Merit Badges - how's it really done

[Eagle76]

The discussion in the original thread began to wander to the topic of how merit badges are supposed to be signed off, and my comments seemed to initiate it. So I'm spinning off this thread to continue.

 

Many comments regarded how the process is supposed to work, but I'm going to air our troop's "dirty laundry" with regard to "The Way We've Always' Done Things." I know it's wrong, and I hope through steady pressure to change things, but I'm curious as to how many other troops "cut corners" in this regard.

 

First, our troop committee recruits among the parents for volunteers to counsel merit badges. From a list, parents check off those merit badges they're willing to counsel.

IS: A member of the troop committe compiles a merit badge counsellor list, which is distributed to all.

Should Be: Merit badge counsellors fill out applications, which are sent to the Council, which then approves (or rejects) the applications

 

IS: Scouts use the list to contact a troop parent about being their counsellor, and then get a blue card from the Scoutmaster.

SB: Scouts approach the Scoutmaster, get a blue card, and are directed to a counsellor from a Council-approved list by the SM. (SM should also direct Scout to a counsellor to complete a partial, say one begun at summer camp.)

 

After completing the merit badge requirements and getting them signed by the counsellor, the blue card is brought to the SM for his final signature, then given to the Advancement Chair. Blue cards are turned in with the Troopmaster advancement report to purchase the merit badges for the COH.

IS: No checking on the validity of counsellors seems to be done by the Council.

SB: Council verifies that counsellors have filled out applications and been approved.

 

So, my question is, are we alone in being out of line, or is this fairly common? To be honest, I don't even know for sure if our Council maintains an approved list of merit badge counsellors.

[Eagle69]

For 27 years I've done it pretty much the IS way. A couple of differences is that I've never registered anybody as a merit badge couneselor and the blue card never leaves the troop. I've never seen or heard of a Council/District Merit Badge Counselor list and have never been asked by the Registrar for a blue card.

 

I spent years on the training team and have spent many hours sitting in the DE's office visiting and this has never come up so I presume it is not something our council does.

[gwd-scouter]

Eagle76, At least your troop is almost doing it the way it is supposed to be done.

 

Our District doesn't have a merit badge counselor list. Each troop fends for themselves. Some Troops may have a list with applications on each counselor. However, most (including ours) have the SM, ASMs, Committee members and parents working as merit badge counselors - no applications sent to Council.

 

Before anyone sends in a rant about how our troop is doing it wrong wrong wrong - I agree. Since becoming SM, everything about the way our troop did things had to be changed and the way merit badges were done and signed off is just one item on a long list.

 

We're working on it, but other things like getting adult and youth leaders trained, setting up functioning patrols, increasing participation in meetings and outings, etc., have been a higher priority for the past year.

[scoutingagain]

Eagle 76,

 

In our council, MB Counselor lists are maintained at the District level by the District Advancement Chair. We also recruit MB Counselors from the ranks of parents but, they are asked to fill out an application and it is submitted to the District Advancement Chair.

 

However, my real peeve with MB's in our District is how in frequent the standard MB process is used. Most scouts earn 95% of their MB's at summer camp, in classes, at a District Sponsored Merit Badge University, in classes or at MB specific camporees or camp weekends, in classes either sponsored by a specific unit or the District. Very few, go the standard route of getting approval from the SM, and then individually contacting a MB Counselor.

 

SA

 

[kittle]

Our council has a list of approved merit badge counselore. I obtained a copy from council shortly after my son crossed over to a Troop a year and a half ago. On the list that our council has, the counselor list which troop or troops he/she would be willing to work with. Some are willing to work with any Troop and some are willing to only work with their local Troop.

[scoutldr]

Each District maintains a list of REGISTERED MBC. If they are not registered, MB earned are not valid and "could" be a problem when the Eagle app is filed. In reality, I don't think they are checked, as the list changes yearly. We don't have a MBUniv (thank God). All MB are earned either at camp, or with an approved counsellor. Most registered counsellors work within their own troop, but they still must be registered and have YP training.

[GernBlansten]

Our district maintains a list of MBC. However, it is nearly impossible to have them generate that valid list for us.

I've turned in several advancement forms to district to get merit badges. No form to district required the MBC name on it. Just the SM, CC and AC signatures. So no cross checking of MBCs to merit badges earned at the district level. Its up to our troop.

I've also turned in 6 eagle applications in the past year, district just verified each merit badge was in the system, not if the MBC was valid (remember, they don't require it when they issue the badge).

Personally, from what I've seen of the data management capabilities of our district, it would be beyond their capability to provoide such a service.

So our troop is more the (IS) case.

