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How to earn a merit badge

Troop 815

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General Guidance for Scouts

Younger patrols

  • Key focus areas:
    • Participate in troop/patrol activities
    • Rank advancement, focusing on mastering the fundamental scout skills
    • Merit badges are usually completed at summer camp, advance camp, or online virtual camps.

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Older patrols

Key focus areas:

  • Participate and lead troop/patrol activities
  • Teach younger scouts the fundamental scout skills using the EDGE method
  • Rank advancement, focusing on leadership, community service, and merit badges
  • It’s recommended to work on merit badges as a patrol.
  • Merit badges can also be completed individually.

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Merit Badge Requirements

There are more than 135 available merit badges

To reach the rank of Eagle, a Scout must earn a total of 21 merit badges:

    • 13 Eagle-required
      • (a) First Aid, (b) Citizenship in the Community, (c) Citizenship in the Nation, (d) Citizenship in the World, (e) Communication, (f) Cooking, (g) Personal Fitness, (h) Emergency Preparedness OR Lifesaving, (i) Environmental Science OR Sustainability, (j) Personal Management, (k) Swimming OR Hiking OR Cycling, (l) Camping, and (m) Family Life
    • 8 optional merit badges

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Process for earning merit badges

  1. The Scout develops an interest in a merit badge and may begin working on the requirements.
  2. The Scout discusses his interest in the merit badge with his unit leader.
  3. The unit leader signs a blue card and provides the Scout with at least one counselor contact.
  4. The Scout contacts the counselor.
  5. The counselor considers any work toward requirements completed prior to the initial discussion with the unit leader.
  6. The Scout, his buddy and the counselor meet (often several times).
  7. The Scout finishes the requirements.
  8. The counselor approves completion and signs the blue card.
  9. The Scout returns the signed blue card to his unit leader.
  10. The unit updates Troopmaster and reports the merit badge to council.
  11. The Scout receives his merit badge and applicant record at the next Court of Honor.

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The Scout develops an interest in a merit badge and may begin working on the requirements.�

  • There’s a large variety of merit badges to choose from
  • Merit badges are an introduction to different subjects that may become lifetime hobbies
  • Merit badges may inspire a scout to pursue the subject as a career

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The Scout discusses his interest in the merit badge with his unit leader.��

In Troop 815, the unit leader is the Scoutmaster or First ASM

There may be times when the unit leader feels the merit badge is more difficult and involved than the scout is ready for.

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General recommendations for Eagle Merit Badges

Recommended for all ranks

    • First Aid
    • Cycling
    • Swimming
    • Personal Fitness

Recommended for First Class and up

    • All other Eagle required badges
    • Completing rank requirements through First Class helps prepare scouts for working on more challenging Eagle-required badges

The unit leader will counsel each scout based on their individual circumstances

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Blue cards

  • Troop 815 requires paper blue cards for ALL merit badges:
    • Badges completed with internal troop counselors
    • Badges completed at summer camp or advance camp
    • Badges completed at virtual camps (e.g. Exploration Camp)
  • The blue card has 3 sections:
    • Application for Merit Badge
    • Applicant’s record
    • Counselor’s record

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Working with a merit badge counselor

After receiving the blue card, the scout should contact the merit badge counselor for an initial meeting.

Face-to-face meetings with the counselor are recommended when circumstances are safe to do so. All youth protection policies and COVID-19 safety protocols must be followed.

The Merit Badge program allows scouts the opportunity to meet and work with adults they probably don't know very well, if at all.

Adults are not allowed to sign-off advancement for their own son or relative. If the scout is related to the Merit Badge counselor, then another qualified Merit Badge Counselor must be found.

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Finishing the merit badge requirements

  • All work and research must be completed by the scout, with guidance and coaching from the counselor.
  • Once all requirements are met, the counselor signs the blue card and returns it to the scout.
  • If only some of the merit badge requirements are done, a scout may receive a “partial blue card” from the counselor. This is common at summer camp and online virtual camps, where prerequisites can’t be completed in the classroom setting. A scout can work with a troop counselor to finish these remaining requirements.

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Recognition of achievement

  • The scout returns the completed blue card to the unit leader.
  • The unit updates Troopmaster and reports the merit badge to council.
  • In order to receive recognition of achievement at a Court of Honor, scouts must submit their blue cards to the unit leader no less than two weeks prior to a Court of Honor. This is to allow time for paperwork to be completed, filed, and merit badges to be purchased and prepared for the Court of Honor.