Trail to Eagle Packet

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PART 1

Using This Guide

The basic requirements for attaining the rank of Eagle Scout can be found in the Eleventh Edition of the Boy Scout Handbook, and the current edition of Boy Scout Requirements. For your convenience, however, they are listed in the following pages along with check-off blocks to plot your progress, plus specific guidelines on what is expected of you in order to fully satisfy all aspects of your Eagle candidacy. Please feel free to call your District Advancement Chair (see part 6) for assistance at any time.

All requirements for Eagle Scout, including your comprehensive final project report must be completed BY YOUR 18TH BIRTHDAY. Your Eagle Board of Review may be held within 90 days after your eighteenth birthday. Your Eagle Rank Application and a copy of your final project report shall be submitted to the Council Service Center no later than 10 days after your 18th birthday.

While you have the choice of waiting to the last minute to complete your requirements, and file your application and report, there is a great risk in doing so. The risk is: that should a discrepancy be found in your records, i.e. a merit badge not completed or the project not satisfying the requirements, having passed your eighteenth birthday, you have no time left to correct these shortcomings and will not obtain your Eagle. So the Council Advancement Committee implores you not to wait until the final hour to complete your Eagle requirements.

PART 2

Eagle Service Project

Other than planning and certain approvals, the actual work on your project cannot be started until steps 1-10 on the following pages have been completed.

As an Eagle candidate you must:

Plan

Develop

Give Leadership to Others

in a service project which is helpful to a religious institution, school, or your community. As a demonstration of leadership, YOU must plan the work, organize the personnel needed, and direct the project to its completion.

Service to others is important. Work involving Council property or other BSA activities is not acceptable for an Eagle Scout service project. The service project also may not be performed for a business, be of a commercial nature, or be a fund-raiser.

The key words are "Plan", "Develop", and "Give Leadership". The requirement to provide leadership cannot be taken lightly and must be evident as you lead others in completing the project.

Eagle Scout Service Project

For a project to qualify as an Eagle Scout service project, the Scout, while a Life Scout, must plan, develop and give leadership to others in a service project. This project must benefit a 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. Work involving Council property, Troop property, or other BSA activities is not acceptable. The project also may not be performed for a business, or be of a commercial nature, or be a fundraiser. (See BSA Advancement Committee Policies and Procedures Manual PG 25.)

The Eagle Project process should begin well in advance of the Scout's 18th birthday. This procedure, from idea generation to project completion and submission of the finished project report, will take a significant amount of time to complete.

Planning and obtaining approvals can be a lengthy process. Many false starts and wasted time by the Scout can be avoided by preparing a simple (e.g. half-page) description of the project concept and discussing it with the Unit Leader, Troop Advancement Committee, Benefiting Organization Representative, and District Advancement Chair. (These are the four signatures that will be required to approve the detailed project plan. Units may have a local procedure to advise and support the Scout, including assignment of Eagle Coaches.) With their verbal approval and advice, the proposal sections of the Trail to Eagle Packet and Eagle Scout Leadership Service Project Workbook (PDF) or (WORD) or (RTF) must be completed in detail

a. What is the proposed project (be specific)?

b. Who will benefit? How will they benefit?

c. What official has been contacted from the group that will benefit from the project? Remember this person's written approval (signature) is required as found in the Service Project Workbook.

d. How many people hours will be required? Who will be working on the project? When will they work? How many hours will these people work?

e. What quantities of materials and tools will be required? What are the materials and tools?

f. How do you expect to obtain and pay for these materials?

g. What are the safety aspects and potential hazards involved in your proposed project?

h. Are there any permits, or other legal requirements that must be met?

Make any graphs, sketches, pictures, tables, etc. which will help describe the planning you've done to get ready to carry out your project. Before and after photos will be helpful in your final report..

Organize the above information in a report.

a. Type or neatly print your proposed project description and planning details. Computers may be used to generate this material using electronic versions of the Eagle Scout Leadership Service Project Workbook (PDF) or (WORD) or (RTF)

b. Ask your Eagle Coach, Scoutmaster, committee person, or teacher to review it for content and readability.

c. Make a copy for your own records.

This would be a good time to revisit the official from the beneficiary to go over the project details and to obtain his/her agreement. The beneficiary's representative must sign on the designated line in the Workbook.

Now you are ready to have your Scoutmaster and the Troop Committee Chairman review and give their approval to your project description and planning details. Their signatures are required in the Worbook. The Troop Advancement Committee will expect that certain requirements be met, in writing, before Troop approval will be issued. The Troop and the Scout must remember that his project proposal is being presented for District approval, to an individual who has no knowledge of the boy or his project. The proposal must be written in such detail that the project may be understood (and carried out) by merely reading it.

Following approval of the proposal by the Troop Committee, the Eagle Scout candidate contacts the District Advancement Chairman for assignment of a District Eagle Advisor. The Scout contacts the assigned Advisor, and arranges to have him/her review and give final approval for the Eagle project. The last step in developing an Eagle Service Project is gaining this approval from the District Advancement Committee. Work on the project may not begin until this District approval has been obtained.

