Merit badge counselors play a very important role in the advancement program of the Boy Scouts of America. You may become a merit badge counselor for just our troop or if you like you can be a counselor for the district or council level. You will first need to become a registered Scouter. Next you will need to download and fill out the Merit Badge Counselor Information sheet, No. 34405. This can be submited to the troop or mailed or dropped at one of the the local BSA council service centers.

Training information from National Council:
More information for Merit Badge Counselors may be found on the National Councils Guide for Merit Badge Counselors and Advancement pages, and the US Scouting Service Projects Merit Badges page.

Counselor Training:
Please click on the following link to the Counselor Instructor's Guide. The Instructor's Guide is intended as a short orientation course for new merit badge counselors before they begin working with Scouts. The module takes about 60 minutes to complete. There is a PDF version of the guide that may be downloaded from that page.

Advancement updates:
All current and future counselors are recommend to visit the US Scouting Service Project Merit Badges page and make sure you account for any changes and updates that may have been made to the badges you instruct. There is a special section at the top entitlted Merit Badge Center Introduction Page that will help you navigate the merit badge section of the site. The USSSP team keeps up and posts all the updates and changes made to the BSA advancement and merit badges.

As a merit badge counselor you are responsible for keeping up with the changes and using the most current requirements while instructing the Scouts.