Merit Badge Counselor Training

As a Merit Badge Counselor (MBC), you are a key player in the Boy Scout advancement program. Whatever your area of expertise or interest — whether it is a special craft or hobby (basketry, leatherwork, coin collecting), a profession (veterinary medicine, aviation, engineering), or perhaps a life skill (cooking, personal management, communications) — you play a vital role in stirring a young man's curiosity about that particular topic. By serving as a MBC, you offer your time, knowledge, and other resources so that Scouts can explore a topic of interest.

As a MBC, you must be

  • Qualified: "They must be men and women of good character, age 18 or older, and recognized as having the skills and education in the subjects for which they are to serve as merit badge counselors, as well as the ability to work with Scout-age boys. - Advancement Policies #33088, Section 7.0.1.1
  • Registered: "as a merit badge counselor" - Advancement Policies #33088, Section 7.0.1.5
  • Approved: "for each specific merit badge." - Advancement Policies #33088, Section 7.0.1.4
  • Trained: "in the aims of Scouting and in advancement procedures." - Advancement Policies #33088, Section 7.0.1.6

Merit Badge Counselor training will walk you through the process of coaching and mentoring boys, safety tips, and how to correctly fill out the blue card.

To satisfy the training requirement, we are requesting that all MBCs view the following Merit Badge Counselor Training video. The video was created by the Inland Northwest Council.

Note the following differences between their guidelines versus those from our council, the Greater Los Angeles Area Council.

  • Youth Protection Training: GLAAC abides by the Western Region guideline of requiring annual certification of YPT.
  • Maximum number of MB for each MBC: GLAAC does not specify any maximum (Inland Northwest Council places a maximum of 7 MBs).
  • Maximum number of MB earned from the same Counselor: GLAAC does not specify any maximum (Inland Northwest Council places a maximum of 5 MBs from the same Counselor).

Please sumbit your information in the form below to record your completion.

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Press the submit button, after certifying completion.

 

 

Other useful training resources:

  • A Guide for Merit Badge Counseling (Publication 512-065, 2016 printing). A good overview of the MBC process.
  • The Essentials of Merit Badge Counseling. This PowerPoint presentation with speaker notes covers the required procedures for merit badge counseling, clarifies the role of counselors in the BSA advancement program, and discusses the appropriate approaches to use in working with Scouts. It is intended as an instructor-led presentation to counselors of any experience level and takes 60 to 90 minutes to complete. Much of this presentation is included the training video above.