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:

• Andy Chen, District Advancement Committee Chair

• Kent Fitzgerald, District Advancement Chair Member

• Josh Phillips, Eagle Coordinator.

ADVANCE-O-RAMA

Friday, September 18 - Saturday, September 19, 2026

• What:  The NorCal Advance-o-Rama, sponsored by the Golden Gate Area Council

• When:  Sept 18 & 19, 2026

• April 15, 2026 – Registration Opens

• May 31, 2026 – Early Bird Registration Deadline

• August 10, 2026 – Merit Badge Registration Opens

• August 30 – Regular Registration Deadline (Late Registration Begins)

• Spember 11, 2026 – Late Registration Deadline (No registrations after 9/11 or same-day registrations will be accepted.)

• Where: Contra Costa County Fairgrounds

• Who:  for ScoutsBSA members and adults

• Why:  To work on Scout through 1st class requirements and merit badges

Details: 

• NorCal Advance-o-Rama will be a fun-filled event for scouts and adults alike. 

• Scouts under the rank of Star will be able to work on a variety of requirements in the Trail to First Class. 

• A wide variety of merit badge sessions will also be offered for scouts to start, continue or complete. 

• Adults will have the opportunity to take training for Scoutmaster / Assistant Scoutmaster, Merit Badge Councelor, and Troop Committee. 

• Also for adults we will have “fireside chats” with professional scouters and members of the GGAC Executive Board. 

• For everyone, there will be a midway with information booths spotlighting organizations and events throughout the council.

https://norcalscouting.org/advance-o-rama/

ScoutBook Plus issues?

You're not alone.

There's a transition going on: Scoutbook is slowly moving to Scoutbook Plus. If you're encountering a bug or can't get something to work, it is likely you're not the only one.

Check out the Scoutbook Forums for more information on bugs!

You can also read this exhaustive list of changes to Scoutbook.

Citizenship in Society Merit Badge Discontinuance

• The Citizenship in Society Merit Badge is discontinued effective Friday, February 27, 2026. Click here for the announcement.

New for 2026:

• Revised merit badge requirements are effective January 1, 2026. A summary can be found here. (For more detail, you can refer to this highly detailed list).

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:

• Scouting Magazine 'Before and After' Eagle Scout photo series

Council Eagle Resources

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

Special Recognition

Eagles and Quartermasters can:

• Request a Recognition Letter from the Friends of Treasure Island, including a vial of earth from the original Ceremonial Grounds / birthplace of the Order of the Arrow

• Join the GGAC Eagles Nest

Merit Badge Counselors

The merit badge counselor (MBC) 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 an MBC 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.

Are you from a different District?

STEM Nova Counselors and Super Nova Mentors

As a STEM Nova counselor, you can teach skills and introduce concepts that may change the course of a boy or girl’s life. Many scouts have been guided to their chosen careers or discovered lifelong hobbies through the BSA Stem Nova program. This opportunity would not exist without adult volunteers giving of their knowledge and time selflessly to help shape the leaders of tomorrow

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 STEM Nova tutorial. Have Golden Gate District-specific questions? Contact: Andy Chen.

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)