• have the ability to work with young men between the ages of 11 and 17;
• must be willing to register and be re-certified yearly by their local Boy Scout unit or District; and allow for a federal background check.
• must be trained in youth protection guidelines
• use the requirements in the current edition of the Boy Scout Requirements book {new each year -- show a copy of the current year’s book, which is generally available by February each year. Note that the badges that have requirements changes are listed on the front inside cover} along with the Merit Badge Pamphlet(s) { have some pamphlets for demonstration, make note of the fact that although the requirements change the pamphlets often take longer to reprint} for the Merit Badge(s) he/she chooses to counsel.

1. The Adult Application and the Information Form are filled out by the applicant.
2. The forms are sent together to the Scout Office in Portland.
3. The paperwork is processed.
4. The District Advancement Chairman receives the paperwork back from Council.
5. The District Advancement Chairman adds the name and Merit Badges to the Unit's Merit Badge Counselor list.
6. The Unit receives their updated list at the next Round Table or in the way that the individual District has decided to distribute that information. The District must have a way in place for the safeguard as well as the distribution of the Merit Badge Counselor information. With the Unit's permission, a Scout may utilize any BSA registered Merit Badge Counselor.

• Be registered as a Merit Badge Counselor with the BSA.
  
  
• Be trained as a Merit Badge Counselor.
  
  
• Take Youth Protection training either in person or online at www.cpcbsa.org - click on “training”.
  
  
• Assist Scouts as they plan the assigned projects/activities to meet the requirements.
  
  
• Coach Scouts through interviews and demonstrations how to do the required skills.
  
  
• Certify the Scouts after they have met all requirements.
  
  
• Follow the requirements of the badge, adding and/or subtracting NOTHING to ensure the advancement standards are fair and uniform for all.
  
  
• Follow Youth Protection guidelines - NEVER counsel one-on-one.
  
  
• Annually renew registration if you plan on continuing as a Merit Badge Counselor.
  
  
• If teaching in a group, “test” each Scout individually.
  
  
• Complete Counselor’s portion of the Merit Badge card and retain if completed.
  
  
• Complete a partial if requested.

• Make the Scouts feel welcome and at ease.
• Share/show something related to the subject.
• Involve the Scouts in the subject - hands on experience, if possible.
• Show a genuine interest in the Scouts and the subject matter.
• Review the Merit Badge requirements with the Scouts at the first meeting and be sure that you all understand the outcome expectations. (Make sure everyone is in the same book - on the same page.)
• Provide the opportunity for the Scouts to fulfill the badge requirements.

Buddy system

It is mandated that a Scout must have a buddy with him at each meeting.

By the Book

Current Merit Badge Requirements are to be used – it is the Unit’s responsibility to ensure that when National changes the Merit Badge requirements all Unit Leaders and Counselors are made aware of the changes. The latest edition of the Boy Scout Requirements Book is to be used. This text is published annually.

No More/No Less

This guideline has two aspects:

1. Follow the verbs. If the requirement says “attend a meeting,” then that is the requirement. A Scout should not be allowed to watch a meeting on TV or talk to someone who went to the meeting. He needs to “attend” the meeting in person. If the requirement says to show your bike and point out certain things, the Scout is required to do it with a bike, not a picture of a bike. The Scout should DO what the verb says to DO.
2. Numbers or amounts. If the requirement says “collect and mount 50 different species ” of insect, then the requirement should be signed off when the Scout reaches 50 species. If the essay is to contain 500 words, be sure it is a minimum of 500 words. Coach the Scout to add to it if needed; praise him for his achievement if it is longer.

Even if the Counselor feels a Scout is capable of much more than the badge requires, the requirement is done when the required number is reached. The Counselor and Scout can go over and above what is required if they both wish to, as building enthusiasm in the Scout for a topic is one goal of the Counselor. But be very clear that you have signed that part of his badge when the requirement has been met.

Coach/Counselor

Counsel:

• Interview Scouts with a buddy present to determine preparedness, knowledge and interest.
• Assist Scouts in setting goals.
• Follow up to track progress.
• Encourage Scouts to ask for help as needed.
• Help Scouts evaluate their progress.

Coach:

• Teach the required skills.
• Provide opportunity for Scouts to practice skills under guidance.
• Take a genuine interest in projects and encourages Scouts to complete tasks. It is permissible for a Counselor to set up field trips with the Scout and his buddy in order to help the Scout earn the badge. This is not babying the Scout. If the Scout has not contacted the Counselor in some time, a coach acting as cheer-leader can contact the Scout to see if he is ready to do more work on the badge.

