Quote:

"Crystallize your goals. Make a plan for achieving them and set yourself a deadline. Then, with supreme confidence, determination and disregard for obstacles and other people's criticisms, carry out your plan."

Resources - Merit Badges

Besides rank advancement and fellowship, completion of merit badges is a significant part of the Boy Scout experience. Below is some information to help the scouts and adults prepare for and complete merit badges.

Scouts

Earning merit badges allows you to explore many fields, helps you round out your skills, and introduces you to subjects that will perhaps become lifelong interests or a rewarding career. There are more than 100 merit badges for you to choose from. You may earn any merit badge at any time, with Scoutmaster approval. Don’t wait for someone to tell you when and which merit badge to work on. You don’t need to reach a certain rank in order to be eligible. However, you should concentrate on achieving the rank of First Class before devoting a lot time to working on merit badges. There are a few good websites out there, including MeritBadge.com. Not only do they give you the requirements of every badge, they also give you worksheets to finish each badge and show your work to the counselor.

Don’t overwhelm yourself by trying to complete too many badges at one time. We recommend that you actively work on no more than two at one time until you reach the rank of First Class, and no more than five at one time thereafter.

As a Scout attempts to complete each merit badge, here are the steps he needs to take:

Talk over plans for the merit badge with the Scoutmaster. Ask him to sign a blue merit badge card. Ask who in the troop could help the Scout with this particular badge.
Read the merit badge pamphlet for the badge to become more familiar with it (available in troop library or scout shop).
Ask the Scoutmaster for a list of approved counselors. Call the one that is most appropriate and make an appointment.
Be on time for the appointment. Take along the merit badge card, a notebook, paper and pencil and any other materials that might be needed. Wear the Scout uniform, and be neat and clean in appearance.
Be attentive to the information the counselor offers. Take notes on what needs to be done. Be sure everything is clear. Set a time during the meeting for the next appointment to save having to call later. Note the date and time on the notepad.
Then, begin the actual work on the merit badge. Call the counselor if anything is not clear.
When the work on the badge is complete, go for the next appointment. Be ready to explain what you have done and answer any questions the counselor gives you.
Repeat the process of meeting your counselor until s/he is satisfied you have completed the badge. Have the counselor sign off on your Blue card.
Let the Scoutmaster know that you are done. Confirm who will notify the Advancement Coordinator.
When you receive the finished blue card, save it as it is the only true record that you finished the merit badge.

Parents

Each of us need to let the Scout gain the experience necessary to complete each Merit Badge. They will not become experts based on the badge alone, but they should at least be familiar with the basic concepts. Do not coordinate their counselor meetings or their work in meeting the requirements of the badge. These activities will help the Scout grow himself and any help from us will hamper those efforts. That being said, most boys need their parents to nudge them forward with finishing their requirements. Many boys lack the skill to handle what appears to be a large goal - they will need your help to grow in this area.

For those parents who want to help Scouts learn about specific badge topics, please make sure that you have filled out a Merit Badge Counselor form before starting any counseling. The best way to help the troop determine how to use your gifts is to fill out a Troop Resource Survey and turn it in to the Scoutmaster.