts
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How do I handle partials that were
completed with another counselor?
• If the previous counselor signed off the Scout, this
indicates that the requirement was done to his/her
satisfaction
• Therefore, the Scout should not have to re-do the
requirement
• Merit Badge Counselors are encouraged to spot
check work certified to them from partials, but
Scouts should not be retested on these completed
requirements
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THANKS FOR MAKING A
DIFFERENCE IN THE LIFE
OF A BOY!
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