Merit Badge Counselor Resources 

This web page is intended to serve as a resource and repository for merit badge instructional materials, and can be used by merit badge counselors and Scout leaders in order to improve the overall quality of merit badge instruction throughout the Council.

The merit badge counselor is a key player in the Boy Scout advancement program. Whatever your area of expertise or interest—whether it is a special craft or hobby (basketry, leatherwork, coin collecting), a profession (veterinary medicine, aviation, engineering), or perhaps a life skill (cooking, personal management, communications)—as a merit badge counselor, you can play a vital role in stirring a young man’s curiosity about that particular topic. By serving as a merit badge counselor, you offer your time, knowledge, and other resources so that Scouts can explore a topic of interest.

If you are not yet a merit badge counselor, it is easy to become a volunteer. You will need to register with the Boy Scouts of America, through Palmetto Council BSA. This entails contacting the Council or your District Executive, then obtaining, completing, and turning in the “Adult Application.” The council will then process the application. (Every applicant is screened.)  You must complete Youth Protection Training.  Merit badge counselor lists are renewed each year.

This page contains two sections.  The first section contains links to registration information and documents that are intended to support merit badge counselors with general information about the BSA merit badge program and information concerning the process to be following by Scouts and counselors while working on merit badges.


Section 1:  Registration of Merit Badge Counselors (MBC):

Palmetto Council approves of and maintains a list of current merit badge counselors. The current list of approved Merit Badge Counselors can be found here.  A merit badge counselor is a district-level position, not a troop position, which means leaders must submit a new adult leader application even if already registered in another capacity.  There are four steps for a new MBC to register with BSA and begin merit badge counseling:

1.      Complete the Online Youth Protection Training (YPT) & Merit badge counselor training.

To become a merit badge counselor, a volunteer must complete Youth Protection Training (YPT) and Merit Badge Counselor Training which can be found on My.Scouting.org. Once complete, you will be offered the opportunity to print a completion certificate. Please print it as you must submit this proof of completion with your application to be a merit badge counselor. It is also a good idea to save a copy to your desktop.

2.      Complete the BSA Adult Leader Application.

    Having completed Youth Protection Training, you need to complete a new adult application which can be found at these links. This form is required in addition to your current registration with your unit or District. Please pay special attention to filling in the “Council/District Position” as “Merit Badge Counselor”, District Name, and the “Position Code” as “42”.The signature blocks for the unit committee chairman and chartered organization representative do not have to be signed. Those approvals are for a unit. Do not forget to answer questions 1-6 on the right side of the application. Without answers to these questions, your application cannot be processed. The adult application must be submitted with the Merit Badge Counselor Information Sheet. NOTE: The entire application form must be filled in and signed, including the Disclosure/Authorization page located before the application form page itself. All applicants and currently Registered Scouters go through a background check – as noted and authorized on the Disclosure/Authorization page of the Adult Application form.

        Adult Leader Application – English

3.      Complete the Merit Badge Counselor Information Form.

    This form is used by the Council to know which merit badges you want to teach, to show why you are qualified to teach the listed merit badges, and to approve your request. Before filling it out, read both sides of the form. If you have any questions or need assistance, please talk with your unit MB coordinator or the District Advancement Chair. If you plan to only counsel within your unit, remember to check the “Only with Scouts in these units (indicate whether troop, team, or crew)” and fill in your unit number. If you wish to counsel Scouts outside the unit please check the “All Scouts in these districts” and fill in the District(s). MBCs are authorized to counsel anywhere within the Council.

Merit Badge Counselor Information Form

4.      Turn in all the paperwork.

    Turn in the completed forms to your Troop Merit Badge Coordinator, the District Executive, or the Council office for approval and council processing.

Counselor Registration Consideration

  • There is no fee for registering as a merit badge counselor even if you are only registered with the Boy Scouts of America as a merit badge counselor.

  • You must be current with Youth Protection Training (YPT) to work with scouts and this training must be completed every two (2) years. The Council and District may track this requirement but it is your responsibility to remain current. Failure to keep up to date on YPT will also result in being dropped from the list. If a MBC is dropped from the council/district MBC list the dropped counselor will have to re-register as a new counselor again.

  • Several merit badges involve activities for which the Boy Scouts have implemented strategies to improve safety, improve the Scouts’ experience, and manage risk. These activities often require supervision with specialized qualifications and certifications. Merit Badge counselors who do not meet the specific requirements may use the services of others who do. See the Guide to Advancement paragraph 7.0.1.1 for these merit badges and their requirements. (See link below.)

  • Consider not limiting yourself to only those scouts in your troop. Many of the less popular merit badges may not have a counselor in their troop and you could help scouts pursue an interest in an area with which you have some expertise.



Section 2:  Course Resources 

This section contains links to resources that can be used by merit badge counselors while instructing Scouts on merit badges.  Merit badge counselors are asked to share presentations and other documents that they develop on their own so that those resources can be posted here and shared with other MBCs.  MBCs can send resources to be shared to Jimmy Summers at jimpsummers@yahoo.com.  The overall intent is to share information so that the overall quality of instruction is enhanced across the Council.

Worksheets for each merit badge can be found here.  

Resources for Merit Badge Counselors by Merit Badge –