Trail to Eagle Prepared by Scott Biondi Troop 2010 Adapted from a Presentation by Goose Creek District Advancement Committee National Capital Area Council

Troop 2010 Eagle Contacts Eagle Chairman: Anita Mills (210) Eagle Projects: Karl Klose (210) David McNease (210) Meeting: 2 nd Thursday at 6pm at Castle Hills Baptist Church 2220 NW Military Hwy SA TX Life to Eagle: Jamil Malik,Jeff Ricks, Craig Savell, Ron Yowell, Zach Harris, David Harris, Mike Elliot, Mylene Brinker Merit Badges: Jamil Malik

Why Become an Eagle? Be among a group of famous Americans A U.S. President 33 Astronauts Pulitzer Prize authors Government leaders Business executives Being an Eagle Scout identifies you as a LEADER

Earning Eagle Scout Should be a combined effort by the Scout, the Parents and the Troop

Begin Working Toward Eagle as Soon as You become a Scout Should be viewed as an ongoing process that really begins in earnest after First Class Most happens after you make Life Scout Life Scout to Eagle becomes the biggest hurdle More Responsibility on Scout Bad timing as Scout enters High School

Start Working on Eagle as Soon as You Earn Life Scout You can become an Eagle within 6 months of earning Life Scout You must perform in a listed leadership position for 6 months You can do your Eagle Scout Leadership Service Project anytime after Life Scout

Eagle Scout Mentors Developing a Troop level Mentor program can really help keep Scouts on track Help Scouts set goals and target dates then follow up with them Provides someone other than the parent who Scout may listen to Scouting sees the value of the Mentor by putting an award pin in the Eagle presentation kit

Requirements for Earning Eagle Scout Rank 1. Be active in your troop and patrol for at least six months as a Life Scout. 2. Demonstrate Scout spirit by living the Scout Oath (Promise) and Scout Law in your everyday life. 3. While a Life Scout, serve actively for a period of six months in one or more of positions of responsibility. 4. While a Life Scout, plan, develop, and give leadership to others in a service project helpful to any religious institution, any school, or your community. 5. Take part in a Scoutmaster conference. 6. Successfully complete an Eagle Scout board of review. Requirements #1 through 5 must be completed before the Scout’s 18th birthday.

Requirements for Earning Eagle Scout Rank Requirements #1 through 5 must be completed before the Scout’s 18th birthday. Eagle Scout District Board of Review must be completed within 90 days after age 18 Any exceptions to the age requirement must be approved at the National Headquarters

Requirements for Earning Eagle Scout Rank Remember that all but the Project Approval and Board of Review are certified by the Troop

#1 Be active in your troop for at least 6 months as a Life Scout Troop must establish a definition of what “active” means Definition of “active” for leadership positions has higher requirements Active should mean more than merely showing up, and must include Scout Spirit…

#2 Demonstrate Scout Spirit Scout Spirit is an assessment of whether a Scout is living the Oath and Law. Elements of Scout Spirit include: Attendance at meetings and outings Enthusiasm and positive attitude Wearing appropriate uniform Working effectively with younger Scouts Demonstrating leadership Being prepared Ultimately, decision to recommend a Scout for Eagle rank should be based on evidence of Scout Spirit Again, there should be a Troop policy

#3 Earn a total of 21 merit badges (1) Twelve required merit badges (Silver Borders) First Aid  Communications Citizenship in Community  Citizenship in Nation Family Life  Citizenship in World Personal Fitness  Environmental Science or Sustainability Personal Management  Camping Emergency Preparedness or Lifesaving Swimming or Hiking or Cycling Cooking Some required merit badges take time to complete and cannot be delayed until just before a Scout’s 18 th birthday Merit badges earned beyond the 21 required can be applied to Eagle Palms. (1) Italicized merit badges typically require a few months or more to complete.