Register with Unit or District Yearly

 

Counselor must be over 18 years old

 

Badges can be earned from joining to age 18

A youth who begins a badge at age 11 has until his 18^th birthday to complete it. The “current requirements” are used to determine if the badge has been “completed”. If a young man brings a partial to a Counselor to complete, the badge is not to be “started over”. Provided that the youth has the knowledge to continue with the badge, it is within the Counselors realm to finish the badge with the youth. {Example: If Joe started a badge in 2000 but did not work on it again until 2004, he would use the requirements in the 2004 requirements book. If he still had not finished it and worked some more on the badge in 2006, he would need to use the 2006 requirements book. This sounds simple until the youth realizes that the requirements usually get harder rather than easier and it is best to have the youth finish the badge in a timely manner.}

Group Instruction Policy

Scouts as a group, but individual “testing” is necessary to ensure the individual Scout meets all badge requirements. Testing refers to the Counselor knowing that the Scout has all of the skills required to fulfill the badge requirements. It does not mean written or multiple choice exams.

• The Scout asks for a signed Merit Badge card and Counselors’ names from the Unit Adult Scouter delegated to provide the information.
  
  The Unit Advancement Chair is responsible for creating and maintaining a Unit Merit Badge Counselor list. The District Advancement Chair provides an updated approved list of Counselors to the Unit Advancement Chair. It is very important that the youth are not given the complete list of Counselors at any time. We as a group must safeguard the personal information given to us by the adults willing to counsel the youth. The Unit Advancement Chairman is also responsible for letting the District know if a Counselor is no longer available so that the name can be taken off of the district list. The youth only need the Counselor’s name and phone number. Where the Scout, his buddy and the Counselor meet; is to be negotiated between the Scout and the Counselor.
  
  
• No individual may counsel an individual Scout in excess of 5 Merit Badges without Cascade Pacific Council and individual District approval. This gives the youth the opportunity to experience a diversity of Counselors and experiences. Joe Scouter may register as a Counselor for 39 different Merit Badges; however, he may only serve as a Counselor 5 times for each individual Scout.
  
  
• The Scout keeps Merit Badge card while he is working on the badge. This teaches responsibility and prevents the problem of the Counselor misplacing the card. This is a Council Suggestion and also falls under “Unit Decides”.
  
  
• The Unit should keep a Merit Badge Book library for Scouts to use. This is a great use for the Troop Librarian leadership position as the youth can actually work with the Unit Advancement Chairman to keep the Counselors informed of changes to the badges, can work with the Unit Finance Chairman to keep the books updated and can work with his fellow Scouts by checking out the books and making sure they are returned in a timely manner.
  
  
• Courts of Honor should be held for group recognition, preferably quarterly.
  
  
• Unit provides training for counselors when they are new and on a yearly basis.
  
  

• Merit Badge process and training dates for the Unit
• Who has the blank Merit Badge cards
• Who holds the Merit Badge card while the Scout is working on it - Counselor or Scout -- pros and cons to each method - Group Discussion
• Which badges the Counselor is qualified to teach. The Unit controls the quality of their Merit Badge program and should know each of the Counselors with whom their Unit is working.
• How the Scout gets a Merit Badge book: Unit library, from the Counselor, or Scout buys his own.
• How Merit Badge cards are processed once the requirements are completed:
  • Do one or two portions of the card go back to the Unit?
  • Does the Scout keep a portion and the Unit keeps the other?
• How instant and group recognition is handled:
  • When and where the Scout is awarded his Merit Badges, the cards and rank advancements.

• which adult leader can hand out Merit Badge Cards
• how many Merit Badges can be worked on at any given time
• where the in-process Merit Badge Cards are kept(by the Counselor, Youth or Adult Leaders)
• how the Merit Badge pamphlets are obtained
• how many badges each Counselor can sign up to teach
• any other issues that the Unit Committee feels should be in writing

LEFT SECTION:

Information for Applicant: Reinforces the requirement of having a registered counselor, the buddy system and that the Scout needs to return the finished card to his Unit Leader when he has completed the Badge.

Information for Counselor: Reinforces that the Unit Leader must sign the card before the Scout begins the badge, the buddy system, and that the Counselor MAY NOT change any requirement while sharing knowledge and experience with the Scout.

CENTER SECTION:

Record of Completed Requirements: The middle portion of the dated side of the card gives space for the Counselor to record the Scout’s progress. If the Scout completes more than one requirement on a given date they can be recorded on the same line. For example: if the Scout completes the first 4 sub-requirements for a badge with 3 remaining sub-requirements the line could read 1a-d; 1/5/07; AAA.

When all of the requirements have been completed the Counselor can write “Complete” across the whole section. Often Camp Counselors will write the partial completed with their signature across this area and the Scout will ask the new Counselor to complete the badge with him. The new Counselor should not re-test or ask for skills/requirements already completed, but should ask enough questions to ensure the Scout's knowledge of the topic.

