Merit badges

Merit badges let Scouts try sports, crafts, science, trades, business and possible careers. Any Scout can earn any merit badge at any time, and a Scout does not need to have advanced in rank first. Some badges are required for Eagle; see Trail to Eagle.

Earning a badge is meant to teach responsibility and practice working with adults outside the family, so the Scout, not a parent, takes each step.

How to earn one

1. Pick a subject and get approval. Read the requirements for badges that interest you, then talk to your Patrol Advisor (or another Scoutmaster) about your choice. Get their approval before you start. The current list and requirements are on the BSA merit badge pages.
2. Find a counselor. The easiest routes are the badges offered at summer camp at Oljato, at council merit badge midways, and at Troop merit badge rallies. Otherwise look at the merit badge counselors list in the roster app, or ask the Merit Badge Coordinator. If the Troop has none for a badge, a leader can get a list of counselors registered in the council.
3. Contact the counselor. Say you want to earn the badge and ask if they will be your counselor. Mention anything you have already started. Always have another adult present when you meet a counselor, including virtual meetings, and copy a second adult on email.
4. Connect in Scoutbook. A Scout cannot connect with a counselor alone. The counselor or a Troop leader adds the connection in Scoutbook. For a council-organized course or a Troop merit badge rally, a parent can connect the Scout to the counselor. (New to Scoutbook? See the Scoutbook tutorial for parents.)
5. Get the pamphlet. Read the merit badge pamphlet. Scouting America now publishes a free PDF of every merit badge pamphlet on its merit badge pages, so you do not need to buy one (printed copies are still sold at the Scout Shop). A worksheet is a good way to keep track of your work.
6. Do the work and show it. Do exactly what each requirement says, no more and no less: "show" or "demonstrate" means to do it, not just describe it. Unless the requirement says otherwise, you can start any requirement at any time. If you have started a badge when a new pamphlet comes out, you can finish with the version you started.
7. Finish. When the counselor is satisfied, they sign off the badge in Scoutbook.

If you finish only some of the requirements you have a "partial". Keep track of your partials. Any counselor can sign off the rest later.

Blue cards, the old paper form, have mostly been replaced by Scoutbook. Merit badge classes at Hiller Aviation Museum and the council's Industrial Arts midway still use them, and a leader will explain what to do.

Speaking opportunities

Communications merit badge asks for public speaking, such as emceeing a Court of Honor or a campfire. These come up rarely, so the Scoutmaster or counselor decides who gets them. Scouts who have taken the Communications class, or are taking it now, can ask. Priority generally goes to older Scouts on the path to Eagle, then to Scouts who need little else for Eagle, then to the Scoutmaster's judgement.