Quote:
Originally Posted by rsisk
What would the counselor do? Would they be "on call" for troops to help with the badges? Is there anything special the counselor would have to do in order to help a troop?
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A counselor is a mentor who supervises the scouts and certifies that they have satisfied all the necessary requirements for the particular badge.
You just follow the merit badge book and the explicit list of requirements.
There is a blue card that you use to keep track of which requirements have been finished in previous meetings, and that you sign to certify when they have completed all the necessary requirements for the badge. The scout should bring the blue card with them.
http://troop343.org/resources/MBCounselorGuide.pdf
To become a counselor you register with a local District/Council and then scouts from various local troops who want to pursue the badge will call you to arrange meetings. Your local District holds a merit badge fair occasionally where the work gets done in a larger group. If you are too busy you can say no, or delay meeting to a less hectic time. The scout has a list of counselors and they can move on to another one until they find someone who's available.
Although with a new badge the list of available counselors is likely to be quite short.
Badge work often takes place over several meetings. Typically, the scout does the work beforehand and presents/demonstrates it to the counselor. You discuss the work to explore their depth of understanding and enlighten/mentor them where they need support.
It's important to follow the badge requirements closely. A counselor doesn't add extra work or stint on the things they may consider less important.
The Council for Riverside is:
California Inland Empire Council
http://www.bsa-ciec.org
1230 Indiana Court
Redlands, CA, 92374
909-793-2463
Your local District (smaller than a Council) is
Mt. Rubidoux and it covers Riverside, Jurupa, Pedley, Rubidoux, Mira Loma, and La Sierra.
They are having a merit badge fair this Saturday. You might drop by with some of your robotics friends to talk to them about the robotics merit badge:
APRIL MERIT BADGE FAIR:
When: Saturday, April 16, 2011 from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Where: University of California at Riverside, Engineering Sciences Department
Badges: Electricity, Electronics, Computers