Advancement

District Specific Advancement Resources

District Advancement

District Advancement Committee

Each District has their own District Advancement Committee, which is one of the subcommittees of the District Operating Commitee. Our District Advancement Committee includes:

Eagle and Quartermaster Advancement

Eagle Boards of Review

An Eagle Scout board of review is a scout's final step to achieving the highest rank in Scouts BSA. In fact, Eagle is a rank that only 5% of scouts ever achieve! It’s a rank that heralds respect and admiration from anyone who knows what Scouting is. And, it’s the rank that scouts work for countless years to earn!

Eagle Boards of Review are made up of community members, past leaders and involved parents (though not the Eagle candidate's own parents or leaders from that scout's Troop). Questions for the Eagle Board of Review members to ask the Eagle candidate are provided by the Eagle Board of Review coordinator. The Eagle Board of Review is a chance for the Eagle candidate to talk about how much they've learned along their path to Eagle as well as the details of their Eagle project.

Interested in volunteering to participate in an Eagle Board of Review? Contact: Andy Chen.

Quartermaster and Eagle Projects

Every unit should have a coordinator for Quartermaster or Eagle advancement. Once identified, the unit coordinator for Eagle/Quartermaster can contact Andy Chen for more information. Get ideas for projects from:

Council Eagle Resources

See the Golden Gate Area Council's Eagle page for additional resources.

Merit Badge Counselors

The merit badge counselor are key players in the Scouts BSA advancement program. Whatever your area of expertise or interest—whether it is a special craft or hobby (basketry, leatherwork, coin collecting), a profession (veterinary medicine, aviation, engineering), or perhaps a life skill (cooking, personal management, communications)— as a merit badge counselor, you can play a vital role in stirring a Scout’s curiosity about that particular topic. By serving as a merit badge counselor, you offer your time, knowledge, and other resources so that Scouts can explore a topic of interest.

Some merit badges require special certification: Swimming, Climbing, Snow Sports, Canoeing, Kayaking, Lifesaving, Motor Boating, Rowing, Scuba Diving, Small Boat Sailing, Water Sports, Whitewater, Archery, Rifle Shooting, and Shotgun Shooting. Read about those here.

If you're ready to apply

Start your journey here. If you need a step by step guide on the process, we've created a tutorial. Have Golden Gate District-specific questions? Contact: Andy Chen.

Are you looking for a Guide for Merit Badge Counseling? Here's the official Scouts BSA guide.

Seeking AdvanceCamp Staff!

Friday, September 27 & Saturday, September 28, 2024

What it is . . .

Golden Gate Area Council's AdvanceCamp is the premier learning event where Scouts can complete partial Merit Badges from summer camp and explore new Merit Badges. It's also an opportunity for adult leaders and parents to receive training.

What we need . . . 

Over the next few weeks, AdvanceCamp committee members will be reaching out  with personal invitations to volunteer and make this a memorable and fun event. Of course, you don't have to wait to be invited, sign up right now! 

Merit Badge Counselors. The selection of merit badge training we can offer depends on the counselors who volunteer. Check the list below for the merit badges we want to be able to offer. Go ahead, email MBC Volunteer and let us know which merit badges you are qualified to teach. Did we miss one that you really, really want to teach? Let us know. 

Trail Head Volunteers. Help our younger Scouts progress to First Class rank with instruction for Scout, Tenderfoot, Second Class, and First Class requirements. Interested? Go ahead, email Trail Head Volunteer.

Staff Volunteers. Lots to be done to make sure everything runs smoothly and that's the magic our staff volunteers conjure up all day long. Interested? Go ahead and contact Staff Volunteer. 

Merit Badge Opportunities

This list will be updated periodically. If there is an upcoming event, please contact Andy Chen to get it posted.

Hiller Aviation Museum Aviation and Weather Merit Badge workshops (recurring)

Shotgun Merit Badge (Concord, CA) 7/13/2024, 9/7/2024

Advance Camp (Solano County Fairgrounds)  9/27/24 - 9/28/24