Merit Badges

You can learn about sports, crafts, science, trades, business and future careers as you earn merit badges.  There are more than 100 merit badges.  Any Boy Scout may earn any merit badge at any time.  You don’t need to have rank advancement to be eligible.

Pick a Subject.  Talk with your Scoutmaster, Advancement Chair or parent about your interests.  Read the requirements of the merit badges you think might interest you.  Pick one to earn.  Your Scoutmaster or Troop Advancement Chair will give you the name of a person from a list of counselors or help you find a counselor from one of their many community contacts.

If you are meeting with a Merit Badge Counselor alone, you must have another person with you at each meeting.  This person can be another Scout, your parents, brother or sister, a relative or friend.

Get a merit badge application form (blue card) from your Troop Advancement Chair and have your Scoutmaster sign it.  BEFORE you begin working on a merit badge you must have this card SIGNED.

When the counselor is satisfied that you have met each requirement, he or she will sign your application (blue card).  Give the signed application (blue card) to your Troop Advancement Chair so that you may get your merit badge.

You are expected to meet the requirements as they are stated – no more, no less. You are expected to do exactly what is stated in the requirements.  If it says “show or demonstrate,” that is what you must do.  Just telling about it isn’t enough.  The same thing holds true for such words as “make”, “list”, “in the field”, “collect”, “identify” and “label”.

Merit badges earned at summer camp or any of the Merit Badge Colleges (Holy Cross and Hoopeston) is a different story.  Since so much preparation is done with the Scoutmaster, Assistant Scoutmaster or person in charge of those activities it is unnecessary for you to get a “blue card” signed prior to attending those events.  These events are the only exception otherwise you need a “blue card” signed by the Scoutmaster BEFORE you start the merit badge.

12/2005