A new Merit Badge Application Form can be stapled to the original if this section of the card is full for any reason. There are Badges that have many requirements and all may not fit on a single card. Another option would be to staple an index card to the Merit Badge Application and list the Requirement number, date and Counselor's initials as the remaining requirements are completed.{As a reminder, partial is not a dental term. There are many situations where a Scout could have a partial badge that he wishes to complete. This is one aspect of Merit Badge Counseling}.

RIGHT SECTION:

Application for Merit Badge: The Scout fills out the top section of this card with the requested information. If he has not done so, the Counselor should ask him to fill it out completely. Remember, Merit Badges are a form of mini-job to give experience with adults. Part of real life is filling out applications. The word “Explorer” is still on the form. There are still “Explorer” Scouts, however, it may be crossed out and the word “Venture Scout” may be placed above, if that is appropriate.

The Scout should know his Unit Number, District and Council. The final line on this section is the Unit Leader’s signature and a date. If this information is missing, send the Scout back to his Unit Leader for this signature. It is part of the process that the Unit Leader be aware that the Scout is doing the particular Merit Badge at this time. If the date is not current, that is not an issue; the signature of the Unit Leader is what is important.

LEFT SECTION:

Counselor’s Information: This is filled out by the Counselor. It includes the Merit Badge name, the Counselor ’s personal information. The Counselor may choose to list his/her phone number only with no home address. This information allows the Scout to contact the Counselor about the badge while he is working on it. The Counselor does not sign or date this portion of the card until the Scout has completed ALL of the requirements necessary for the Badge.

The final section of this portion of the card is for the Unit Leader responsible for recording Merit Badge information. It includes the date and signature of the recorder and when the Badge was presented. It is up to the Unit to state in their written policies what happens to the remaining two sections of the Merit Badge Application.

CENTER SECTION:

Applicant’s Record: Once again the Scout should fill out his name and the name of the Merit Badge he is applying for. The approval date and signature of the Counselor are not filled in until all of the Merit Badge requirements have been successfully completed. The final line is where the Unit Leader signs after the Scout and the Counselor have completed and signed the Merit Badge Application form. When the Unit Leader has signed the completed form, the Scout should receive recognition according to Unit policy.

RIGHT SECTION:

Counselor’s Record: The Scout should complete his name, Unit type and number, and the Merit Badge that he working on. Once all requirements are complete, the Counselor should date this section and cut it off, keeping it for his records. It is suggested that a small file box or baseball card pocket-pages be used for this purpose. The Counselor can be consulted if questions arise or if the Scout needs the information on the Counselor’s record at another point in time. Keeping the card also helps if the Merit Badge Counselor is registered for more than 5 Merit Badges, as it is Council Policy that no Counselor work with any one Scout on more than 5 Badges. The card should be kept by the Counselor until the Scout turns 18 years old.

There is an area for "Remarks" for anything the Counselor might like to remember about his experience with this particular Scout, including the fact that it might be a partially completed Merit Badge. {There are many reasons for changing Counselors; the most common being that a badge is started at Summer Camp or that the Scout or Counselor moves.} The new Counselor who finishes the Badge with the Scout will work with a new Merit Badge Application form and keep the Counselor's Record portion of that card for their records.

1. The Scout asks for a signed Merit Badge card from the Scouter delegated to provide the cards. Discussion of who this designated Scouter can be - it is up to Committee, but the Scoutmaster must still be aware of what badges are being worked on by what Scouts and with whom.
   
   
2. The delegated Scouter supplies the Scout with names and contact information for potential Merit Badge Counselors.
   
   
3. The Scout obtains a copy of the Merit Badge pamphlet on his chosen subject in the manner chosen by the Unit. The Unit is responsible for ensuring the Scouts and Counselors have the current requirements if the pamphlet does not contain the current requirements.
   
   
4. The Scout contacts the Merit Badge Counselor. The Counselor should have a notebook that includes information for the badge, have read the Merit Badge pamphlet for the badge, should know and be able to coach the Scout through the topic and activities involved with the badge, and have a plan for working with the Scout. This plan should be discussed during the first contact which is generally over the telephone. The Scout should have a clear and realistic expectation of what the badge entails.
   
   
5. With a buddy, the Scout meets with the Merit Badge Counselor. The Scouts and the Counselor should both be taking notes and make sure that the Scout understands what is necessary to accomplish before the next meeting. A date should be scheduled for the next meeting.
   
   
6. The Scout works with the Counselor and performs the tasks necessary in order to meet the badge requirements.
   
   
   
   
7. When the Counselor is satisfied that all requirements have been completed, the Merit Badge card is signed. No additional requirements may be added or nothing should be subtracted. Heap praise upon the Scout for a job well done.
   
