Greater Hudson Valley Council

Merit Badge Counselor Information

If you are a scout seeking a merit badge counselor, you must contact your unit leader for the name of a counselor approved by the council. The list of counselors is not provided directly to scouts. Your unit leader or their designee will have access to the list of counselors and will provide the name of an approved counselor for the relevant badge together with contact information.

If you are an adult interested in becoming a merit badge counselor in the Greater Hudson Valley Council, you’re in the right place. The mission of a counselor is to connect fun with learning. The Guide to Merit Badge Counseling is filled with great information about the role, which is a critical one in scouting. You’ll find the guide here: https://filestore.scouting.org/filestore/pdf/512-065.pdf.

In order to serve as a merit badge counselor, you must:

  • be at least 18 years of age
  • be of good character
  • have education, background, expertise or experience in the subject(s) you choose to counsel
  • have the ability and desire to work with Scout-age youth and their leaders, and
  • be approved by the Greater Hudson Valley Council

To be approved by the Council as a NEW MERIT BADGE COUNSELOR, you must submit the four items below.  Signed copies of all forms should be sent to Greater Hudson Valley Council, 18 Westage Drive, Fishkill, NY 12524.

  1. Adult Application
    1. You must submit this even if you are already registered for a different scouting position
    2. Use position code “42 – Merit Badge Counselor”
    3. It must be completed in full, and signed
    4. It does not need any signatures from unit representatives as this is a council level position. It will be signed by the scout executive or his designee after it is submitted
    5. Beginning in August 2023, merit badge counselors who are not registered as an adult leader in a unit will pay an annual $25 fee. *Checks can be made out to GHVC and mailed in along with the application for processing
    6. The application is here: https://filestore.scouting.org/filestore/pdf/524-501.pdf
  2. Additional Disclosures & Background Check Authorization form
    1. This is attached to the back of the Adult Application and requires a separate signature
  3. Proof of current youth protection training
    1. See https://www.scouting.org/training/youth-protection/ to take the training and get a certificate
    2. If you are already YPT certified, you may either login to your My Scouting account to reprint an existing certificate or can include your BSA ID number on your Adult Application so we can verify your YPT status
  4. Pennsylvania Residents
    1. If you are a resident of Pennsylvania, you will also need to submit your PA Clearances:
      -PA State Police Criminal Record Check
      -PA Child Abuse History Clearance
      -FBI Fingerprint Based Criminal History (required if you have lived outside PA in the last 10 years) OR the attached Affidavit In Lieu of fingerprint Check (if you have lived in PA for 10+ years)
  5. The Merit Badge Counselor Information form
    1. The Merit Badge Counselor form you need to complete is here: https://filestore.scouting.org/filestore/pdf/34405.pdf
    2. We ask that counselors make themselves available to all scouts in our council, so please mark the form accordingly
    3. Include information on your qualifications for each badge, attaching an extra page as necessary as space on the form is limited
    4. Certain badges require the counselor to possess unique certifications and/or require the counselor work with people who do. As of July 2021, those badges are: Archery, Canoeing, Climbing, Kayaking, Lifesaving, Motor Boating, Rifle Shooting, Rowing, Scuba Diving, Shotgun Shooting, Small Boat Sailing, Snow Sports, Swimming, Water Sports, and Whitewater. The Guide to Advancement, Section 7.0.1.0 lists the special requirements (and will have the most current list of badges with special requirements). The Guide is here: https://www.scouting.org/resources/guide-to-advancement/
    5. We limit counselors to a maximum of eight badges
    6. General information on badges and the requirements for each is at https://www.scouting.org/programs/scouts-bsa/advancement-and-awards/merit-badges/

If you are a CURRENT MERIT BADGE COUNSELOR and you wish to change the badges you counsel, please submit a new Merit Badge Counselor Information form indicating the changes you’d like to make. To withdraw as a counselor, please send an email with that information. In either case, send the form / email to GHV.Registration@scouting.org

It will take several weeks to process a new application. Council staff will review the submission for completeness and will forward only the Merit Badge Information form to the Council Merit Badge Dean for approval by him or the relevant District Merit Badge Dean. You may not begin counseling scouts until you’ve been notified that you’ve been approved. At that point, your name will be added to the Council’s list of approved merit badge counselors that Unit Leaders can access through Scoutbook. Please note that there is no "master list" that is shared, access is through Scoutbook only.

The Merit Badge Counselor position is renewed each year during the Council’s re-chartering process in July (registration is July through June). Your Youth Protection Training certification must be renewed every two years to remain current. If it expires at any point, you will be removed from the list and may no longer counsel scouts until it is renewed.

Thank you for your interest in volunteering to help our scouts with advancement!

Scouting Adventures