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So now I'm a Merit Badge Counselor


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Just attended a MB counselor training session for our CO's troop.  

Responding to an appeal for a need to help some boys finish some partials for summer camp.

I signed up for several based on my profession and hobbies.  tempted to sign up for many more that I have interest and experience with.... but stopped at

bugling

drafting

engineering

aviation

scuba

hiking

pulp and paper

and I think I listed orienteering

 

 Really have mixed feeling about offering to help everywhere I can.... but also don't want to over extend either....

could also likely help kids with many others

But where do you stop?

 

I'm guessing it's very unlikely I'll ever get called for most of these, but still....

 

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Congrats!  How in the world did they do a merit badge counselor training?  Is there some set curriculum or something? I went to a training meeting, asked for merit badge counselor training and they insisted there was no such thing.  The only boy I've ever counseled is my own.  I keep trying to tell people I'm a counselor for various badges, but no one ever asks me :(

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I recommend joining the mailing list for "Counselor's Compass".  It's an online document for Merit Badge Counselors that the BSA Advancement Committee puts out.

 

link to current issue

 

In this issue, you'll find another link to "Essentials of Merit Badge Counseling" power point.

 

Thanks @@KenD500.  I've been a merit badge counselor for 11 years and SM for over 7 and never knew about this publication.

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Congrats!  How in the world did they do a merit badge counselor training?  Is there some set curriculum or something? I went to a training meeting, asked for merit badge counselor training and they insisted there was no such thing.  The only boy I've ever counseled is my own.  I keep trying to tell people I'm a counselor for various badges, but no one ever asks me :(

Yes, there was a PP presentation.  I remember her saying that it was available online, council or district, can't remember which.... but searching for 2 minutes I couldn't come up with it to respond with a link....

Basically a pretty good orientation of the process, blue cards, sign offs, etc...

Need YPT, don't add requirements, etc....

Oriented to parents or I suppose other adults willing to help

fill out the paperwork, yet another Adult APPlication, and a sign up of which badges I'm willing to do, etc....

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I recommend joining the mailing list for "Counselor's Compass".  It's an online document for Merit Badge Counselors that the BSA Advancement Committee puts out.

 

link to current issue

 

In this issue, you'll find another link to "Essentials of Merit Badge Counseling" power point.

and in that current issue is a link to the presentation she used!

nice @@KenD500 !

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@@blw2, cut the callers off at 50 sessions a week. That'll leave plenty of free time. ;)

well that's kinda my point...

very unlikely to get any calls, so it's not like too much of a burden

and looking at the list of merit badges, there are a whole lot of them covering topics that I have experience with &/or that I'm very interested in.  i would imagine there are some scouters out there that could easily council almost all of them....

but where do you stop?

 

One things for sure, at least at this point.... I'm not in it for the group classes, the badge fairs, the whole troop things....

If an individual or a small group of buddies get together and want to work on a badge together, that is something I am interested in.  I'll be happy to mentor them, or even just check up on their work and sign them off..... but I'm not interested in spoon feeding or "teaching" anyone.  Am I off base?

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The training is designed for adults.

 

The youth get what they need to know in BSA Requirements, or here at Scouting dot org.

 

Personally, I would prefer you counsel out of troop.  The kids in your troop will figure out how to push your buttons.  Within the ADULT ASSOCIATION method, one of the best things a MB counselor does is get the boy used to a cold call interview ... which he will have at 16 or so when he goes out to get his first JOB!!

Edited by John-in-KC
Moved the topic to Advancement Forum
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Don't think I implied that it was for the boys, but apologies if I did???

 

Also don't think I ever addressed signing up for in troop or out of troop..... but that is an interesting point that did come up briefly.  Our troop Training Chair (the one leading the class) said, when asked, that most folks do sign up for "in troop" only but we discussed that even when folks do that they are still on the council list and most are willing to go "outside" if really needed.

 

Regardless, you're probably right about the out of troop boys.... but in my case I don't know most of the boys in the troop, and those that I do i don't know very well..... so for the short term anyway, this is not much of an issue in my case

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SSI, but not instructor... I'm a Divecon.... which is an Assistant Instructor + Divemaster (seems nobody has ever heard of divecon, or Dive Control Specialist)

I also hold certs from IANTD as Trimix Diver, Technical Diver, Mixed Gas Blender, Equipment Tech.....and a whole bunch of other little recreational specialty certs.

 

I used to do quite a bit of it.  Had a lot of fun but then it seems life got in the way so I haven't been active in a while, but I figure with my experience I could help mentor some young scouts that might be interested in the sport...

 

Are you a diver @@dfolson?  This whole thing has me thinking of taking my son for his Jr Certification and getting wet again!

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@@blw2 - I'm guessing the reason he is asking about your certifications is that SCUBA merit badge counselor is one that requires particular certs in order to be an approved counselor.

 

From the Guide to Advancement Section 7.0.1.1 Qualifications of Counselors

Scuba Diving. All phases of scuba instruction—classroom, pool, and open-water training—are limited to instructors trained and certified by one of the BSA’s recognized scuba agencies as found in the Guide to Safe Scouting.

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