Merit Badge Counselor Orientation

1
Merit BadgeCounselor Orientation
Hightower Trail District, Atlanta Area Council,
Boy Scouts of America Jeff Glaze and Paul Porwoll
(2005)
Hightower Trail District, Atlanta Area Council,
Boy Scouts of America Jeff Glaze and Paul
Porwoll (08/2004)
2
How Do Merit Badges Fit within the Aims and
Methods of Scouting?

• Aims
• Character development
• Citizenship training
• Mental and physical fitness
• Methods
• The ideals
• The patrol method
• The outdoors
• Advancement
• Association with adults
• Personal growth
• Leadership development
• The uniform

3
Where Do Merit Badges Fit within the Scouting
Advancement Program?

• Rank advancement provides breadth of knowledge in
  many areas, including
• Learning Scout skills
• Earning merit badges
• Demonstrating leadership
• Providing service
• Living by the Scout Oath and Law
• Participating in a Scoutmaster conference
• Participating in a board of review
• Merit badges provide depth of knowledge in a
  particular subject area.

4
Benefits to the Scout

• Furthers his knowledge base outside of school.
• Allows him to learn about subjects he might not
  otherwise be exposed to.
• Introduces him to potential career skills.
• Provides opportunities for
• Character-building (e.g., citizenship, service).
• Physical fitness and hobbies that will give a
  lifetime of pleasure.
• Becoming a more well-rounded person.
• Interacting with knowledgeable adults they might
  not know.
• Builds self-confidence.

5
119 Merit Badges
From American Business To Woodwork
6
Most Popular Least Popular
7
2005 Changes in Requirements

• Revised requirements for
• Astronomy
• Canoeing
• Chemistry
• Citizenship in the Community
• Citizenship in the Nation
• Electricity
• Electronics
• Family Life
• Safety
• Minor updates for
• Archery
• Camping
• Cooking
• Cycling
• Emergency Preparedness
• First Aid

• Fish and Wildlife Management
• Nuclear Science
  (formerly Atomic Energy)
• Plumbing
• Scholarship
• Small-Boat Sailing
• Space Exploration
• Surveying
• Medicine
• Metalwork
• Railroading
• Soil and Water Conservation
• Theater
• Eagle-Required

8
Buddy System
Hightower Trail District, Atlanta Area Council,
Boy Scouts of America Jeff Glaze and Paul
Porwoll (08/2004)
9
Designed to Protect Both the Scout and the Adult

• A Scout MUST have a buddy with him at EACH
  meeting with a merit badge counselor.
• Buddies may be
• Another Scout
• Parent or guardian
• Brother or sister
• Relative or friend
• A Scout can NEVER meet with a merit badge
  counselor ALONE.

10
Further Safeguards Have Been Established

• Merit badge counselors MUST
• Register with the Atlanta Area Council as a Merit
  Badge Counselor.
• Agree to submit to a background check.
• Complete BSA Youth Protection Training.
• Online at www.atlantabsa.org
• Details on how to register are provided later in
  this presentation.

11
Merit BadgeProcess
Hightower Trail District, Atlanta Area Council,
Boy Scouts of America Jeff Glaze and Paul
Porwoll (08/2004)
12

• When a Scout has decided he wants to work on a
  merit badge, he must follow these 4 steps

13
1 Meet with the Scoutmaster
2 Contact the Counselor
3 Complete the Requirements
4 Get Proper Documentation
14

Why the Blue Card Is Important

• Official completion record recognized by BSA.
• FINAL arbiter of disputes if all other records
  are missing.
• Scouts and counselors should keep Blue Cards
  for reference.

15
Group Instruction
Hightower Trail District, Atlanta Area Council,
Boy Scouts of America Jeff Glaze and Paul
Porwoll (08/2004)
16
Group Instruction Policy

• Scouts must qualify by personally satisfying
  their merit badge counselor that they can meet
  all the requirements.
• This may be hard to do in a group. When one
  Scout in a group answers a question, that cant
  possibly prove all the other group members know
  the answer.
• Then, too, each Scout learns at his own pace.
  No Scout should be held back or pushed ahead by
  his association with a group.

17
Group Instruction Policy (Contd)

• So remember you can coach more than one at a
  time, but only one Scout at a time can satisfy
  you that he has met the requirements.
• Worksheets are useful tools to ensure individuals
  do the work in a group setting
• www.meritbadge.com
• www.usscouts.org
• Be sure these worksheets reflect current
  requirements.

18

Group Instruction Documentation

• Documentation from group merit badge sessions may
  be in the form of a
• Blue Card, or
• Customized form from the clinic

19
Role of the Counselor
Hightower Trail District, Atlanta Area Council,
Boy Scouts of America Jeff Glaze and Paul
Porwoll (08/2004)
20
Who Can Be a Merit Badge Counselor?

• Men or women of good character.
• Age 18 or older.
• Have the skills and education in the subjects
  they wish to teach, wither by vocation (job) or
  avocation (hobby).
• Able to work with Scout-age boys.
• Must register with the Boy Scouts of America as a
  merit badge counselor AND have submitted the BSA
  Merit Badge Counselor Information form,
  indicating which merit badges he/she wishes to
  counsel.
• Does NOT have to be a registered BSA leader (as
  with a troop or crew).

21
The Counselors Overall Role

• Provide the benefit of his or her knowledge.
• Help the Scout learn.
• Make the experience enjoyable.

