If you would like to be a counselor, follow the steps below:

1.  Review the steps to becoming a counselor

2.  Fill out an adult application

3.  Complete the Merit Badge Counselor Form for the badges you are interested in. 

4.  Return the completed forms to Minsi Trails Council, Merit Badge Counselor Coordinator, Scoutmaster, or Committee Chair.

Interested in learning about new merit badges that BSA will be introducing?  Check out Bryan Wendell's, Editor of Scouting magazine, Blog for Adult Leaders

New Merit Badges

Game Design
March 2013

Sustainability
Jamboree 2013

Programming
Jamboree 2013

Digital Technology
After Jamboree 2013

Animation
Estimated 2014

Signs, Signals, and Codes
Estimated 2014

Multi-Media
Estimated 2014

Computer Aided Design
Estimated 2014-2015

Advanced Computing
Estimated 2014-2015

The Troop 44 Merit Badge Process

To see a current list of the Merit Badge Book in the Troop 44 Library see our book catalog.   Troop affiliated counselors are listed on the Troops Merit Badge Counselor page. 

You can learn about sports, crafts, science, trades, business, and future careers as you earn merit badges. There are more than 100 merit badges. Any Boy Scout may earn any merit badge at any time. You don't need to have had rank advancement to be eligible.

Pick a Subject. Talk to your Scoutmaster or Assistant Scoutmaster about your interests. Read the requirements of the merit badges you think might interest you. Pick one to earn. Your Scoutmaster or Assistant Scoutmaster will give you a signed merit badge application, commonly called a Blue Card, and the name of a person from a list of counselors. These counselors have special knowledge in their merit badge subjects and are interested in helping you.

Scout Buddy System. You must have another person with you at each meeting with the merit badge counselor. This person can be another Scout, your parents or guardian, a brother or sister or other relative, or a friend.

Call the Counselor. Get in touch with the merit badge counselor and tell him or her that you want to earn the merit badge. The counselor may ask to meet you to explain what is expected of you and to start helping you meet the requirements. You should also discuss work that you have already started or possibly completed.

The complete list of counselors for the Troop is available from your Scoutmaster or Advancement Chairman.

Unless otherwise specified, work for a requirement can be started at any time. Ask your counselor to help you learn the things you need to know or do. You should read the merit badge pamphlet on the subject. Many troops and school or public libraries have them or they can viewed online at the links below.

Show Your Stuff. When you are ready, call the counselor again to make an appointment to meet the requirements. When you go take along the things you have made to meet the requirements. If they are too big to move, take pictures or have an adult tell in writing what you have done. The counselor will ask you to do each requirement to make sure that you know your stuff and have done or can do the things required.

Get your BLUE CARD Signed – this is your official record of completing the merit badge.  One Third of the Card you keep for your records, One Third of the Card you give to your Troops Advancement Coordinator on the Committee, and One Third of the card your counselor keeps – NOTE: IF YOU DO NOT HAVE A SIGNED BLUE CARD YOU HAVE NOT EARNED THE MERITBADGE.  WORKSHEETS SIGNED BY COUNSELORS IN PLACE OF A BLUE CARD DO NOT REPLACE THE BLUE CARD AND WILL NOT BE HONORED

Get the Badge.  When the counselor is satisfied that you have met each requirement, he or she will sign your blue card. Give the blue card to your Scoutmaster or Assistant Scoutmaster or Advancement Coordinator so that your merit badge emblem can be secured for you. Please send an email to the Scoutmaster and the Advancement Coordinator, letting them know who you gave the blue card to and to serve as a reminder.  Your merit badge will be award to the scout at the next Court of Honor.

Requirements. You are expected to meet the requirements as they are stated—no more and no less. You are expected to do exactly what is stated in the requirements. If it says "show or demonstrate," that is what you must do. Just telling about it isn't enough. The same thing holds true for such words as "make," "list," "in the field," and "collect," "identify," and "label."

