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Merit Badge Center Introduction Page -
An introduction to the merit badge area.
Qualifications for Merit Badge Counselors
The following is taken directly from the 2021 edition of the
Guide to Advancement (BSA Publication 33088 - SKU
648216) and should be read by all Merit Badge Counselors.
7.0.1.1 Supervisory Qualifications and Certifications
Several badges involve activities for which the Boy Scouts of America has implemented
strategies to improve safety, enhance the Scouts' experiences, and manage risk.
These activities often require supervision with specialized qualifications and certifications.
Merit badge counselors who do not meet the specific requirements may use the services
of helpers who do. Additional details can be found below, and also in the Guide
to Safe Scouting and the merit badge pamphlets.
General Supervision Requirements
- Swimming and watercraft activities must be conducted In accordance with
BSA Safe Swim Defense or BSA Safety Afloat, respectively, and be supervised
by mature and conscientious adults at least 21 years old and trained In the
program applicable. Counselors for merit badges involving swimming or the use
of watercraft must be so trained, or use helpers who are.
- All physical activities presented in any Scouting program must be conducted
in accordance with The Sweet Sixteen of BSA Safety." These 16 points, embodying
good judgment and common sense, can be found at
www.scouting.org/health-and-safety/gss/sweetl6.
- CPR instruction, wherever it is required, must be taught by people currently
trained as CPR instructors by a nationally certified provider, such as the American
Red Cross, the Emergency Care and Safety Institute, or the American Heart Association,
The following merit badges have special qualifications or certifications
for either the merit badge counselor or the supervisor of certain activities that
may be involved. Counselors and advancement administrators should consult
the merit badge pamphlets for details and to maintain awareness of changes and updates
as pamphlets are revised. (See the footnotes on the individual
web pages linked in the lists below for the details applicable to that badge)
Climbing,
Snow Sports
The qualifications (below) for aquatics-related merit badge counseling
and supervision not only assist in managing risk, but also give counselors credibility.
Current policies are found at Guide to Safe Scouting at
www.scouting.org/ health-and-safety/gss/gss02
and supersede any other publications or literature.
Canoeing,
Kayaking, Lifesaving,
Motorboating, Rowing,
Scuba Diving, Small Boat Sailing,
Swimming, Water Sports,
Whitewater
The qualifications (below) for shooting sports-related merit badge counseling
and supervision not only assist in managing risk, but also give counselors credibility.
Current policies are found at at
www.scouting.org/health-and-safety/gss/gss08
and supersede any other publications or literature. See the Guide to Safe Scouting
and the BSA National Shooting Sports Manual for further details on shooting
sports.
Archery,
Rifle Shooting, Shotgun Shooting
All certifications listed above must be current.
The required qualifications above for merit badge counseling and supervision
not only assist in managing risk, but also give counselors credibility. Scouts will
see them as people of importance they can look up to and learn from. A well-qualified
counselor can extend a young person’s attention span: More will be heard and understood,
discussions will be more productive, and true interest developed. The conversations
can lead to a relationship of mutual respect where the Scout is confident to offer
his thoughts and opinions and value those of his merit badge counselor. Thus it
is that social skills and self-reliance grow, and examples are set and followed.
In approving counselors, the local council advancement committee
has the authority to establish a higher minimum, reasonable level of skills and
education for the counselors of a given merit badge than is indicated in “Qualifications
of Counselors,” 7.0.1.1. For example, NRA certification could be established as
a council standard for approving counselors for the Rifle Shooting or Shotgun Shooting
merit badges.
Note: Although not mentioned in the Guide to Advancement,
the certifications listed all have limited durations and must be periodically renewed.
The BSA
"Training
Times" Newsletter (Spring 2011 issue) had this information:
Training Recertification
Keeping Scouts safe and keeping Scouting leaders up to date with current information
and methods means some of the BSA's training courses need to be retaken every couple
of years.
We all know about Youth Protection training and National Camping School, but
there are some others - including some that have recently been added to the list.
Below is a list of these courses and how often they should be retaken to be valid:
- Youth Protection - every two years
- National Camping School - good for five camping seasons
- Safe Swim Defense - every two years
- Paddle Craft Safety - every three years
- Aquatics Supervision/Swimming and Water Rescue - every three years
- BSA Lifeguard - every three years
- Visitation training - every two years
- Climbing Lead Instructor - every two years
- Climbing Instructor - every two years
- COPE/Climbing Inspector - every two years
- Safety Afloat - every two years
- Chain Saw Safety - every two years
- Trainer's EDGE - every three years
- Hazardous Weather - every two years
- Physical Wellness - every two years
- Climb On Safely - every two years
- Trek Safely - every two years
Revisions to Merit Badge and Scouts BSA Advancement Requirements
Required for Eagle
The following 18 badges are on the list of badges in requirement 3 for Eagle
Scout.
A Scout must earn 14 of them for the rank of Eagle Scout (and 7 others, of course).
Therefore, certain of them are options for others. A Scout may choose any combination
of these 18 merit badges to fulfill requirement number 3 for Star and Life Scout.
(The Scout must have a minimum of 4 of these badges for Star and a minimum of 7 of these
badges for Life) Click here
to see which badges in the list are options. On July 15, 2013, the new
Sustainability merit badge became 16th badge on this list as an alternative to
Environmental Science, On January 1, 2014, Cooking merit badge was added as a
13th required badge for Eagle, and 17th badge on the list.