The Scout must be ready to discuss the following with his District Eagle Advisor:

Significance: Will the project challenge the Scout? While the project does not have to be an original idea, it must not be part of an organization's on-going program. Will the project continue to benefit the group for an extended period of time?

Leadership: How does the Scout plan to lead others through the project? Will the largest portion of work be performed by other youth, directly supervised by him?

Funding: The organization benefiting from the project should be approached first for funding. If funds are not available, the project cost must be a reasonable amount of money that could be raised by a youth. What is the budget for the project? Where will the Scout obtain the funding? What will he do if there are insufficient or excess funds? What are the plans to manage the funds? (See attached BSA Unit Money Earning Guidelines).

Communications: Has the Scout adequately communicated the goals of the project to all individuals involved? How does he plan to communicate with others during the project?

Organization: How will the Scout organize the tasks and the workers? What is the time frame for completion? Project records must be maintained in extreme detail, and record keeping should begin when the project idea is being generated.

Safety: Has the Scout identified any safety concerns? Has he read the Guide to Safe Scouting? Will he provide safety equipment? Adults must be present to operate power equipment, and two-deep leadership must be maintained at all times.

Tools and materials: What items will the Scout need and where will he get them?

Documentation: Drawings, sketches, maps, blue prints, etc. will greatly help to describe the project. Photos should be taken before, during, and after the project.

Problems: Has the Scout anticipated any problems and how does he plan to deal with them?

There are certain projects that will not be considered. These would include "routine labor, a job or service normally rendered." An Eagle Scout project is not a Troop weekend project. The Eagle Scout service project is an individual matter; therefore, two candidates may not receive credit for working on the same project.

Unit leadership should be especially careful of "Drives/collections" and "one day" projects, because of the difficulty in satisfying all of the requirements of a meaningful Eagle project. Any idea of this type should be thoroughly discussed with your District Advancement Chairman before any planning begins.

REMEMBER:
1. All projects must be discussed at the Troop level with the Scoutmaster and Troop Committee, and must also be approved by the organization being served.
2. If there are questions, or when the project has been approved at the Troop level, the District Advancement Chairman must be contacted.
3. The District Advancement Chairman will appoint a District Eagle Advisor. This Advisor must be contacted by the Scout, and will review the project proposal, and discuss the viability of the project with the Scout, possibly making suggestions on how to make it a more acceptable Eagle Scout Project.
4. Project work cannot begin until final project approval has been obtained from the District Eagle Advisor.
5. If you are rasing money for the project, you must fill out and submit a Unit Money Earning Application.

NOW YOU ARE READY TO BEGIN YOUR PROJECT IN EARNEST!

As you continue to plan, organize and supervise others in completion of your project, be sure to use the activity log you established in step 2. In addition to your own activities, accurately record the activities of everyone working on your project by name, date, time, along with any changes from your original plan. These changes could involve such things as using more or less material or even a different approach to the project due to changes desired in the end product, or a more efficient accomplishment of the task. Changes from your original plan are acceptable so long as the end project satisfies the intent of the original project. Major changes must be approved by the District Advancement Chairman.

After completing the actual project, obtain the signature of the beneficiary in your workbook. A letter from the beneficiary acknowledging completion of the project would even be better.

The final major step in completing the Eagle Service Project is to write a final report. This report may be done using a computer as long as the format from the Life To Eagle Packet and section titles are used. Your report should answer the following questions:

NOTE: In writing your final report, you should be mindful it reflects on your work and understanding of this service project requirement; "Do Your Best" in presenting this report. You may add additional pages as required and include sketches, before and after photos and drawings that you feel are appropriate.

Good Turn for America Reporting Requirements

A final step in completing your Eagle Scout service project report for submission to council is submitting information about your Eagle Scout service project to the GTFA website. The reporting certificate that is printed after your data has been submitted must be included in your final report before you present it to our council for review, verification and approval for a board of review. Detailed instructions are available in PDF and WORD.

Part 3

Preparing Your Eagle Scout Rank Application

You should print out two copies of the Eagle Scout Rank Application; one as an original and the second as a draft which you should use as a work paper before attempting to enter information on the original. As you can see, this is a very busy form and it needs your very best effort to complete it properly. Take your time and double check all of the entries to be sure to be accurate. Consult your records, such as your Scout Handbook, "Blue Cards" for merit badges earned and records that your troop advancement chairman maintains.

Remember this form is going to be forwarded to the National Office for their review and approval and only your best effort is acceptable. No "white outs" or erasures or write overs are acceptable; additional copies can be obtained from the service center. If your copy is handwritten, it must be printed and legible. All dates must include the month, day and year. If you follow and fill in the outline below, it will help to avoid some common mistakes found in many applications

Ensure Council and Unit records coincide!

