How to sign up Merit Badge Counselors

[gwd-scouter]

For many years, our District has tried, without success, to sign up Merit Badge Counselors. It's has been left up to each Troop to find counselors themselves, with the result being that the troop leadership actually does the counseling.

 

What methods have been successful in your Districts in recruiting counselors. Or, how has your Troop recruited counselors?

 

This is but one more area that I would like to see changed in our Troop - having the Scouts actually work with someone outside the Troop.

 

Thanks for any advice.

[John-in-KC]

First, there are a LOT of skillsets in each Troops leadership ... When you think of our hobbies and day jobs it's amazing how fast we cover a lot of interests.

 

Next is getting folks to take the training: In our district, we use MB counselor as one of those "this is an easy Scouting job, it only takes an hour a week" kind of positions. THEN we reel 'em in!

 

We do offer MB Counselor training every month of the program year as part of District Roundtable.

[Lisabob]

I don't know that the district itself has actively sought recruits around here. But what I do know works well is a personal request, particularly to people who are already working with kids in some capacity. Teachers, in particular, seem fairly willing, especially when one of "their" kids asks them.

 

Also, recently we've had good luck getting people from the local military reserve units to sign up as MBCs. One guy I can think of, who is ex-Navy, agreed to do the oceanography mb and he is capable of holding the kids spell-bound with real-life experience stories about submarine hunting, which he winds into his mb sessions. It certainly has made this an exciting and sought-after mb for our boys.

 

Lisa'bob

[Eagledad]

Go to other troops close by and trade counselor list. This way you are going outside your troop but still getting experienced counselors.

 

Barry