The day a boy signs his BSA application, he is eligible to start working on Merit Badges. 

 

Completing a Merit Badge involves 4 people... The Scout, the Scoutmaster, the Merit Badge Councilor (MBC), and the troop's Advancement Chair (Mr. Henry) (Mr. Doug coordinates all classes go through him to schedule a badge)

 

The process:

 

1.  Scout chooses a badge (or badges) that he'd like to work on (alone or with another Scout).

 

2   He informs the Scoutmaster of his intention to work on a badge, and is issued a "blue card" and given the contact information for a registered Merit Badge Councilor (MBC).  A MBC can be ANY registered MBC in any Council.  He is not obligated to  work with councilors in his home unit or Council. CONTRARY TO URBAN MYTH, the Scoutmaster can NOT deny any Scout the opportunity to work on any badge, nor can he delay the badge being awarded once the MBC signs the "blue card" showing that it is complete.  Judgment as to whether a Scout successfully completed the badge requirements rests solely with the MBC.

 

3.  The Scout(s) contacts the MBC and make arrangements to meet as often as necessary to complete the badge requirements (following Youth Protection guidelines at all times).   Upon the first meeting, the Scout presents the MBC with the blue card, which the councilor keeps so that he can update completion dates and keep track of the Scout's progress.

 

4.  Upon completion, the MBC will sign all 3 segments of the blue card, and return it back to the Scout who in turn, presents it to the Scoutmaster for final signature indicating final recognition that all work is complete.    Again, the Scoutmaster does NOT have the authority to deny, "retest", or delay the formal completion of any MB work. 

 

5. The Scoutmaster will pass the signed segments along to the troop's Advancement Chairperson who will record the work on the Troop and Council levels, and ensure the Scout is presented with his badge on the next possible opportunity. *

 

*  While NOT mandatory that a badge be presented right away, the BSA strongly encourages "instant recognition" for effort.  The typical model is to present the badge by the next meeting, and present the "pocket card" during a formal presentation at the next Court of Honor. 

 

6.  The Scout will be given 1 segment of his blue card which he must keep so that it can be produced when applying for his Eagle Rank.  The Troop should also retain a segment for their records as will the MBC for his records.

There are 130+ various Merit Badges available (only 21 needed for Eagle).   To ensure that the Scouts are getting a taste of the opportunities available, the higher badges of rank require a set number of merit badges be completed (including some designated as "Eagle required").

 

Merit Badges offer exposure to a diverse background of interests, adventures, and opportunities that Scouts may never experience IF NOT for the Scouting program (Aviation, Scuba, Reptile study, shooting sports, etc).    It is not uncommon that exposure to a topic via the Merit Badge Program leads to life-long hobbies and career choices, as well as "needed skills" like Home Repair, Auto Mechanics, and Public Speaking.

 

There is no limit on the number of Merit Badges a youth may earn.

There is no limit to the number of merit badges a Scout can have "open" at one time.   He may start working on Merit Badges the day he signs his registration form and has until his 18th birthday to complete the work.

 

Some units impose their own limits, but that is NOT BSA policy, and therefore, we do not endorse such restrictions.

 

That being said, the idea is to LEARN about a particular topic through the Merit Badge Program.  A boy will be best-served if he strives to complete the work for a badge in a short enough time frame that ALL the information/lessons remain relevant.  Again, this is at the Scout's discretion.

 

 There are a total of 21 Merit Badges required for the rank of Eagle.

 

12 of these badges are Eagle Required "White Bands"  (merit badges with white/silver border stitching around the edges).

 

• First Aid
• Citizenship in the Community
• Citizenship in the Nation
• Citizenship in the World
• Communications
• Personal Fitness
• Emergency Preparedness or the Lifesaving badge
• Environmental Science
• Personal Management
• Swimming, Hiking or the Cycling badge
• Camping
• Family Life 

The remaining 9 (or more if you choose) may be any badges from among the remaining 109 non-Eagle required "Green Band" merit badges (badges with green stitching around the border).