The Council Advancement Committee strongly recommends that all Eagle Scout Candidates request that their troop or crew leadership download and print a copy of their individual advancement record. This may be done through the Internet Advancement reporting option located on the council website (ppbsa.org). This document should be included in your final report to the council when you are ready for your Eagle Scout board of review. This step will allow the Candidate and his troop or crew the opportunity to review his record and correct any errors or omissions before the application and project report are reviewed and verified by the council Eagle Scout Registrar. (It is a good idea to obtain this report at the same time as the Good Turn for America certificate.) At the time of verification any errors or missing information will require the council office to return the application to the Scout for corrections. An application will not be verified unless all required information has already been reported to the council by the unit. This simple, easy step will prevent needless delays in verifying your application and approving you for a board of review. Any questions should be directed to the Council Advancement Committee Chair, John Nelson at jatznelson@att.net.

Background Information Enter the appropriate dates as required.

Date joined a Boy Scout Troop / /
Date of First Class Board of Review / /
Date of Star Board of Review / /

Age - All of the requirements for Eagle, including your final project report must be completed BY YOUR 18th birthday. Your Eagle Board of Review can be held within 90 days after your eighteenth birthday. Your Eagle Rank Application and a copy of your final report shall be submitted to the Council Service Center no later than 10 days after your 18th birthday.

Name Address Telephone

Parents/Guardians
Name:
Address: City: State: Zip :
Home Tel.#

Religious
Name:
Address: City: State: Zip :
Home Tel.#

Educational
Name:
Address: City: State: Zip :
Home Tel.#

Employer(if any)
Name:
Address: City: State: Zip :
Home Tel.#

Two other references
Name:
Address: City: State: Zip :
Home Tel.#
Name:
Address: City: State: Zip :
Home Tel.#

3. [ ] List of Merit Badges

Be careful to list only those merit badges you used to attain your Star, Life and Eagle ranks.

Four of the required badges were earned for Star and must precede the date of your Star rank shown above. Likewise the three additional required badges earned for Life must precede the date of your Life rank shown below.

Please see the application for Varsity Scout Team or Explorer Post positions.

Date of Life Board of Review / /

Position _____________________________ From / / To / /
Position _____________________________ From / / To / /

Part 4

Your Eagle Board of Review

After you have completed all the requirements for Eagle, it is suggested that you prepare for your Eagle Board of Review by going to the Troop Committee for an informal review of your application and project, including the final report. At this time you should have the following information in its final form:

Preparing for your Eagle Board of Review

Your neatly completed application form. No white outs or cross outs are permitted. If you make an error, obtain a new application. Only the original application is required. Handwritten applications must be neat and legible. The dates are very important; for ranks they are the date of you passed the Board of Review and for Merit Badges it is the date the Merit Badge Counselor signed your "Blue Card". List the troop number in which they were earned. See Part 3 of these guidelines for further information.

Your completed Life to Eagle packet including the final report.

A letter, signed by the Troop Committee Chairman or Troop Advancement Chairman is to be sent to three of the references on your Eagle application requesting they write a letter of recommendation. The letters of recommendation are to be returned to the Chairman unopened for consideration at the Eagle Board of Review and destroyed immediately thereafter.

After this informal review, your completed application and your completed project report are to be submitted to the Council Service Center for review and certification. Make extra photocopies of all of this material for your use; only the originals need to be submitted to the Council Service Center.

The Council Service Center will advise you when their review has been completed and of any discrepancies that need to be corrected. After the forms are verified by the Eagle Registrar, you or your troop will be notified and they can be picked up.

Now it is time to arrange for your Eagle Board of Review, including the requirement to arrange with the District Advancement Chairman or Representative for a suitable location, time and date.

Eagle Board of Review

Appear at the appointed time and place in full Scout uniform (see Boy Scout Handbook, Page 12) and bring any advancement records you have with you, just in case there is a last minute question. It is normal to be a little nervous. Just be yourself and remember everyone wants you to do well.

This Board of Review will not be much different than those you have experienced for obtaining your earlier ranks. Try to relax and give some thought before answering the questions and you will do okay.

PART 5

After the Board of Review

When the Board of Review has certified* your completion of all the requirements for Eagle Scout, there are several important administrative matters that must be completed. They are as follows:

• The District Advancement Committee Representative and the Board of Review Chairman must sign the back of the Eagle application in the spaces provided.

• An Advancement Report must be completed and signed by the two people mentioned above plus one other member of the Eagle Board.

• The Eagle Application and Advancement Report must be delivered to the Council Service Center within one week after the Board of Review.

• The Council Eagle Registrar will obtain the signature of the Council Executive and forward the application to the National Office for approval. Note: you are not an Eagle Scout until the National Office approves your application.

• When the credentials and certificates are returned from the National Office, your troop will be notified and plans can then proceed to arrange for your Eagle Court of Honor.

* Should the Eagle Board of Review find you are not qualified and you disagree with their findings, you may appeal their decision to the Council Advancement Committee. Additional information on this procedure can be found in the BSA publication entitled Advancement Committee Policies and Procedures.

PART 6

District Advancement Committee Chairs (updated 12-18-07)