Camping, Citizenship in Society, Citizenship
in the Community, Citizenship in the Nation,
Citizenship in the World, Communication,
Cooking, Cycling,
Emergency Preparedness, Environmental
Science, Family Life, First
Aid, Hiking, Lifesaving,
Personal Fitness, Personal Management,
Sustainability, Swimming
On November 1, 2021, BSA introduced a new merit badge,
CITIZENSHIP IN SOCIETY, which became the
14th merit badge (and 18th badge in the list) required for the rank of Eagle Scout
on July 1, 2022. The total number of merit badges required for Eagle is still
21, so the requirement changed from 13 required and 8 others to 14 required
and 7 others.
Scouts BSA could use Citizenship in Society as one of the Eagle-Required merit
badges for Star rank requirement #3 or Life requirement #3 anytime after November
1, 2021. For the rank of Eagle Scout, it could be used as an optional merit badge
until July 1, 2022. For Scouts who did not complete all requirements for the rank
of Eagle Scout by that date, Citizenship in Society became required.
The following is a list of all of the 137 current Merit Badges, arranged into
14 logical fields of activity (categories) as they appear in the BSA Pamphlet "Worksheet
for Building a Merit Badge Counselor List" (No. 04439) (with new badges added in
appropriate locations).
- AGRIBUSINESS
ANIMAL SCIENCE, FARM MECHANICS,
PLANT SCIENCE
- ARTS AND CRAFTS
ART, BASKETRY,
BUGLING, LEATHERWORK,
METALWORK, MUSIC,
POTTERY, SCULPTURE,
THEATER, WOOD CARVING
- BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY
AMERICAN BUSINESS, ENTREPRENEURSHIP,
PULP AND PAPER, SALESMANSHIP,
TEXTILE
- CONSERVATION
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE, FISH
AND WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT, FORESTRY,
SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION,
SUSTAINABILITY
- HOBBIES
BACKPACKING, CAMPING,
CHESS, COIN COLLECTING,
COLLECTIONS, COOKING,
DOG CARE, GARDENING,
HIKING, HOME REPAIRS,
INDIAN LORE, MODEL DESIGN
AND BUILDING, PETS,
PIONEERING, RADIO, ROWING,
SCOUTING HERITAGE, STAMP
COLLECTING
- NATURAL SCIENCE
ARCHAEOLOGY, ASTRONOMY,
BIRD STUDY, GEOLOGY,
INSECT STUDY, MAMMAL STUDY,
NATURE, OCEANOGRAPHY,
REPTILE AND AMPHIBIAN STUDY,
WEATHER
- COMMUNICATIONS
MOVIEMAKING, JOURNALISM,
PHOTOGRAPHY, SIGNS, SIGNALS,
AND CODES
- PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT
AMERICAN CULTURES, AMERICAN
HERITAGE, CITIZENSHIP IN SOCIETY,
CITIZENSHIP IN THE COMMUNITY,
CITIZENSHIP IN THE NATION,
CITIZENSHIP IN THE WORLD,
COMMUNICATION, DISABILITIES
AWARENESS, EXPLORATION,
FAMILY LIFE, GENEALOGY,
PERSONAL FITNESS, PERSONAL
MANAGEMENT, PUBLIC SPEAKING,
READING, SCHOLARSHIP,
SEARCH AND RESCUE, TRAFFIC
SAFETY, WILDERNESS SURVIVAL
- PHYSICAL SCIENCE
CHEMISTRY, DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY,
ELECTRICITY, ELECTRONICS,
ENERGY, NUCLEAR SCIENCE,
SPACE EXPLORATION
- PROFESSIONS
ANIMATION, ARCHITECTURE,
DENTISTRY, ENGINEERING,
GAME DESIGN,
HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONS,
INVENTING, LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE,
LAW, MEDICINE
(Discontinued - Replaced by Health Care Professions),
MINING IN SOCIETY, PROGRAMMING,
ROBOTICS, SURVEYING,
VETERINARY MEDICINE
- PUBLIC SERVICE
CRIME PREVENTION, EMERGENCY
PREPAREDNESS, FINGERPRINTING,
FIRE SAFETY, FIRST AID,
LIFESAVING, PUBLIC HEALTH,
SAFETY
- SPORTS
ARCHERY, ATHLETICS,
CANOEING, CLIMBING,
CYCLING, FISHING,
FLY FISHING, GOLF,
GEOCACHING, HORSEMANSHIP,
KAYAKING, MOTORBOATING,
ORIENTEERING, RIFLE SHOOTING,
SCUBA DIVING, SHOTGUN SHOOTING,
SKATING, SMALL-BOAT SAILING,
SNOW SPORTS, SPORTS,
SWIMMING, WATER SPORTS,
WHITEWATER
- TRADES
AMERICAN LABOR, AUTOMOTIVE
MAINTENANCE, COMPOSITE MATERIALS,
DRAFTING, GRAPHIC ARTS,
PAINTING, PLUMBING,
WELDING, WOODWORK
- TRANSPORTATION
AVIATION, RAILROADING,
TRUCK TRANSPORTATION
Page updated on:
January 16, 2024 10:39 AM
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