Adults - want to be a merit badge counselor at Troop 55?
The process is easy. Find one or more merit badges for which you wish to become a counselor, and then contact T-55's Advancement Chair. You will need to complete a registration form. There are no formal training courses, but there are several pamphlets that explain the duties and procedures of a counselor. For a website with a good guide for counselors, click here. Troop 55 requests that its counselors take Youth Protection Training, and it is helpful to take the course entitled "New Leader Essentials".

 

If you become a merit badge counselor, there are several on-line resources.
• For course outlines for counselors, click here.
• For worksheets for various merit badges, click here.

Troop 55 has approximately 70 parents and other adults who have volunteered to serve as merit badge counselors. Some adults have offered to be a counselor for only one or two specific merit badges, and other adults serve as a counselor for a larger number.

When you register, you can elect to serve as a counselor solely for scouts in Troop 55, or you can specify that you are willing to work with scouts from other troops. Most other troops do not have the benefit of having so many counselors as our troop, so it is important that counselors from Troop 55 help with other scouts. Nevertheless, it is very rare when a scout actually contacts a "stranger" from another troop to serve as his counselor.

For a listing of T-55 merit badge counselors, click here.
For a listing of other counselors in the Golden Arrow District, contact T-55's Advancement Chair.

 

Badges & requirements:
There are two nice websites that show all the requirement for each badge:
• Click here for the U.S. Scouting Service Project website.
• Click here for the MeritBadge.com website.

 

Change of requirements:
BSA revised the requirements for 19 merit badges in 2002, 19 in 2003, 20 in 2004 and 17 in 2005. Most of these changes became effective on January 1 of the year published, although some became effective at specific dates. In addition to these changes in the requirements, BSA intends to rewrite and reprint 15 to 20 of the merit badge pamphlets each year. Obviously, it is important that each merit badge counselor have the most current set of requirements and pamphlet.