#4 While a Life Scout, serve actively for a period of 6 months in a Position of Responsibility Eligible leadership positions include: Patrol leader, assistant senior patrol leader, senior patrol leader, Venture patrol leader, troop guide, Order of the Arrow troop representative, den chief, scribe, librarian, historian, quartermaster, junior assistant Scoutmaster, chaplain aide, instructor, webmaster, or Leave No Trace trainer Note that Asst. Patrol Leader and Bugler are not on the list Troop should establish requirements for leadership positions Definition of what “active” means Your Leadership position and how the Scout worked at it may be a topic at the Eagle Board of Review

The Eagle Scout Leadership Service Project

Eagle Project : Understand the purposes Leadership: it is about your ability to work with and organize others to complete a successful project Service: the project should make a material contribution to a community-based, non-profit organization Skills development: the project will test your skills in – Planning – Communications – Project management – Managing and dealing with lots of different people and organizations  Initiative: putting your Scouting skills to work on a project that you are responsible for from concept to completion

Eagle Project: Pick a project This step is the biggest stumbling block for Life Scouts Troop mentoring and parent support at this stage is crucial What makes for a good Eagle project: Should be a project that you are enthusiastic about Must benefit a non-profit group other than Scouting Leaves something tangible behind which you are proud of Requires planning and leadership of others to complete Project scope: This is the critical aspect that will define a approved project and one that isn’t should require about 125 to 250 hours, including planning Scout and helpers All of the work hours should not be the Eagle Scout candidate Large enough to demonstrate leadership of others

An Eagle Project CANNOT: Be a job normally done as routine labor; Be performed for a business or individual; Be of a commercial nature; Be a fund-raiser; Be shared by another Eagle Candidate; Be of benefit to any BSA element.

Eagle Project: Pick a project Places to look for a project City recreation departments Schools Religious organizations Non-profit organizations - HOA Locally Animal Defense League San Antonio Food Bank Haven For Hope

Start by talking with Your favorite teachers Volunteer coordinators at non-profits Your minister or church youth program leader Any non-profit organizations that you or your parents are involved with Other Scouts who have completed their projects www search using “Eagle Project” will lead to many other ideas Check in the Summit District Project Binder to see what other Scouts have accomplished Eagle Project: Pick a project

Eagle Project: Select a time Decide when you want to get the project completed. Based on your Target date – You can start the project anytime after you become a Life Scout – Ideally, you should plan to complete the Eagle project no later than your sophomore year in high school. The whole process from start to finish may take 4 to 6 months (not weeks) Plan ahead so that you can find a time when the Eagle project can be balanced with – Schoolwork – Sports and other commitments – Vacation schedules (yours and others)  Set a deadline for completing the project and stick with it.  Your enemy is procrastination.

Eagle Project: Get organized Get the Eagle Service Project Worksheet at the Life To Rank Page on Scoutlander. Make sure the form is the latest version. Download a “soft copy” of the Worksheet from scouts/eagleproject/dload.ht ml Ask your parents to support you on this project. Make the completion of the project a priority.

Eagle Project: Plan the project Planning is the most important part of any successful Eagle project, and it takes time… The Workbook provides the format for planning the project. Once you have the “OK” from an Eagle ASM, prepare an initial write-up using a soft copy of the Workbook.

Eagle Project: Plan the project Take “before” photos of your planned project, including narrative Include a sketch or drawing of your project What will it look like Include measurements Conceptual and technical

Eagle Project: Plan the project Once you know what to do then develop how to do it What manning will you need Scouts Parents Friends Charter Organization Benefiting Organization

Eagle Project: Plan the project A How much will the project cost? How will it be paid for? What will materials and tools cost for the project: have an itemized list with unit costs (see format on next slide) If the sponsoring agency will not pay for all materials, how will you raise the money? (Parents cannot be the principal source) Ford And Loews

Eagle Project: Plan the project A completed project plan will address the following: What is your project plan? List of tasks and # hours estimated for each through completion Suggest an Excel spreadsheet with estimated hours (see next slide) Drawings and designs to show what you intend to do Project Safety Adult supervision; need to be “two deep” Use of power tools by adults only Tour Permits Permission Slips Organization Waivers Your project plan should convince the reader that the service project will be successful for everyone involved.

