Merit Badge Counselors Needed

For the current list of counselors, please email John Burrage, (206) 824-2233

The merit badge program is part of the Boy Scouts of America advancement plan. It has guided the interests and energies of Boy Scouts for 85 years and is one of the most unusual educational programs ever devised. A merit badge is an award that is presented to a Boy Scout or Varsity Scout when he has completed the requirements for one of more than 100 subjects in a wide variety of art, craft, hobby, sport, trade, profession, agribusiness, service, or self-improvement areas. The badge is only a small piece of cloth with a design embroidered in color -- but its significance is as large as the interest of the merit badge counselor who helps a Scout earn it.

This could not have happened without the service of thousands of merit badge counselors -- like yourself -- expert in a particular subject and interested in helping Scouts grow into men of character, ready to take their place in the world of work as participating citizens. Please consider becoming a registered Merit Badge Counselor.

WHAT's THE JOB OF A MERIT BADGE COUNSELOR?

A Merit Badge Counselor will coach a Scout; help him over the different hurdles of the merit badge requirements and increase his awareness in the deeper aspects of the subject from your knowledge and experience, then assure he meets all the requirements for the merit badge.

WHAT DOES A MERIT BADGE COUNELOR DO?

• Renew Merit Badge Counselor registration annually.
• Follow the merit badge requirements without deletions or additions ensuring standards are fair and uniform for each Scout.
• Have a buddy present with each Scout at all sessions. (His buddy can be a friend, parent, guardian, brother, sister or relative.)
• Get a Scoutmaster-signed or Varsity Scout Coach-signed merit badge application (blue card) from the Scout.
• Utilize the subject-specific merit badge pamphlet (available at the local or troop library to borrow or Scout Shop to purchase).

WHAT DOES THE SCOUT DO TO EARN A MERIT BADGE?

• Contact a Merit Badge Counselor and express his desire to earn a badge.
• Meet the counselor along with a buddy and discuss how to get the most out of the time spent working on the badge.
• Give him/her a Scoutmaster or Varsity Scout Coach signed merit badge application;
• Learn and do the requirements described in the subject-specific merit badge pamphlet.
• When ready, meet with the counselor again to go 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.
• When the Scout has satisfactorily completed the requirements, the counselor will sign the merit badge "blue card".
• The Scout will give the signed "blue card" to his Scoutmaster or Varsity Scout Coach.
• The badge will be presented to the Scout during a troop ceremony.

WHERE DO THE SCOUT and COUNSELOR MEET?

The counselor's place of work would be a good place to meet with Scouts, for a merit badge subject relating to a job or profession.

Subjects related to a hobby can be reviewed at home where related materials may be more readily available. For a few subjects, coaching can be done in the field where special equipment is at hand such as rowing, rifle shooting, swimming, and astronomy.

HOW MANY SCOUTS AT A TIME?

A Merit Badge Counselor may work with many Scouts each year as they earn merit badges or s/he may only work with a few. Contact with the Scouts is tremendously important and the Merit Badge Counselor's influence is measured not by how many Scouts worked with, but the effect upon the lives of those worked with.

The skills of some subjects can be taught to several Scouts at one time which can have a time advantage. However, the requirements must be completed on an individual basis. When one Scout in a group answers a question it won't prove that all the others in the group also know and understand the answer. A Scout also learns at his own pace and should not be held back or pushed ahead by his association with a group.

Often, the Scoutmaster or Varsity Scout Coach will help the Scout select the merit badges he will earn for a particular award. Whether he does or not, he is always interested in the Scout's progress. A Merit Badge Counselor should feel free to discuss his work with the Scoutmaster or Varsity Scout Coach at any time.

DOES THE MERIT BADGE COUNSELOR NEED A MERIT BADGE PAMPHLET?

The Merit Badge Counselor will be familiar with the information in the pamphlet and it is necessary to know the Scout’s requirements. The pamphlets are written for Scout-age boys and contain suggestions for projects that might lead to other ideas.

It's a good idea to have the most recent printing of the pamphlet on the subject. It will contain the latest requirements and information on meeting them.

HOW DOES SOMEONE BECOME A MERIT BADGE COUNSELOR?

An adult will complete a Merit Badge Counselor application. All original merit badge forms are first to be sent into the local Scout Office, Chief Seattle Council, 206-725-5200. There, they review and confirm that the applicant is a registered Scouter with BSA. Then, the District Executive, Dan Gelis, dgelis@seattlebsa.org signs off and sends them to the District Merit Badge Counselor database keeper, John Burrage. The adult must be at least 18 years old and complete an Adult Registration to become a member of the BSA. There is no fee.

Please CLICK HERE to download an application to be a Merit Badge Counselor in Adobe Acrobat PDF format. If you need Adobe Acrobat Reader software, it is available free from Adobe Software.

For the current list of counselors, or to answer any questions about the form, please email John Burrage at JSBurrage@aol.com