YEP, YOU HAVE TO TAKE YPT TO CONTINUE AS A MERIT BADGE COUNSELOR.
Youth Protection Training (YPT) is a BSA National Requirement. All Scouters from the National President, National Commissioner, and Chief Scout Executive to Council and District Officers and Commissioners, to Unit Leaders, to Chartered Organization Representatives, to Merit Badge Counselors and any adult registered with the BSA that I might have missed are required to take the training.
Some Scouters in positions that are not in routine direct contact with Scouts may think that YPT does not apply to them in their position – they are mistaken. The BSA YPT is good for two years, so, if you took it on January 15, 2014, it expires on January 14, 2016. Montana Council and many other Councils across the Country mandate that every Scouter takes the training every year. This is to ensure that their training is current for the entire period of their annual registration and doesn’t expire sometime in mid-registration.
So for example, if you are currently a Unit-registered Merit Badge Counselor, you needed to have taken the YPT sometime in 2014 in order to re-register with your unit when it rechartered and all youth and adults were re-registered on January 1, 2015.
Districts recharter and district Scouters re-register annually as of June 30th. So, if you are a District-registered Merit Badge Counselor, you need to take YPT in the year before June 30th so that your YPT doesn’t expire during your upcoming registration period.
Question: What happens if a Scouter does not have a YPT certificate that covers his/her upcoming re-registering period?
Answer: When the re-registration application reaches the Council Registrar she will not re-register that individual. No YPT, no re-registering.
Question: How do I get YPT certified?
Answer: there are two ways. (1) take the course online at www.myscouting.org. once your user ID and password are accepted, click on e-Learning and take the course (it takes about 20-minutes). Print a copy of course completion certificate and ask your DE to forward it with the District recharter package. OR (2) determine when your District or a unit in your area is next administering a live YPT course and take it with then. The course administrator will file a training completion form with the Registrar.
If you have any questions at all about YPT, please contact your District Training Chair, District Executive/District Director, or District Youth Protection Champion. YPT is the one training requirement levied on all Scouters. Like Nike says, “just do it” please.
Tom Russell
Council Youth Protection Champion
Council Commissioner