Eagle Project: Get your plan approved Review your initial write-up; this may take 2 to 3 meetings Get signatures on two Workbook copies: official BSA form and word processing copy Your project must be formally signed off by each of the following in this order:  Executive at non-profit sponsoring your service project  Scoutmaster  Troop committee Chairman for the Committee  District Project Chairman  Anita Mills Be prepared: it often takes a few meetings and 4 to 8 weeks before you have all the approvals to begin. You cannot start performing the project until you have all these approvals completed

Eagle Project: Get your plan approved Troop Involvement in Approval Process is critical Don’t rubber stamp every project Don’t set up Scouts for failure at the District level Scoutmaster Take a hard look at the project based on the criteria outlined above before sending it on to the Committee Committee Insure the project is a worthy project before you sign and send the Scout to the District for approval

Eagle Project: Carrying out the project Don’t wait too long after approval A lot can change that may affect the project Set a schedule for completing the project and stick to it Do a job that you are proud of and reflects well upon Scouting On time: keep momentum to finish the project, including write-up On budget: see how your estimates were for both materials and labor Quality work: “On my honor I will do my best…” People are more likely to help on your project if: You are active in the troop You help out on other Eagle projects Non-Scouts are welcome to help out on Eagle projects Try not to conflict with other Troop Activities Have fun. You should be able to look at the Eagle project as one of your most enjoyable experiences in Scouting.

Eagle Project: Keep people up to date Keep both the sponsor and the Troop up to date on your progress. Ask for help when you hit roadblocks. (Mentors…) Avoid the “dead zone” between completing the project and completing the write-up. (You should be doing the write-up as you do the project.) Procrastination is still your biggest enemy…

Eagle Project: Carrying out the project Keep detailed, daily record of project and progress Who worked on project, # of hours (keep track of service hours each day) Take photos as the project progresses Notes of what went well, what didn’t go according to plan, lessons learned Maintain records showing actual vs plan for both materials and time Keep detailed records to answer the following in your final write-up: In what ways did you demonstrate leadership of others? Give examples of how you directed the project rather than doing the work yourself In what way did the religious institution, school or community group benefit from the project? Did the project follow the plan? If changes to the plan were made, explain why the changes were necessary.

Eagle Project: Completing the project Write- up with the same thoroughness as an important term paper Put in a binder that is labeled and well organized. Organization counts. Include official BSA “hard-copy” of Workbook with original signatures Use “soft copy” of Workbook for practice write-up. Maintain two complete, signed off copies of your Eagle Project book. District will keep one for Project Binder Also include: Planned vs actual materials and explanations for variances Planned vs. actual hours and explanations for variances Conclusions from project “After” photographs with some narrative Thank you letters to project sponsor and key suppliers

Eagle Project: Completing the project Write- up with the same thoroughness as an important term paper Be sure to answer the following in your final write-up: In what ways did you demonstrate leadership of others? Give examples of how you directed the project rather than doing the work yourself In what way did the religious institution, school or community group benefit from the project? Did the project follow the plan? If changes to the plan were made, explain why the changes were necessary.

Eagle Project: Obtain signoffs Project sponsor at non-profit agency: obtain signatures on two hard copy Workbooks Troop: this may take several meetings and should include a review of Completeness of your write-up Results of project: on time, on budget, quality Documentation: photos, lessons learned,… How well organized is your presentation Your leadership service project will ultimately be reviewed at your Eagle Board of Review by Summit District

Take part in a Scoutmaster conference: paperwork to check in advance Obtain Eagle Scout Rank Application and complete the form accurately: Individual History report from Troopmaster database Suggest a check against printout of your advancement history from the council records (the Council can print this out for you.) All dates for advancement, merit badges etc. on Eagle application must tie to the council records. If the council records are incorrect, work with the troop advancement chair to get them corrected. Blue Cards are your proof of completion so don’t lose them If you moved from another Council you will need your records from there too Note that you are required to supply references who know you personally and can attest that you live by oath and law. Application must include a brief summary about Scout’s ambitions and life’s goals Make it well written

Use the Current Application

Keep Records Safe Keep your copy of merit badge Blue Cards Also keep rank and merit badge certificates

Assemble Documents in Neat Order Use a 3-ring binder to hold pages in sheet protectors Suggested order: Eagle application TroopMaster report or blue cards Project workbook Include photos Statement of ambitions and life goals

Take part in a Scoutmaster conference: Procedure Scoutmaster conference will be conducted by Troop May want to include more than one Scoutmaster Goals of the conference: Confirm that all requirements for Eagle rank have been completed other than Scoutmaster conference and board of review Review of Scout’s experience in Scouting and knowledge gained Assessment of preparedness for Eagle rank Have Application, Project Workbook and Scout Handbook and review them for accuracy and completeness Expect to take time for conference. Scout may be asked to come back for follow up meeting. Scouts should prepare as they would for an important final examination and appear in full class A uniform.

