Boy Scouts Of America

TROOP 1333

Klein, Texas

BOY SCOUTING
Boy Scouting, one of the traditional membership divisions of the BSA, is available to boys who have earned the Arrow of Light Award and are at least 10 years old or have completed the fifth grade and are at least 10, or who are 11, but not yet 18 years old. The program achieves the BSA's objectives of developing character, citizenship, and personal fitness.

Polaris District Gold Star Award

2007

2008

2009

Scoutmaster

Webmaster

Hit Counter

MERIT BADGES

What's New?

Scouting’s 100-year history has been marked by many changes in merit badges. Such badges as Cement Work, Farm Layout and Building Arrangements, and Interpreting bowed out long ago, while Climbing, Disabilities Awareness, and Nuclear Science have been added since the 1990s.

Now some new badges are coming. Scuba made its splash in December, and requirements are being developed for four more merit badges, all of which have been approved. Here they are along with the time they are expected to debut:

Scouting Heritage Mert Badge Pamphlet

Four new Merit Badges being rolled out in 2010

	Inventing, first quarter 2010.
	Geocaching, second quarter 2010.
	Scouting Heritage, second quarter 2010.
	Robotics, by end of 2010.

2010 Rank Requirement Changes

The 2010 changes affect all ranks from Tenderfoot through Eagle

BSA Merit Badge Program information

Houston Museum of Natural Science Merit Badge Opportunities

Weather merit badge opportunity

Background and Purposes

As chartered by the Congress of the United States, the Boy Scouts of America is a movement dedicated to supplementing and enlarging the education of youth. The merit badge program, which provides opportunities for youth to explore more than 100 fields of skill and knowledge, plays a key role in the fulfillment of this educational commitment.

A vital part of the BSA's advancement plan, the merit badge program is one of Scouting's basic character-building tools. Through participation in the program (which may begin immediately upon registration in a troop or team), a Scout acquires the kind of self-confidence that comes only from overcoming obstacles to achieve a goal. Instruction is offered in everything from animal science and public speaking to swimming and communications, providing a young man with invaluable career, physical, and interpersonal skills.

Steps to earning a merit badge

How to fill out the Merit Badge Application (the "Blue Card")

Merit Badge Pamphlets

Each merit badge subject is outlined and explained in a pamphlet that contains short, introductory information written for Boy Scouts/Varsity Scouts by recognized authorities. More than a million pamphlets are sold yearly, and many are used as approved reference texts in libraries and school curricula.

Counselors - Jump to Troop Merit Badge Counselors

Troop 1333 Merit Badge Counselor Training Presentation (April 24, 2010). File is in MS PowerPoint and is a very large file.

People who are knowledgeable about the various merit badge subjects are selected, approved, and trained by council and district advancement committees to serve as merit badge counselors. For example, a dentist might be asked to serve as a counselor for the Dentistry merit badge. A counselor must not only possess the necessary technical knowledge but have a solid understanding of the needs, interests, and abilities of Scouts. A counselor must also be a registered adult with the BSA.

Adult BSA Registration Form

Merit badge counselor application

Procedure

When a Scout has an interest in earning a particular merit badge, he obtains his Scoutmaster's/Varsity Scout Coach's approval and identifies another Scout with similar interests to become his partner. They are then directed to the appropriate merit badge counselor. The counselor reviews the badge requirements with the young men and decides with them what projects should be undertaken and when they should be completed. After the counselor has certified that the Scouts have qualified for the merit badge, it is presented to them at a troop/team meeting and can be applied toward rank advancement.

Badges for Eagle

To qualify for the Eagle Scout Award, Scouting's highest advancement rank, a Scout must—along with meeting five other requirements—earn a total of 21 merit badges, including First Aid, Citizenship in the Community, Citizenship in the Nation, Citizenship in the World, Communications, Personal Fitness, Emergency Preparedness OR Lifesaving, Environmental Science, Personal Management, Camping, Hiking OR Cycling OR Swimming and Family Life.