Merit Badges

Super Troop 197 Merit Badge Application/Approval Process

Summer Camp Merit Badges

The summer merit badge season is upon us. If you are attending one of our two BSA summer camp sessions, all of the documentation for your merit badges will be handled at the camps and then provided directly to the appropriate Troop 197 leaders and/or we will download from the camp website. You will NOT need to obtain the blue cards discussed below prior to attending our two summer Camps.

Roughly speaking, Scouts will take merit badge classes at summer camp and on the final day of camp, a completion report will be given to them or to the summer camp adult leader to give to the Scouts. Scouts do not need to bring blue cards to summer camp.

Do not lose these completion reports! These completion reports will contain info on which merit badges were completed or partially completed. Later in the summer, our Troop's advancement coordinator will record this data in TroopMaster.

If a merit badge, that you are taking at summer camp, has prerequisites or long-duration requirements, you can certainly get started on that merit badge early prior to going to camp. Just bring your work to summer camp with you to get your counselor to sign off on that work.

Once you return from summer camp, you can finish any incomplete merit badges. To do so, you must request a blue card from your Scoutmaster and together identify a merit badge counselor to work with. Together, you will finish the merit badge and get the counselor to sign your blue card.

Working on Merit Badges Outside of Summer Camp

Planning and managing your merit badge program is a critical component of the learning and personal growth you will experience as you progress through the scouting advancement program. The Scoutmaster/assistant Scoutmasters expect each scout to be responsible for planning how, when, and where you will complete your merit badge requirements, as well as for contacting both the merit badge counselor and appropriate Scoutmaster. We encourage you to plan far enough in advance to ensure that you have the blue card BEFORE you begin working on the merit badge requirements. If you plan ahead you will minimize the possibility of not having the required approvals because the person you need is out of town.

PLEASE READ THE INFORMATION BELOW

(Not applicable to MB's earned at BSA Summer Camps)

After the scout decides which merit badge he is interested in earning he must:

1. Contact the appropriate scoutmaster as set forth below to discuss how, when, and where he will complete the requirements. The scout must also identify both the merit badge counselor and buddy, or buddies, with whom he will be working. Remember - THE SCOUT MUST ALWAYS HAVE ANOTHER PERSON WITH HIM AT EACH MEETING WITH THE MERIT BADGE COUNSELOR. Scouts must obtain approval from his rank scoutmaster. See Leadership for the names of each rank scoutmaster.

1. For your information a merit badge counselor must:
   1. be at least 18 years old
   2. be recognized as having the skills, training, knowledge, and/or education in the subjects for which he/she serves as a merit badge counselor.
   3. be registered with the Boy Scouts of America and approved by the Council Advancement Committee. ( Applications may be
      downloaded from the Atlanta Council website at www.atlantabsa.org under Forms.) Once completed please make sure the forms are mailed/handed to your scoutmaster for registration.
   4. A counselor may register to work with only one unit or with all units.
2. A counselor must agree to:
   1. follow the requirements of the merit badge, making no deletions or additions, ensuring that the advancement standards are fair and uniform for all scouts.
   2. have a scout and his buddy present at all instruction sessions.
   3. if the scout needs assistance identifying a registered counselor he should call one of the scoutmasters for assistance.
   4. after the scout has obtained approval from one of the scoutmasters named above, he may then ask for a blue card from that scoutmaster.
   5. when the counselor is satisfied that the scout has met the requirements as they are stated - no more and no less, he or she will sign the blue card, which then will need to be turned in to the scoutmaster, to be signed and processed for advancement.