Online MBC Processing

1) Follow the requirements of the merit badge, making no deletions or additions, ensuring that the advancement standards are fair and uniform for all Scouts; 2) Have each Scout accompanied by their parent or guardian, or at least one other Scout and one other registered adult, during all sessions; 3) Keep my Safeguarding Youth Training current; and 4) Renew my registration annual if I plan to continue as a Merit Badge Counselor.

What’s It All About? The merit badge counselor is a key player in the Scouts BSA advancement program. Whatever your area of expertise or interest—whether it is a special craft or hobby (basketry, leatherwork, coin collecting), a profession (veterinary medicine, aviation, engineering), or perhaps a life skill (cooking, personal management, communication)—as a merit badge counselor, you play a vital role in stirring a Scout’s curiosity about that topic. By serving as a counselor, you offer your time, knowledge, and other resources so Scouts have the opportunity to broaden their horizons. And in doing so, your mission is to combine fun with learning.

You are both teacher and mentor as the Scout learns by doing. By presenting opportunities for growth via engaging activities like designing an experiment (Chemistry), performing an ollie and a wheelie (Snow Sports), or fabricating rope (Pioneering), you may pique a Scout’s interest and inspire a Scout to develop a lifelong hobby, pursue a particular career, or become an independent, self-supporting adult.

Learning to Be a Merit Badge Counselor: All merit badge counselors must attend a counselor training session, either in-person or online. All merit badge counselors should take part in Merit Badge Counselor Position Specific Training found in their my.scouting account under Scouts BSA. It is important that they have a full understanding of their responsibilities and also of the recommended practices for quality counseling. Additional information can be found in the Guide for Merit Badge Counseling, No. 512-065, available at www.scouting.org/programs/ scouts-bsa/advancement-and-awards/resources/.

Processing This Application: Merit badge counselors must register as adult Scouters and be approved by the council advancement committee for each merit badge they intend to counsel. A potential merit badge counselor also must submit a registration fee if not already registered in Scouting America as a leader, as well as a Council insurance fee. They should complete the Adult Application for position code 42, this form, and submit both with proof of Safeguarding Youth Training completion and required fee to their council. Counselors may wish to associate with a particular unit but are encouraged to serve any Scout from any unit.

Special Qualifications and Guidelines for Merit Badge Counselors: A number of merit badges involve activities that are restricted or require certification or special training for those supervising these activities. See the Guide to Advancement, topic 7.0.1.1, “Qualifications of Counselors.” Merit badge counselors may personally meet these required qualifications, or they may use others so qualified. Additionally, the Guide to Safe Scouting has specific requirements and procedures for range and target activities and for aquatics, winter, and other activities. These policies apply to all activities, including merit badge instruction. For other merit badges where specific requirements do not exist, counselors should have sufficient depth of knowledge and experience to understand how to safely present the material.

Instructions to Counselors:
• The unit leader (Scoutmaster, crew Advisor, or Skipper) recommends and provides the name and contact information for at least one merit badge counselor to each Scout desiring to work on a merit badge. Before beginning to work with a youth, counselors must first confirm with the Scout that they have discussed with the unit leader their interest in working on the merit badge. This is normally done with a “blue card” signed by the unit leader or a connection made between the counselor and the Scout in Scoutbook.
• For merit badge counselor meetings only, the Scout and counselor may meet as long as a parent or guardian also is present. In a group setting with at least two Scouts, there must be at least two registered leaders present. All merit badge classes and counseling sessions must always be conducted in accordance with the Guide to Safe Scouting. See also Guide to Advancement, topic 7.0.3.1.
• Counselors may not add to or delete any merit badge requirements. Group instruction is allowed where special facilities and expert personnel make this most practical, or when Scouts are dependent on a few counselors for assistance. However, any group experience must provide attention to every individual candidate’s projects and progress, and assure each has actually and personally fulfilled all the requirements. If, for example, a requirement uses words like “show,” “demonstrate,” or “discuss,” then every Scout must individually do so. It is unacceptable to award badges on the basis of Scouts sitting in classrooms and watching demonstrations or remaining silent during discussions.
• When a Scout begins working on a merit badge, the current-year requirements on scouting.org list the official requirements in effect at that time. If requirements change after a Scout has started working on a badge, the requirements that were in effect when the Scout began working on the badge can still be followed, or the scout may switch to the new ones (Scout’s choice) unless Scouting America’s National Service Center places a specific timeline on the implementation of new requirements.
CAT 34405
June 2025 Revision.