Bruce Weyhrauch, an experienced attorney serving as a solo practitioner in Juneau, Alaska, has been a long-time supporter and volunteer for the Boy Scouts of America. Over the course of more than a decade, Bruce Weyhrauch has held such positions as den leader, cub-master, and troop 6 committee chair. He currently serves as a charter representative with the organization.
Committed to building character and promoting citizenship among its young members, the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) offers several advancements and awards to entice member to advance their knowledge. These include merit badges, which are available to any Boy Scout, Sea Scout, Varsity Scout, or qualified Venturer at any time. BSA currently offers more than 135 merit badges, including archaeology, animal science, and landscape architecture badges.
Earning a merit badge through BSA begins with scouts discussing their interests with their unit leaders and selecting a subject for their badges. After reviewing the requirements of any merit badge that interests them, scouts are given the name of a merit badge counselor who possesses special knowledge about the related subject. Scouts then meet their counselors while accompanied by another scout, relative, friend, or parent and obtain an application for their selected merit badge.
Unless otherwise specified, scouts are free to start working on the requirements of their badge at any time. After the requirements are fulfilled, scouts make an appointment to show their counselors the work they have done. During this appointment, counselors also test scouts to ensure they possess the required knowledge. If a counselor is satisfied by the scout’s completion of the requirements, they sign the scout’s application and the scout can receive the merit badge.