The district or council advancement committee's responsibility does not end with the recruiting and training or merit badge counselors.
The district or council advancement committee (or one member selected to oversee counselors) will follow through to be sure that the merit badge counselors are working effectively and that boys seeking merit badges are finding the help they need. The committee will give on-the-job coaching if a counselor is not doing well, and will be alert for signs of difficulty that might be mentioned by unit commissioners, Scoutmasters, Varsity Scout Coaches, or unit committee members. District advancement committee members should attend district roundtables and huddles to update the list of merit badge counselors and to receive feedback.
The district or council list of counselors should be reproduced for distribution to troops and teams. When changes are made, these should be sent promptly to the units (or listed in the council bulletin) so that all units have readily available the names, addresses, and phone numbers of counselors. Lists are updated at least once a year, usually when councils and districts reregister.
With good word-processing equipment or computer capabilities, these merit badge counselor lists can be easily maintained and updated so that units can use current information.
Merit badge counselors (Code 42) are registered with the local council. As with all council members, their registration must be renewed annually.
As part of the local council charter renewal process, the council advancement committee sends a letter to existing merit badge counselors who are to continue for another year. This provides the council an opportunity, at least annually, to assure their merit badge counselor lists are updated. This also is an excellent opportunity to not reregister those persons identified as not following the policies and procedures of the Boy Scouts of America.
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