Important Merit Badge Reminder
The BSA and the Greater Hudson Valley Council require that all scouts have a discussion with their unit leader before beginning to work with a merit badge counselor. This process allows the unit leader to evaluate the scout’s readiness for a particular badge and to ensure the scout is connected with a properly registered and background checked counselor with up-to-date Youth Protection Training. That a discussion has been held for a specific merit badge is indicated by the unit leader’s signature on the Application for Merit Badge, commonly called the “blue card”. Some unit leaders may instead digitally link the scout to a counselor in ScoutBook. Scouts must comply with the requirement for an advance discussion with their unit leader for each and every merit badge.
