Merit Badge Counselors
If you have questions, please reach out to the RSJ Advancement Committee at rsjmeritbadges@rsjocbsa.org
Find a merit badge counselor
RSJ District is now using Scoutbook to provide Troops access to the list of Merit Badge Counselors. Finding a Merit Badge Counselor is easy in Scoutbook for Troop Adult Leaders, and it is always up to date with currently-registered MBCs and their contact.
Scouts and Parents who are not leaders should reach out to their Scoutmaster or Troop Merit Badge Coordinator to access the list and request a MBC available to work with Scouts in the Troop.
Follow these steps to search for a Merit Badge Counselor near you:
Log into http://scoutbook.scouting.org with your my.scouting userID and password
Click on My Dashboard >> Administration >> your unit
Scroll down the page and click "MB Counselor List"
Search for a MB Counselor by Merit Badge, Counselor name, location, and other attributes
For full instructions on how to use Scoutbook to find a Merit Badge Counselor, click here.
Become a Merit Badge Counselor
Registering with the RSJ District as a Merit Badge Counselor is a great way to support our ScoutsBSA Troops. You'll share your knowledge and enthusiasm about career, hobby or other subject with our Scouts. With over 135 merit badges in the program, there's a topic of interest for every adult willing to work with middle- and high-school age youth through our program!
To sign-up as a merit badge counselor, you must do the following steps:
Take BSA's Youth Protection (or have taken it within the past 12 months) and California AB506 Mandated Reporter training (once - no renewals needed).
Complete a Live Scan fingerprint roll and consent to a background check at CaliforniaScouting.org/OC/.
Take Merit Badge Counselor Position-Specific Training online at my.Scouting or in person.
Submit a District-level BSA Adult Application
(in addition to any active unit registration, please do not transfer).Complete our online Merit Badge Counselor Form (requires a Google Account) or this BSA paper form to indicate the badges you would like to counsel .
If you have an active OCBSA unit registration, you only need to complete steps 3–5 with 30 minutes of training.
If you're already position-trained as a Troop Committee Member, there is just one additional 7 minute training module!
If you are currently registered as a Merit Badge Counselor and want to update badges, please resubmit the online Merit Badge Counselor Form.
Merit Badge Resources
For Scouts:
Scout Smarts Merit Badge guide - an inside guide to Merit Badges from an Eagle Scout
For Merit Badge Counselors:
Specialized requirements for certain merit badges (Rifle shooting, Life saving, etc.)