Merit Badge Counselors age

[PACAN 220]

With the October 1st Eight-deep  21 and above registered leadership of all official scout activities will the requirement to serve as a MBC be changed from 18 to 21?   

[HelpfulTracks 478]

Presumably, unless the plan is to have 3 registered adults (an18-20 yo MBC and 2 over 21) present for MB counseling. 

[scotteg83 89]

Merit Badge Counselors are not leaders, so i don't see the age requirement changing.

[HelpfulTracks 478]

I don’tthink the question is about leaders as much as the new policy of 2 registered adults over 21 present for all Scouting activities. 

Regardless, direct contact leaders other than the SM can be 18+. It gets confusing.

On the other hand, Maybe it is the beginning of allowing Scouts BSA to be eligible through age 20 like Venturing, Sea Scouts and OA. 

[HashTagScouts 437]

11 minutes ago, scotteg83 said:

Merit Badge Counselors are not leaders, so i don't see the age requirement changing.

As others pointed out previous thread on this topic when the new G2SS was released, MBCs are registered on the same application as SM, ASM, TC, and that app does not say anything to contradict that a MBC is a registered leader (the old apps from several years ago used to have a distinct "position" code that I believe was called Active Parent, meaning they were not a leader but would be present at activities (arguably that is also what a MBC often is as well).  

 

The reality is we just don't have an official word on this.  Can an 18 year old be a MBC? Yes. They often are the MBC of record at summer camps.  Would they need to have registered adults around? If the G2SS is taken literally, we are supposed to uphold the same standards for YPT purposes both in and out of Scouting activities.  A MBC that would have met with a group of Scouts in the past at a coffee shop on a Sunday morning was not really participating in a troop activity, but under these new guidelines it may no longer be acceptable.  I just don't think anyone has the firm answer as of yet.

[John-in-KC 311]

I have a SE friend in DC at Top Hands. 

At this time, there aren’t plans to change the MBC minimum age 

An old Army admonishment:  Truth has a date time group. 

Edited August 31, 2018 by John-in-KC