Merit Badges—Frequently Asked Questions

I’m interested in a particular merit badge. Who is the merit badge counselor?

If there is not a counselor for a badge of interest, speak with the scoutmaster. He may be able to recruit a parent or leader to sign up as counselor.

How do I sign up for a merit badge?

Talk to the scoutmaster. If you’re qualified to begin, he’ll give you a signed blue merit badge card, and he will refer you to the appropriate merit badge counselor. You must then speak with the counselor before you begin.

I’m done with my merit badge requirements. How and when will I receive my badge?

You’ve completed the merit badge requirements when your merit badge counselor signs off on all your requirements on the blue merit badge card. The scout then turns the card over to the scoutmaster, who will then work with the advancement chair to process the card through Council. Merit badges are then awarded at the next Court of Honor. The deadline to turn in the card is typically one week before the COH.

I lost my blue card. What do I do?

Hmmm… that’s not good. A scout needs to take some responsibility for his own advancement, and that includes maintaining their in-process merit badge cards. What happens with a lost card depends on the merit badge counselor. Some will maintain their own records of your progress and may be able to give you a replacement card. Some counselors do not maintain duplicate records (they are not required to), and unless they have a memory of an elephant, they may make you re-do the affected requirements. If you lose your card, speak to your counselor, but best advice: don’t lose the card.

What badges are eagle-required?

  1. First Aid
  2. Citizenship in the Community
  3. Citizenship in the Nation
  4. Citizenship in Society
  5. Citizenship in the World
  6. Communication
  7. Cooking
  8. Personal Fitness
  9. Emergency Preparedness OR Lifesaving
  10. Environmental Science OR Sustainability
  11. Personal Management
  12. Swimming OR Hiking OR Cycling
  13. Camping, and
  14. Family Life

What badges are good to earn at Camp Resolute?

Take badges that interest you. Be sure to read the required pre-requisites that are listed in the Camp Resolute Guide. You might want to shy away from badges that require a lot of advanced work. There is one badge that all scouts should take at Resolute: “Swimming”. The swimming merit badge is an eagle-required badge, and not offered by the Troop, so taking this badge (first year preferably) at Camp Resolute is a good idea, and keeps you cool!

What badges are not good to earn at Camp Resolute?

Badges that are easily earned in the Troop merit badge program, or that require significant pre/post camp work, should be avoided. Also, you may want to avoid badges that are not possible to finish at camp, unless you are committed to continue on your own when after camp. For example, the Personal Fitness merit badge requires 12 consecutive weeks of exercising, so there will be significant pre/post camp work required. Therefore, it would best to work this badge with your fellow scouts in the troop-led badge program. In general, scouts get more satisfaction working on interesting badges that the troop does not normally offer, and that be easily completed at camp.

Where can I learn about pre-requisites for merit badges at Camp Resolute.

Pre-requisites (and other restrictions, i.e., age) are covered in the Camp Resolute Scout/Parent Guide issued in the spring and posted on our website.

Where can I get a merit badge booklet?

The troop maintains a library of merit badge booklets in the Scout (Hoppe) Room. You are welcome to sign one out. Please return it to the library when you are complete. Often, there are not enough library booklets to go around. You can purchase your own personal copy at the Scout Store for about $5. Sometimes, it is handy to have simply a list of requirements, or a workbook for documenting merit badge work. The US Scouting Service Project has helpful workbooks for each merit badge.