Merit Badge Program

What's new in Merit Badges - Centennial Year Only Merit Badges

Here is the link to the latest (April 1, 2010) announcement by BSA:Centennial Historic Merit Badges

Use the requirements in the following Official BSA Merit Badge Pamphlets.

Here are the links to the Official BSA Merit Badge Pamphlets for the four Historical Merit Badges

http://www.scouting.org/filestore/pdf/historic_signaling_new.pdf

http://www.scouting.org/filestore/pdf/historic_tracking_new.pdf

http://www.scouting.org/filestore/pdf/historic_pathfinding_new.pdf

http://www.scouting.org/filestore/pdf/historic_carpentry_new.pdf

Remember, these Merit Badges must be completed by December 31, 2010.

Centennial Badges of Rank

All Cub Scout and Boy Scout Rank badges earned in 2010 will be available with the 2010 year as part of the Badge.

Check out the rank badges for 2010 only.

New Merit Badge for 2010

New Merit Badge for 2010, Geocaching Check it out!

Background and Purposes Click here for BSA Fact Sheet on The Merit Badge Program

As chartered by the Congress of the United States, the Boy Scouts of America is a movement dedicated to supplementing and enlarging the education of youth. The merit badge program, which provides opportunities for youth to explore 121 fields of skill and knowledge, plays a key role in the fulfillment of this educational commitment.

A vital part of the BSA's advancement plan, the merit badge program is one of Scouting's basic character-building tools. Through participation in the program (which may begin immediately upon registration in a troop or team), a Scout acquires the kind of self-confidence that comes only from overcoming obstacles to achieve a goal. Instruction is offered in everything from animal science and public speaking to swimming and communications, providing a young man with invaluable career, physical, and interpersonal skills.

Merit Badge Pamphlets

Each merit badge subject is outlined and explained in a pamphlet that contains short introductory information written for Boy Scouts, Venturing Scouts, Sea Scouts, and Varsity Scouts by recognized authorities. More than a million pamphlets are sold yearly, and many are used as approved reference texts in libraries and school curricula.

Counselors

People who are knowledgeable about the various merit badge subjects are selected, approved, and trained by council and district advancement committees to serve as merit badge counselors. For example, a dentist might be asked to serve as a counselor for the Dentistry merit badge. A counselor must not only possess the necessary technical knowledge but also have a solid understanding of the needs, interests, and abilities of Scouts. A counselor must also be a registered adult with the BSA.

Procedure

When a Scout has an interest in earning a particular merit badge, he obtains his Scoutmaster's/Varsity Scout Coach's approval and identifies another Scout with similar interests to become his partner. They are then directed to the appropriate merit badge counselor. The counselor reviews the badge requirements with the young men and decides with them what projects should be undertaken and when they should be completed. After the counselor has certified that the Scouts have qualified for the merit badge, it is presented to them at a troop/team meeting and can be applied toward rank advancement.

Badges for Eagle

To qualify for the Eagle Scout Award, Scouting's highest advancement rank, a Scout must—along with meeting five other requirements—earn a total of 21 merit badges, including First Aid, Citizenship in the Community, Citizenship in the Nation, Citizenship in the World, Communications, Personal Fitness, Emergency Preparedness OR Lifesaving, Environmental Science, Personal Management, Camping, Hiking OR Cycling OR Swimming and Family Life.

There are 121 merit badges in the merit badge program. Each one has a corresponding merit badge pamphlet, and the series is written with the 12-year-old Boy Scout in mind. In addition, the pamphlets are designed for a very broad audience of Scouts. The pamphlets are available from Scouting retailers, or may be ordered online at http://www.scoutstuff.org. To provide the Scouting experience to as many boys as possible, we consider the diversity of the Scouts we serve regarding region, economics, ethnicity, and social and religious background.

While the pamphlet is not required for the Scout to earn the merit badge, it helps the counselor to know what the Scout may be studying and the level of learning expected of the Scout. Many of the merit badge pamphlets contain suggested projects and other activities or demonstrations to help the Scout fulfill the requirements or to stimulate other ideas from the Scout and his merit badge counselor. Each book also contains a helpful resources section.

For official requirements, the current-year Boy Scout Requirements book takes precedence. However, once a Scout has started working on a merit badge, he may stay with the requirements in effect when he started. He will not be required to meet newly introduced changes unless the BSA's National Council places a specific time line on the implementation of new requirements.

Use the menus to the left to view more Merit Badge information. Check the Orange County Council's Advancement Committee Policies for a Merit Badge related policy Here.

Source of information on this page was kindly provided by: The Boy Scouts of America, National Council at http://www.scouting.org/

Last revision was made on: November 7, 2008 by Dave Exter.

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