Eagle Leadership Service Project

Requirement No. 5 states the following

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. (The project should benefit an organization other than Boy Scouting.) The project plan must be approved by the organization benefiting from the effort, your Scoutmaster and troop committee, and the council or district before you start. You must use the Eagle Scout Leadership Service Project Workbook, BSA Publication No. 512-927, in meeting this requirement.

Boy Scout Requirements, pp. 20-21 expands the information for this requirement by providing the this…
While a Life Scout, a Scout must plan, develop, and give leadership to others in a service project to any religious institution, school, or community.

As a demonstration of leadership, the Scout must plan the work, organize the personnel needed, and direct the project to its completion.

The Eagle service project is an individual matter; therefore, two Eagle candidates may not receive credit for the same project.

Eagle Scout leadership service projects involving council property or other BSA activities are not acceptable for an Eagle service project. The service project also may not be performed for a business, be of a commercial nature, or be a fund-raiser.

Routine labor, or a job or service normally rendered, should not be considered. An Eagle service project should be of significant magnitude to be special and should represent the candidate’s best possible effort.

The Scout must submit his proposed project plan and secure the prior approval of his unit leader, unit committee, and district or council advancement committee, and the organization benefiting from the effort, to make sure that it meets the stated standards for Eagle Scout leadership service projects before the project is started. This preapproval of the project does not mean that the board of review will accept the way the project was carried out.

Upon completion of the project, a detailed report must be submitted with the Scout’s Eagle application to include the following information:

  • What was the project?
  • How did it benefit others?
  • Who from the group benefiting from the project gave guidance?
  • Who helped carry out the project?
  • What materials were used and how were they acquired?

Although the project plan must be approved before work is begun, the board of review must determine if the project was successfully carried out. Questions that must be answered are:

  • Did the candidate demonstrate leadership of others?
  • Did he indeed direct the project rather than do all of the work himself?
  • Was the project of real value to the religious institution, school, or community group?
  • Who from the group benefiting from the project may be contacted to verify the value of the project?
  • Did the project follow the plan, or were modifications needed to bring it to its completion?

All the work on the project must be done while the candidate is a Life Scout and before the candidate’s 18th birthday.

The variety of projects performed throughout the nation by Scouts earning their Eagle Scout Award is staggering. Only those living in an area can determine the greatest value and need for that area. Determine, therefore, whether the project is big enough, appropriate, and worth doing. For ideas and opportunities, the Scout can consult people such as school administrators, religious leaders, local government department directors, or a United Way agency’s personnel.

 

While trying to develop a project without this information would be difficult in the least and impossible at best, it still boils down to knowing what to do within the Troop to complete your project. This in addition to the requirement of attending a Life to Eagle Seminar provided by the Red Jacket District Advancement Committee.

Life to Eagle Orientation

For all Life Scouts that are planning on making the rank of Eagle.  Attendence in at least one of orientation session is required before initiating your Eagle project. 

In addition to the Life Scout, a parent/guardian should also plan to attend.

Class “A” uniforms for the scouts.  Bring a pen/pencil and notepad to take notes.

Please let us know you plan to attend by registering using the [Register >>] link below:

For more information or questions, contact:
Dave Talarico
David.A.Talarico@usa.dupont.com 
716-573-7276 (cell)

Meeting location:
Notre Dame Academy, School gym (Old St Martins School)

These Seminars are held throughout the year. You can find out when the next one is by going to http://wnyscouting.org/openrosters/Calendar.asp or calling/emailing Mr Talarico. Once you completed this you are ready to start working on your Eagle Project.
Here’s what you need to do for Troop 285

Eagle Project Procedures

1. The Scout finds a project he thinks is worthy of a Eagle Project
2. He talks to someone from the benefiting organization about what he wants to do. Normally together they flush out what the organization wants done and what the Scout thinks he can handle.
3. The Scout then goes to the work book and fills out the proposal section, filling in all blanks and answering all the questions to the best of his ability.
4. He then has the benefiting organization sign the workbook.
5. The Scout then contacts the Scoutmaster and tells him he has a Eagle project proposal for his review. Sets up a time to meet with the Scoutmaster and reviews the project.
6. If the Scoutmaster believes that the project meets the requirements/restrictions to be an Eagle project he signs the work book.
    If he does not, the Scout has several choices.
a. If the project meets all restrictions and is just lacking in content. Discuss with the Scoutmaster what is lacking.  Is there more that can be done within the project/needs of the benefiting organization to bring it up to standards? And then go back to the benefiting organization and discuss what changes need to be done if this is to be done as an Eagle Project.  If this is not possible then the Scout needs to gracefully and apologetically tell the benefiting organization that he can not go forward with the project. The Scout now needs to go back to step 1.  If the changes are acceptable to the benefiting organization the Scout goes back to the Scoutmaster for his signature.
b. If the project falls into the area of not meeting the restrictions, ie., it’s mostly a fundraiser for the benefiting organization, a blood drive or othe activity where the Scout is regulated to a secondary role by the organization or one of the other projects that are not acceptable, then the Scout need to again gracefully and apologetically tell the benefiting organization that he can not go forward with the project. The Scout now needs to go back to step 1.
7. The Scout now contacts the Eagle Project Review (EPR) Chairman to set up a time to have his project reviewed by the EPR Committee.  The EPR Committee Chair may have the Scout send emails with the project to committee members or he may do it him/her self.
8. Once the Scout reviews the project with the committee, any changes they recommend he makes to the workbook and then has the committee chair sign it (this can take several reviews). There is a possibility at this Step something is discovered that makes this project unacceptable as an Eagle Project.  If this does happen and changes cannot be made to make it acceptable, the Scout will have to start over and look for another project.
9. The Scout now contacts the the Red Jack District Eagle Scout Coordinator – Dave Talarico, and follows his instructions on what to do to have his project approved by the District.
10.Once all concerns by the District are met and the Eagle Scout Coordinator signs the project workbook (or gives his approval), the Scout can now start on his Eagle Leadership Service Project.  

This link to an Eagle Project Plan Checklist can help you keep things organized if your quest for Eagle

http://meritbadge.org/wiki/images/f/f1/Eagle_Project_Plan_Checklist.pdf