The Merit Badge Process for Troop 776

The following steps describe how a scouts starts the merit badge process and how the troop records and awards the merit badge.

1. A scout decides he would like to earn a specific merit badge.

2. He obtains approval to begin the merit badge from his Scoutmaster.

3. The scout finds a Merit Badge councilor. The council has a directory at Council Merit Badge Counselors. There may also be Merit Badge councilors in our troop. Ask the Scoutmaster .

4. The Scoutmaster issues the Scout a signed Application for Merit Badge (blue card).

5. The scout identifies another scout that will be his partner to attend meetings with the counselor to follow safe scouting guidelines.

6. He then contacts the counselor to begin badge work.

7. The counselor reviews the requirements with the scouts and they decide on projects to complete and a completion schedule.

8. The counselor provides expertise, advice, guidance as needed until the scouts have completed the requirements.

9. The merit badge counselor certifies completion of requirements by filling out the Blue Card. He keep one of the three sections of the Blue Card for his records.

10. The scout then gives the two remaining sections of the Blue Card to the Advancement Chair.

11. The Advancement Chair records the Merit Badge in both the Troop's records (Troopmaster) and in the council's data base. The Advancement Chair purchases the Merit Badge patch, attaches one section of the Blue Card and gives it the Court of Honor Chair to be presented at the next Court of Honor. The remaining Blue Card section is put into the Troop's paper file for safe keeping.

12. The scout accepts the award and sews it to his sash. He also files the Blue Card in a binder designed to hold baseball cards.

See http://www.scouting.org/boyscouts/resources/mbc/resources.html for more information.

Advancement Chair Resource: "Advancement Committee Guide, Polices and Procedures" 33088

This text was copied in part from http://www.boyscouttrail.com/boy-scouts/merit-badges.asp

PARTIAL MERIT BADGES

You have a Partial Merit Badge when you were working on your merit badge at camp or with your counselor, you completed some of the requirements for the Merit Badge, but not all of them.
 
It is our Troop policy for the Scout to retain the Blue Card so that he can attempt to complete it.  Here are the basics regarding Partial Merit Badges:

1. If you are going to use the requirements that you have already completed and just finish the requirements that you need, you must do so within one year of the date on the Blue Card. You basically have one year from start to finish to complete a merit badge.
2. You should try and complete it with your original counselor (but sometimes that's not possible, e.g. Summer Camps, etc.).  So you might need to locate another counselor for the same merit badge and request that they assist you (go to http://www.sdicbsa.org/advancement/mbadges/counselors/default.asp to help you find another counselor)
3. Explain your situation to them and they will work with you on the incomplete requirements until they can finish and sign off.  Don't be surprised if they want to review the requirements that you have already completed.  After sign-off, turn in the blue card or blue cards to the Advancement Chair, as outlined in steps 10 through 12 abovc.