[scouter-mom]

Additional information: I also used to think that MBC had to have YPT training. But, that is not correct. Yes, they need to be registered (and therefore a background check could be run). The buddy system should be used by the Scout which protects him. The Scout either brings a parent along or another Scout to the meeting(s) with the MBC.

 

I know that when our District was making every MBC take YPT we lost some MBC. Some MBC are not regular, active members of the scouting program. They sign on (and register) as a MBC to be of help, but taking YPT means that they have to invest more time, and many of them were getting frustrated and backed out of volunteering their time.

 

I learned this when I took Boy Scout Advancement training this summer (National level training, at Philmont Training Center).

 

Hope this helps.

[EagleInKY]

E76 - Our approach is very similar to yours. I've spoken to the DAC about it, because other Districts in our council follow the "official" process. There's no interest in changing things, so we're on our own.

 

One thing that I think we do different is with registering MBCs. If someone (parent, friend, grandparent, etc.) agrees to council a MB, and they are not a registered scouter, we go through the process of registering them. They fill out the MBC form and the BSA registration. However, we never hear any confirmation back from council. We generally assume no news is good news.

[oldsm]

My District maintains a list of MBCs, all of whom must be properly registered (adult application and MBC app). My District also requires a new adult app every year to maintain registration as an MBC (a pain), even if we're also registered as Scouters.

 

Within my troop, I as SM do most of the MBC recruiting among parent ranks, based on what I learn of parent interests and skills, and what our needs are. Of course, they also get registered. We also sign a few people who are not parents, but who have specific interest or skills and maybe some past affiliation with scouting.

 

My scouts do earn most of their MBs at summer camp, but they are also encouraged to work on others throughout the year as individuals or pairs. We insist that they ask for a blue card, get a counselor approved (they can request a particular MBC, but the SM reserves the right to approve or disapprove). The Scout then contacts the counselor, does the work, and hands in his completed blue card to the SM.

 

I've found that advancement records are better if I maintain Troopmaster myself (and get the awards, etc.). No one else seems to be able to stay current.

 

If a scout wants to earn a MB outside the district (perhaps at a sailing camp or some similar activity, I make sure that the proposed counselor is in fact registered in his/her jurisiction.

 

My council used to ask for blue cards along with the advancement reports, but they dropped that - probably because too many units complained about delays and lost blue cards at the council. However, my district advancement chair checks them when a boy comes up for Eagle.

 

Basically, I police the MB process for my unit. It's a pain (only another hour a week), but I've never had a question at Eagle time.

[SueM]

In our council, we basically have no MB Counselors (as we were told this by our DC) so we're on our own. Our troop did "BOR's" for every MB..but before you jump all over me, let me say that this this was just the name we used..we have since changed them to MB Summary. Since there ARE no real MB counselors in our council, it is more or less just a chance for the boys to sit down and discuss what they learned from the MB with adults. We have never "failed" any boy on them but it does give us a chance to review whether or not all the requirements have been done. The troop has also not used blue cards (except if they were required for something like summer camp or MB-U for many years.

 

That said..I have just started teaching the Family Life MB with my troop and I am trying very hard to instill in them a high standards of effort before I will sign off on their badge.

[SWScouter]

Eagle76 wrote, "After completing the merit badge requirements and getting them signed by the counsellor, the blue card is brought to the SM for his final signature, then given to the Advancement Chair."

 

I just want to clarify this because I have seen misunderstanding here. The SM's final signature is just a receipt for the scout, it is not a MB approval. The scout retains the portion of the blue card that the SM signs. This way, if the troop doesn't properly turn in the MB on the advancement report, the scout has the blue card signed by both the MB counselor and the SM thus showing that he both completed the MB and turned in the blue card to the unit leader.

 

SWScouter

[GernBlansten]

Am I missing something? Are blue cards ever turned into District/Council?

The scout gets his portion, the AC gets his copy. The AC transfers the info to an advancement form which is submitted to council for the badge. No blue card remnant is attached to the advancement form. Correct?

[oldsm]

Gern,

 

What you describe is the way it's done now, and I believe it is the correct process. We USED TO have to turn in blue cards along with the advancement report - then the blue cards were SUPPOSED TO be returned to the unit. Problem was that the blue cards often didn't get returned. The only potential drawback is that Council cannot easily check the validity of MBC signatures on the cards (I wonder if they ever did!). Oh, well. A scout(er) is supposed to be trustworthy.

[evmori]

We still must turn in blue cards with advancement reports for merit badges.

 

It sounds like this unit wants to keep everything in-house and that, at least to me, raises red flags.

 

Ed Mori

Troop 1

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