Complete an Eagle Board of Review Last evaluation of Scout’s worthiness for Eagle Rank Requirements - Project-Spirit Suggest a Troop Board of Review before scheduling a District Board A prepared Scout has a better chance of success at District

Complete an Eagle Board of Review Submit your application to the council Advancement dates will be checked and references may be contacted prior to scheduling the board of review. The Council Advancement Clerk conducts reviews on Monday and Tuesday Suggest you personally take it to Council in case there are problems The Council Advancement Clerk will sign for the Council then you may schedule a Board of Review

Complete an Eagle Board of Review Eagle boards of review are conducted at the district level. Boards are scheduled on the second Thursday of each month You must contact the District Eagle Board of Review Coordinator to schedule your Board You should notify your Scoutmaster once your Board of Review is scheduled so that one of them can introduce you to the Board of Review Parents can not attend the Board Of Review, but can attend other reviews

Complete an Eagle Board of Review: Scheduling Contact Anita Mills at: (210) At least two weeks in advance By the day before all Eagle paperwork must be at Council office Eagle Application Project Workbook (2 Copies)

Complete an Eagle Board of Review: The Board Conducted by 3 to 4 people Advancement Committee member, Scouters, prominent members of the community Board will meet 30 min.- 1 hour prior to review all applicants for that night Be on Time! Be in full Uniform! Reviews are wide ranging and typically encompass: Review of Scout Oath and Law, their meaning and application in the Scout’s life The history of scouting, the scout badge Proper display and handling of the American flag The Eagle Leadership Service Project with focus on leadership Attitudes about Scouting and life in general How Scouting has affected the Scout and his outlook on life Typical duration is about after which the board meets privately to decide whether the Scout meets the requirements for Eagle rank. Decisions must be unanimous.

The Final Steps Once the board of review is successfully completed, you will be responsible for submitting your paperwork to the Council Office This will be your Application and Advancement Form presented to you at the end of the Board of Review Council will certify and forward to the BSA national office for final approval, which may take a few weeks. Process typically takes 2-4 weeks unless there is a problem May be expedited for a $40 fee and returned in around a week after National gets it The date of the Eagle Scout Award is the date of the Board of Review

The Eagle Scout Court of Honor The Scout and his family decide when and where to have their court of honor Units may pay for all or a portion of the expenses The unit is responsible for the purchase of the award Families should solicit as much help as possible Guest list/invitations Letters of congratulations (Troop responsibility). Should be done several months in advance Guest speakers/Agenda/Program/Ceremony (Scout & parent’s choice)

The Eagle Scout Court of Honor A reminder that the Scout should conduct the Court of Honor with the Life Rank on his uniform since he will be awarded the Eagle Rank

The Eagle Scout Court of Honor Facility arrangements Decorations/Displays Entertainment Food or refreshments Photographer Eagle Scout portraits Resources Internet for ceremonies and ideas on Eagle Scout courts of honor The Eagle Court of Honor Handbook” by Gary Hendra available at the Scout Shop and other outlets Experienced Scouters and Eagle Scouts Scout Shop or party store for party supplies

Concluding comments The key elements in reaching Eagle rank are your initiative, active involvement and perseverance. The troop and your parents can help but ultimately the achievement and recognition are yours. Plan on reaching Eagle within two years of achieving Life Scout rank. Create a plan and: Remain active in troop and patrol activities Identify and complete an Eagle Leadership Service Project Identify and complete a leadership role that is interesting to you Complete your merit badges

A Final Reminder You now have a responsibility to give back to Scouting all that it has given you. This is not the end of the road but the beginning You must now be a mentor and example for all those Scouts looking up to you to reach where you have “Once an Eagle Scout, Always an Eagle Scout.”