In order to qualify as a merit badge counselor, prospective volunteers must have the education and skills needed to provide instruction and to evaluate performance. They must be at least 18 years old, able to set a positive example through both good character and rapport.
Officially, certifying merit badge counselor (abbreviated MBC in this post) is the responsibility of the Sequoyah Council with annual certification for Youth Protection Training and which merit badges. A BSA Adult Leader Application with position code 42 is required for new merit badge counselors, which can be completed for free or added to a recent (in current calendar year) application for Assistant Scoutmaster role. In addition, Form 34405 Merit Badge Counselor Information must be completed every calendar year (really wish Scouting BSA would align with two-year Youth Protection Training cycle). The trio of forms electronically (including downloading a Youth Protection Training certificate) were created in about half hour.
While national BSA has online training for this role available in My.Scouting.org, it is not consistent on which courses are needed – and frankly are really dry to listen to, thus our preference is for Troop 48 MBCs (current and new) to review this presentation for The Merit Badge Program which is also available by national BSA.
If interested in being a Merit Badge Counselor for Troop 48, then please complete the information form for your top eight merit badges. If you really want to be able to counsel more, then recommend printing the form to allow a second page, and then scan and send as a PDF. If you are counseling for district or council events, then provide the Adult Leader Application and Youth Protection Certificate to have the complete set of paperwork.
This information is to be routed through our troop’s Advancement Coordinator, Mr. Hasler.
7 April 2021 update. Currently we need Merit Badge Counselors for Canoeing, Chess, Crime Prevention,
Exploration, Fish and Wildlife Management, Genealogy, Insect Study, Inventing, Metalwork, Model Design, Motorboating, Moviemaking, Oceanography, Search and Rescue, Signs, Signals & Codes, Small Boat Sailing, Water Sports, and Wood Carving.
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