The requirements listed in this publication are the official requirements of the Boy Scouts of America. However, the requirements on the following pages might not match those in the Boy Scout Handbook and the merit badge pamphlets, because this publication is updated only on an annual basis.

If a Scout has already started working on a merit badge when a new edition of the pamphlet is introduced, he should continue to use the same merit badge pamphlet and fulfill the requirements therein to earn the badge. He need not start all over again with the new pamphlet and possibly revised requirements.

Click on name for a link to www.meritbadge.org to see detailed requirements for that Merit Badge.

List of Merit Badges by Field of Study

AGRIBUSINESS
ANIMAL SCIENCE, FARM MECHANICS, PLANT SCIENCE

ARTS AND CRAFTS
ART, BASKETRY, BUGLING, LEATHERWORK, METALWORK, MUSIC, POTTERY, SCULPTURE, THEATER, WOOD CARVING

BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY
AMERICAN BUSINESS, ENTREPRENEURSHIP, PULP AND PAPER, SALESMANSHIP, TEXTILE

CONSERVATION
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE, FISH AND WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT, FORESTRY, SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION

HOBBIES
BACKPACKING, CAMPING, CHESS, COIN COLLECTING, COLLECTIONS, COOKING, DOG CARE, GARDENING, HIKING, HOME REPAIRS, INDIAN LORE, MODEL DESIGN AND BUILDING, PETS, PIONEERING, RADIO, ROWING, SCOUTING HERITAGE, STAMP COLLECTING

NATURAL SCIENCE
ARCHAEOLOGY, ASTRONOMY, BIRD STUDY, GEOLOGY, INSECT STUDY, MAMMAL STUDY, NATURE, OCEANOGRAPHY, REPTILE AND AMPHIBIAN STUDY, WEATHER

COMMUNICATIONS
CINEMATOGRAPHY, JOURNALISM, PHOTOGRAPHY

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT
AMERICAN CULTURES, AMERICAN HERITAGE, CITIZENSHIP IN THE COMMUNITY, CITIZENSHIP IN THE NATION, CITIZENSHIP IN THE WORLD, COMMUNICATIONS, DISABILITIES AWARENESS, FAMILY LIFE, GENEALOGY, PERSONAL FITNESS, PERSONAL MANAGEMENT, PUBLIC SPEAKING, READING, SCHOLARSHIP, SEARCH AND RESCUE, TRAFFIC SAFETY, WILDERNESS SURVIVAL

PHYSICAL SCIENCE
CHEMISTRY, COMPUTERS, ELECTRICITY, ELECTRONICS, ENERGY, NUCLEAR SCIENCE, SPACE EXPLORATION

PROFESSIONS
ARCHITECTURE, DENTISTRY, ENGINEERING, INVENTING, LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE, LAW, MEDICINE, ROBOTICS, SURVEYING, VETERINARY MEDICINE

PUBLIC SERVICE
CRIME PREVENTION, EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS, FINGERPRINTING, FIRE SAFETY, FIRST AID, LIFESAVING, PUBLIC HEALTH, SAFETY

SPORTS
ARCHERY, ATHLETICS, CANOEING, CLIMBING, CYCLING, FISHING, FLY FISHING, GOLF, GEOCACHING, HORSEMANSHIP, KAYAKING, MOTORBOATING, ORIENTEERING, RIFLE SHOOTING, SCUBA DIVING, SHOTGUN SHOOTING, SKATING, SMALL-BOAT SAILING, SNOW SPORTS, SPORTS, SWIMMING, WATER SPORTS, WHITEWATER

TRADES
AMERICAN LABOR, AUTOMOTIVE MAINTENANCE, COMPOSITE MATERIALS, DRAFTING, GRAPHIC ARTS, PAINTING, PLUMBING, WELDING, WOODWORK

TRANSPORTATION
AVIATION, RAILROADING, TRUCK TRANSPORTATION

Worksheets for Merit Badges are also available from www.Meritbadge.org The link below will take you to the specific merit badge requirements and worksheets that are similar to the US Scouting Project links above.