Merit Badges – Focused Advancements
In addition to rank advancements, Scouts will work on various Merit Badges throughout their Scouting career.
The rank advancements are the same for every Scout. Each contains a listing of requirements that the Scout must complete on their own or with the troop. The first 4 ranks can be worked on simultaneously, while the remaining ranks must be completed in order.
Merit Badges work much differently. There are over 135 different merit badges that each focus on a specific topic. Scouts can pick the ones that interest them the most, and they can be worked on in any order. Whether it be something they are familiar with, or something they’ve never done, there’s always something new to learn!
For more info on, check out our New Scout pages. You can also get a listing of all of the current merit badges offered by the BSA.
Merit badges must be reviewed and approved by a registered merit badge councilor. Scouts can work with a councilor individually, or they can complete them at organized events such as Merit Badge Workshops or at Summer Camp.
Merit Badge Pamphlets Are Now Available Online!
The BSA provides a pamphlet for each Merit Badge. These can be very helpful for the Scouts, both while preparing for a meeting with their counselor, and also while going through the requirements with their counselor.
In the past, only physical books were available, and they needed to be purchased. However, they are now (finally) available for FREE online! Simply go to Scouting America’s Merit Badge page, select the desired merit badge, and click the “Download the Free Pamphlet” button to download a PDF version.
For those who prefer to use a physical copy of the pamphlet, they are still available for purchase. Additionally, our troop’s “library” has multiple copies of most merit badge pamphlets that the Scouts can borrow as needed.
Please keep in mind that the requirements for each merit badge are not included in the pamphlets. They are listed on each merit badge page. (The same page that includes the pamphlet download button.) Requirements are occasionally updated, so be sure to check the site when you begin your merit badge to ensure that you have the latest list of requirements.
Information About Specific Merit Badges
Most merit badges are pretty self-explanatory, and there is a lot of info available from the BSA and at other places online.
Click the links below for more information that we try to share with our Scouts regarding specific merit badges.