Milestone
Start the badge the right way
Required
Meet your unit leader, get a counselor and a signed blue card before working with them. That process is the same for every badge and is set out on its own page.
Notes and warnings
Note. How a merit badge is earned (the unit leader meeting that comes before any work with a counselor, the blue card, the two signatures at each end) is the same for every badge and is set out on the "How to Earn a Merit Badge" page. Doing the work first and finding the counselor afterwards is the mistake that costs people a badge.
Where this step comes from
- Guide to Advancement (2025), Section 7.0.0.3 · The unit leader meeting and the counselor, which come before any work with one.