22
The Counselors Specific Roles

• Counselor
• Coach
• Examiner
• Representative of the District and Council

23

Counseling Techniques

• Set a relaxing and inviting atmosphere.
• Set expectations.
• Provide the benefit of your knowledge.
• Be available when the Scout needs you.

24
Registering as a Merit Badge Counselor
Hightower Trail District, Atlanta Area Council,
Boy Scouts of America Jeff Glaze and Paul
Porwoll (08/2004)
25
1 Complete a BSA Adult Application
2 Complete a BSA Merit Badge Counselor
Information Form
3 Submit to the District Advancement Chairman
26

• Important
• You must submit a separate BSA Adult
  Application (along with the Merit Badge Counselor
  Information form) regardless of whether you are
  already a registered BSA leader.

27

• However
• Registered merit badge counselors who want to
  add another badge need only submit a
  new Merit Badge Counselor Information form (not
  another BSA Adult Application).

28
Status
Hightower Trail District, Atlanta Area Council,
Boy Scouts of America Jeff Glaze and Paul
Porwoll (08/2004)
29
How are we doing in Hightower Trail?

• Registered MBCs 248 43
• Total Badges Registered 1,699 46
• of All Troops with Any 19 / 26 73
  Registered MBCs

Hightower Trail District, Atlanta Area Council,
Boy Scouts of America Jeff Glaze and Paul
Porwoll (08/2004)
30

• Troops with 10 registered merit badge
  counselors
• MBCs Badges
• T-266 Dunwoody UMC 37 406
• T-18 Glenn Memorial UMC 33 201
• T-477 Kingswood UMC 28 304
• T-764 St. Lukes Presbyterian 27 140
• T-876 Eastminster Presbyterian 20 74
• T-534 Briarcliff UMC 19 94
• T-379 St. Martins Episcopal 14 171
• T-15 Holy Cross Catholic 14 60
• District 14 42
• T-550 Immaculate Heart of Mary 10 55

Hightower Trail District, Atlanta Area Council,
Boy Scouts of America Jeff Glaze and Paul
Porwoll (08/2004)
31

• Troops with 0-5 registered merit badge
  counselors
• T-21 Our Lady of the Assumption
• T-77 Oak Grove UMC
• T-129 Cherokee Trails Campsites
• T-142 Intown Community Church
• T-268 Chamblee First UMC
• T-434 All Saints Catholic Church

Hightower Trail District, Atlanta Area Council,
Boy Scouts of America Jeff Glaze and Paul
Porwoll (08/2004)
32
Common Questions
Hightower Trail District, Atlanta Area Council,
Boy Scouts of America Jeff Glaze and Paul
Porwoll (08/2004)
33

Why does it matter that merit badge counselors be
registered separately?

• Because its 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 and 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.

34

Is annual re-registration necessary for merit
badge counselors like unit leaders?

• Merit badge counselors need to complete the
  necessary registration paperwork only once
  unless they add badges they want to instruct.
• Units should use recharter as an opportunity to
  review their list of registered counselors.
• Keep active counselors on the rolls.
• Delete inactive counselors by notifying the
  district advancement committee.
• Revise the badges active counselors wish to
  instruct by completing a Merit Badge
  Information form for those badges.

35

Even if I only want to work with Scouts in my
troop, do I still have to register as a merit
badge counselor?

• Yes.

36

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.
• Satisfying your counselor that you have current
  knowledge of all first aid requirements for
  Tenderfoot, Second Class, and First Class ranks
  is requirement 1 for the First Aid merit badge.

37

Is there a time limit, from start to finish, for
completing a merit badge?

• The only time limit is the Scouts 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 advancement program is designed to allow
  Scouts to move ahead at their own speed. The
  rate of advancement depends on the Scouts
  interest, effort, and ability.
• The only exception relates to disabled Scouts
  with prior approval, via the procedures outlined
  in BSAs Advancement Policies and Procedures
  Guide.

38

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.

39

Can merit badge instruction be incorporated into
the troop meeting format?

• Yes.

40

Which requirements does a Scout follow if the
requirements change after he begins work on a
merit badge?

• If a Scout started on a merit badge and the
  requirements change, he should continue working
  on those requirements he originally started on.
• - John Dalrymple, Director
• Advancement/NESA
• Boy Scout Division 11/12/1997
• cited in
• www.usscouts.org/mb/framesindex.h
  tml

41

Can Scouts work with one counselor for many of
their merit badges?

• Yes. There is no limit on the number of merit
  badges a youth may earn from one counselor.

42

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.

43

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 lead and
  supervise these sessions (e.g., at summer camp).

44

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).
• It is important that applicants provide a short
  summary of why they believe they are qualified,
  so that the council advancement committee (which
  reviews and approves merit badge counselors) has
  enough information on which to judge an
  applicants merits.

45

Can a troop hold a board of review to ensure that
the Scout has met the requirements for a merit
badge?

• No. The responsibility for ensuring that the
  requirements are met rests with the merit badge
  counselor.

46

To earn Eagle Palms, must the additional merit
badges be earned after the Eagle Scout rank is
awarded?

• No. These five additional merit badges can be
  earned at any time since becoming a Boy Scout.

47

Can a merit badge be taken away?

• No provided that the counselor is a registered
  merit badge counselor for that badge.

48

How do I handle partials that were completed with
another counselor? Or completed/partial badges
from summer camp?

• Your job as a merit badge counselor, in
  addition to coaching, is to satisfy yourself that
  the requirements have been met.
• Question the Scout, and if you have any doubts,
  contact the adult who signed the statement.