Orland Park ScoutsBSA Troop 318

WELCOME TO TROOP 318 MERIT BADGE PAGE

• By Merit Badges (list of Merit Badges and the Counselors that support them)
• By Merit Badge Counselors (list of Counselors and Merit Badges they support)

     Troop 318 offers a Merit Badge night once in the spring and once in the fall each year.  Merit Badge Counselors will sign up for selected time slots and offer 1 or 2 session on one of the merit badges for which they are a registered counselor.

The Sessions

These are teaching sessions.  They are an excellent opportunity for Scouts to get started on a merit badge, or fill in some missing gaps.  Usually, the counselor works on only a few merit badge requirements. An hour is not sufficient time to complete a badge. It is not our goal to complete the badge, but to give the scout a good start.

Scouts are responsible for completing the requirements themselves.  We teach to a group, but test individually.  Scouts may or may not have requirements signed off that night.  This depends on the counselor, the material, and the number of scouts in the session.  There may be some requirements that involve activities that need to be completed, and it is possible that those activities can be completed as a group on Merit Badge Night.  The Merit Badge Counselors offer education, but Scouts need to pursue the completion of the requirements themselves.  Simply attending will not earn anything.  They need to pay attention, and be able to show what they have learned. Our goal is that each scout understands every requirement in order to earn the badge

Requirements

It is up to each merit badge counselor to choose what requirements are going to be covered that night.  Check the Merit Badge Night emails to see if there is any homework that needs to be done ahead of time.  If one or more requirements are needed to complete the badge, a scout may ask your counselor if he or she will be covering those requirements before they make the final choices.

Food

Family members are welcome to join us at 6pm, for pizza.  The cost is $5 per person. Lemonade will be provided.  If you can, we ask families to bring a plate of cookies, brownies, cupcakes, etc.

Volunteers

We will need adult volunteers to help with setup, collecting money, clean up, or to assist counselors.  For example, if we work on First Aid we will need adults to be injured victims, or if we work on Sculpture  or Art we need extra hands with the various mediums.  

The Process

After pizza, the counselors will each find a table or an area to set-up their station.  Find your counselor and head over to that area.  The first session will begin promptly at 7pm. and should end no later than 7:55.  If you have a different session at 8pm, then head right over to that area so the counselor can get started.  Some boys may have other activities that evening.  He may even arrive at 8 p.m. to join only the second session (if it is not part of a full 2-hour session).  Scouts should be prepared with merit badge cards, even if they are just starting a new session.  See the Scoutmaster if you need a blank merit badge card.   

Notes on working with a Merit Badge Counselor

• Every Scout present that evening must work on advancement/merit badges.
• You must be there for the full hour of each session.
• Worksheets - provided by meritbadge.org - are not required but do help the scout prepare for their session with a Counselor.  However, a Scout should not expect to fill out the entire form and hand it in as if it were homework.  Merit Badges are more than that - and some things are specific which must be done like "Show" or "Discuss"
• All work must be done by the scout and in his words, writing, etc.   Parents, please refrain from doing the work for your son.  The scout must do the work himself. 
  
• When the merit badge requirements are completed, it is the scout’s responsibility to have the Scoutmaster sign the card, and turn in the signed blue card to the Advancement Committee. 

Adults interested in becoming Merit Badge Counselors should complete the applications below. 

BSA Adult application - PDF – please enter Position Code 42 – Merit Badge Counselor

Fillable MB Counselor form

It is a yearly requirement from the BSA that all Merit Badge counselor re-register with the Council. 

Merit Badge Counselor training is available on https://my.scouting.org. The District and Council, as well as the Troop hold classes to teach MB Counselor skills.  If you're interested, please check with the Scoutmaster or Committee Chair, the PTAC Calendar (filter for "Training"), or the Calumet District Webpage.   

Click here to view the MB Counselor Supplemental. 

click here - Sample Merit badge card "Blue card"