   
8. The Merit Badge Counselor keeps the portion of the Merit Badge card titled "Counselor's Record" and returns the other portions to the Scout. The "Counselor's Record" is a back-up for the Scout in case he, at any point, needs to prove that he has actually finished the badge. The "Counselor's Record" can be kept in the same notebook used for the badge information by utilizing baseball card protector sheets. The "Counselor's Record" has saved more than one Scout as records were missing when he went to apply for Eagle. Being able to go back to the Counselor is yet another way that the Counselor supports the Scouts. The cards should be kept until the Scout is at least 18 years old.
   
   
9. The Scout follows his Unit's procedures for turning in the "Applicant's Record" portion of the card.
   
   
10. The Troop's process for posting and recognizing the Scout's achievement is put in place. The Scout has until his 18 ^th birthday to complete work on a Merit Badge.
    
    
11. A Merit Badge stays on the Scout's permanent record after being awarded. Process & Review generally sides with the Scout in these matters.

• Part of the Leader’s job is to ensure quality control over the program. Have a written set of guidelines for your Unit's Merit Badge Process.
  
  
• Remember that a Scout is honest. If he produces a signed card and says he fulfilled the requirements, believe him.
  
  
• Look at the age and development level of the Scout before giving him a list of Counselors for a badge. Counsel the youth to work on badges for which he is ready and will be successful in completing. For example, most 11 year old boys will not be able to complete Personal Finance or Citizenship in the World without a lot of coaching from an adult.
  
  
• Remind all Counselors that they are making a minimum one year commitment to the program for every boy in your Unit. They cannot sign up for a single event (such as a Merit Badge Fair) without approval from the Council Advancement Chairman. No one can sign up to help just a single boy.
  
  
• When there is a change in the Counselor’s registration status mid-term (move, no longer available, etc.), it is the place of the Unit to inform the District Advancement Chairman so that Counselor’s name can be removed from the District Merit Badge List.
  
  
• Give each parent in your unit a Merit Badge Counselor Information Form and ask them what they can do and feel comfortable doing. Let them know that by signing up they would be available to the whole troop and that all boys, or no boys, could ask for their help.
  
  
• Emphasize to the boys and their parents the need to keep their copy of the MB cards and keep good records so they have all the necessary dates when they complete their Eagle Application Form.
  
  
• Stress to everyone involved the importance of having the Scout choose a variety of Counselors. Merit Badges should be seen as mini-jobs, creating the opportunity for the Scout to work with many diverse adults in a safe learning environment.
  
  
• It is appropriate to go outside of your Unit to find a Counselor if there is not a Counselor available within your Unit for a given Badge. This is why the District and the Council have a list of approved Merit Badge Counselors that covers the whole Cascade Pacific Boy Scout area.
  
  

1. Rank Advancement from Tenderfoot to First Class
   
   There is great flexibility to modify the early rank advancement criteria to enable a Scout with special needs to achieve his advancement goals. An “Individual Scout Achievement” is a tool that has been developed to help facilitate this end. It can be obtained through the Scout Office and has been incorporated into the Council Advancement Policies and Procedures Manual. Once completed, it should be submitted to the Advancement Committee for Scouts with Special Needs for review and approval.
   
   
2. Rank Advancement for Star, Life and Eagle Ranks
   
   The Committee does not have the same flexibility to modify Merit Badge requirements. The National Regulations state that: No Council, District, Unit or Individual has the authority to add to, or subtract from, any Advancement Requirement.” Yet, the Special Needs Committee has been very successful in developing avenues that enable the Scout to obtain a given required Merit Badge, without alteration in the practice or principle of the badge requirements.
   
   For those who attempted a Merit Badge but were unable to complete its requirements, an “Alternative Merit Badge Program” is available. Through the principle of “reasonable accommodation” every effort is made by the Committee to provide the Scouting experience to all.
   
   

How to proceed:

1. Contact the Cascade Pacific Council for the necessary forms: an “Application for Individual Scout Achievement Plan ”
   
   
2. Follow the directions and fill out every line on the form
   
   
3. Send the form to the Special Needs Committee % Cascade Pacific Council Office
   
   
4. You will be contacted by the Committee.
   
   

• Individual and Group Counselor training on both the Unit and District levels
  
  
• On-line Fast Start and Youth Protection (which are a wonderful way to introduce non-Scouters to what Scouting is all about)
  
  
• Round Tables
  
  
• District Trainings
  
  
• Advancement Extravaganza
  
  
• Trainers Development Conference
  
  
• Outdoor Skills Institute
  
  
• Wood Badge
  
  
• other Unit, District and Council events.