u/ChiveFig_4744

I’m getting ready to do a short Merit Badge Counselor recruitment pitch at several troops’ Court of Honors, aimed specifically at troop parents, and I’d love advice from other Scouters.

A couple themes I’m leaning into:

- Merit badges often shape future careers, hobbies, and passions. I know adults who still remember the counselor who introduced them to engineering, welding, photography, etc.
- Scoutmasters and ASMs already carry a huge load delivering program and advancement. Merit badges are one of the best places for parents and community members to step in and directly support Scouts.

I also want to lower the intimidation factor. A lot of parents think:
“I’m not expert enough.”
But honestly, many badges just need someone willing to encourage, mentor, and share experience.

I’m trying to strike the right balance between:
- inspirational,
- practical,
- and not sounding desperate for volunteers.

If you’ve recruited MBCs successfully:
- What messaging worked best?
- What made parents actually sign up?
- What should I absolutely avoid saying?

Would especially love ideas for a short 5 minute Court of Honor pitch.

My son is planning an Eagle Scout project focused on sustainability, and he’s partnering with our local middle school to introduce a worm composting system.

We feel incredibly grateful that he already has support from the science department and the administration, and they’ve identified a space in their outdoor patio for the system.

He’ll be building a multi-tier worm bin(s) over the summer and setting it up in the fall. The student Garden Club will also help maintain it and use the completed compost in their garden beds.

We’ve been refining the plan based on feedback (low odor, avoiding overfeeding, simple inputs), and the goal is to create something that:

• is low-maintenance
• won’t create smell or pest issues
• includes a simple, reusable classroom component

Before we go too far, I’d really value input from teachers:

• What makes a composting system actually stick in a school long-term?
• Are there simple, reliable “input streams” (like coffee grounds) that work well in institutional settings?
• Any ideas for making this engaging and educational for middle school students without adding burden to teachers?
• How much time/complexity is too much in practice?

We want to make sure this doesn’t become extra work for teachers after the initial setup.

Appreciate any honest feedback!

My son wants to do a Sustainability Eagle Project and help his middle school science program learn vermiculture. He thinks the kids will get a huge kick out of shredding their old paper assignments for worm food. He's got a design for a stacking worm bin, and he has already gotten support from the Middle School staff and administration (which is huge!!). The main stakeholders are the Science staff, and the side stakeholders are the volunteers in the student Garden Club.

He's looking for ideas on a couple of areas:

1. The middle school teachers want to make sure it's not super smelly or will attract rats, raccoons, etc. We've assured them that paper will mitigate most of that concern, but worms can't live on paper alone, right? Which brings us to question 2-
2. Fresh food scraps may not be regular. I'm wondering if coffee grounds and paper is enough, with the occasional boost of fresh food. The school cafeterias don't serve as much fresh salads, mostly processed, so that's not a reliable source. The students do have access to fruit (apples and bananas), so this might work as moisture as long as #1 is protected.
3. The Scouting Council may need more content than just the build and installation of the worm bin. He is thinking about offering it to other schools, but it would be great to have a classroom component, possibly where he is a visiting expert to introduce the concept.
   3a. He's looking for any materials appropriate for middle school kids
   3b. He's a little concerned about how he can teach and not miss class (he'll be a junior next year, which is a really tough year of curriculum for college admissions).

I'm writing in hopes of encouragement for him and ideas from all you, since you've already shown yourselves to be creative geniuses to turn trash into treasure as resourceful vermiculturists.