What are Merit Badges?
Merit Badges are earned by the Boy Scout as part of their advancement through scouts. There are about 120 different merit badges a Boy Scout can earn. Each one teaches the Boy Scout valuable skills and topic knowledge. The topics for merit badges are as diverse as the Troop itself. To see the Merit Badge topics available click here.
Which Merit Badges are Required?
No merit badges are required for advancement until after a Boy Scout achieves First Class rank. Advancement to Star, Life, and Eagle all require completion of merit badges, service, and leadership. To reach Eagle rank, a scout must complete a total of at least 21 Boy Scout merit badges listing them in his handbook, 12 of which come from the Eagle-required badge list. To see the Merit Badge requirements for Eagle click here.
What is the Process?
1) The Boy Scout chooses which Merit Badge he would like to earn.
2) The Boy Scout discusses his choice with the Scoutmaster for his approval. The Scoutmaster helps locate a counselor for that topic.
3) To be within safe scouting guidelines the scout can never be alone with the counselor. He should choose another scout to always attend the sessions with him.
4) The counselor reviews the requirements with the scouts and they decide on projects to complete and a completion schedule. The counselor provides expertise, advice, guidance as needed until the scouts have completed the requirements.
5) The merit badge counselor certifies completion of requirements and the merit badge patch is presented at a court of honor or troop meeting.
What if there are not any local counselors for that badge?
If a counselor is not currently available or one is not locally registered for the topic the Scoutmaster will discuss the topic with the registered Leaders and current Merit Badge Counselors. If a Leader or Counselor is willing to supervise the Boy Scout’s progress on that topic they can proceed. If the Leaders or Counselors are not willing to supervise that topic then another topic must be chosen.
Are they all available with Troop 90?
How do I know which ones have counselors right now?
No, Troop 90 does not have counselors for every subject. We are doing our best to get as many counselors as we can added. The Scoutmaster has a current list of counselors. There can be more than one counselor per topic, so feel free to sign up to be a counselor for any topic.
How do you become a counselor?
If you have a skill or interest you would like to share with the Boy Scouts, or know someone who might, please fill out the form attached below and give it to the Troop 90 Scoutmaster. To see the Merit Badge topics available click here.