Being a merit badge counselor is one of the most important responsibilities adults have in Scouting America’s advancement program. That means that it is vitally important that both our Scouts and merit badge counselors come to the merit badge experience with common expectations. If you are a merit badge counselor have you taken the online training at Program Details Screen – BSA Learn Center? If you have when was the last time that you reviewed it? If you haven’t taken it, why not? If you think that everything is the same as when you were a Scout or when your son or daughter was a Scout, you are only partly correct. Things have definitely changed, particularly with the number of things that are moving online these days. The online merit badge counselor training at Program Details Screen – BSA Learn Center only takes about 30 minutes to complete and provides you with the latest guidance from Scouting America on what is expected of you as a merit badge counselor and what is expected of the Scouts looking to earn the merit badge. Taking this training will help ensure that both you and the Scout are on the same page and have the same expectation about the merit badge.
If you have any questions about this, please contact your district advancement chair. The Mad River District (Logan, Champaign, & Clark Counties) Advancement Chair is Greg Free at gregfree64@gmail.com. The Sycamore District (Greene & Clinton Counties) Advancement Chair is Darren Thomson at dutchovenchef@gmail.com. Or the council advancement chair, Rick McClelland at jrmcclella@aol.com.
