How it works
Scouting Badger brings Scouting America’s established merit badge counseling process into a secure, practical online experience.
Merit badges are earned through a scout’s work with a qualified merit badge counselor—not by passively completing an online class. Scouting Badger helps families, counselors, and unit leaders coordinate that work while keeping the scout-merit badge counselor relationship at the center.
Scouting Badger does not award merit badges or record official advancement. Counselors verify a scout’s individual work; unit leaders record completion through Scoutbook or the unit’s established advancement process.
Real Counseling, Not “Pay to Play”
Merit badge counseling connects scouts with knowledgeable adults who are approved and vetted through Scouting America. These counselors guide scouts, answer questions, review their work, and determine whether requirements have been completed.
Scouting Badger supports that process online. Scouts can attend counselor-led sessions, complete activities, and submit evidence for review. Counselors remain responsible for personally evaluating each scout’s work.
Scouting Badger is not a merit badge mill. Course registration fees help support the platform and the counseling experience, but they never purchase advancement or a completed blue card. Completion documentation is issued only after the counselor has evaluated the scout’s work and verified the requirements.
Safe, Purposeful Online Engagement
Scouting Badger provides a structured environment for scouts and counselors to work together online while supporting Scouting youth-protection practices.
- Merit Badge Counselors can host virtual meetings in a trusted course space that supports appropriate adult oversight, including two-deep leadership where required.
- Scouts can access materials, complete requirements, submit evidence, and receive feedback from their counselor.
- Parents provide enrollment consent and can remain connected to their scout’s experience.
- Unit leaders can monitor progress, coordinate with counselors, and record official advancement through their normal process.
Our Design Pillars
Scouting-Centric
Built around the established merit badge process: qualified counselors, individual requirement verification, parent involvement, youth protection, and unit-recorded advancement.
Education-Focused
Supports learning by doing, discussion, feedback, and demonstration—not passive content completion.
Safety-First
Uses verified adult roles, parental consent, controlled course spaces, and support for appropriate adult oversight to help protect youth and adults online.
Ease of Use
Makes the process clear and manageable for scouts, families, counselors, and unit leaders so they can focus on learning and counseling instead of administrative work.
Your Role
Choose your next step after you see how each role works.
Parents and Scouts
- A parent creates and verifies a parent account, then adds Scout profiles.
- Browse counselor-led opportunities and enroll with parental consent.
- Scouts participate in sessions, complete requirements, and submit evidence of their work.
- When counseling is complete, download the blue card or completion summary and provide it to the unit leader.
Set up your family account, add your Scout, and explore counselor-led merit badge opportunities.
Merit Badge Counselors
- Register or enable the counselor role, then provide required membership and Youth Protection Training documentation.
- Create a counselor-led course with meeting details, expectations, and materials.
- Lead sessions, review Scout work, and verify requirements individually.
- Provide completion documentation when the scout has completed the requirements.
Create your counselor profile, complete verification, and begin offering counselor-led merit badge experiences. Merit Badge Counselors use the platform for FREE.
Scout Leaders and Troops
- Register as a Scout Leader and complete the required verification.
- Connect with counselors and monitor scouts’ participation and progress.
- With a troop subscription, invite parents by email, host unit courses, and manage troop access.
- Record official advancement through Scoutbook or the unit’s normal advancement process.
Connect with counselors, monitor progress, and support your scouts’ merit badge journey.
Bring Scouting Badger to Your Troop
Give your unit a simpler way to invite families, coordinate counselor-led courses, support safe online engagement, and keep merit badge work organized.
Invite families, host troop courses, and manage your unit’s Scouting Badger access.
On the Trail to Achievement
The Scout does the work. The counselor guides and evaluates it. The parent stays involved. The unit records advancement. Scouting Badger makes it easier for everyone to work together safely.
Ready to start your next merit badge adventure?
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