Specific to Iroquois Trail Council, Nundawaga District Last edited: September 24, 2008
The following steps have been outlined to ensure a smooth procedure for the Scout, the unit leadership, the local council, and the volunteers who are to conduct the board of review. Eagle candidates should share these steps with their unit leader so that they can fully understand the procedures that must be followed.
Although the process outlined below may seem overwhelming, it can easily be summarized as follows:
o Obtain Eagle Packet (Item 1)
o Fill out PROJECT DESCRIPTION section in Project Workbook, discuss with representative of the Organization benefiting from the project (Item 3)
o Fill out PROJECT DETAILS section in Project Workbook (Item 4)
o Obtain Project Approvals from Beneficiary, Scoutmaster, Troop Committee (Items 5 & 6)
o Personally schedule and present (in Full Uniform) the Project proposal to the District Advancement Committee (usually at a District Round Table) for Project Plan Approval (Item 7)
o Execute Project (Item 8)
o Fill out CARRYING OUT THE PROJECT section in Project Workbook, write project report, obtain Approval from Scoutmaster and Beneficiary (Item 9)
o Personally schedule and present (in Full Uniform) the final Project Report to the District Advancement Committee (usually at a District Round Table) for Project Completion Approval (Item 10)
o Complete other Rank Advancement requirements (Item 2)
o Fill out application and all related paperwork, verify dates with Troop Advancement Coordinator (Items 11, 12 & 13)
o Complete Scoutmaster Conference and Troop Committee Board of Review (Items 14 & 15)
o Submit paperwork to Council, request Letters of Recommendation (Items 16 & 17)
o Schedule the Eagle Board of Review with the District Advancement Committee Chair after all paperwork and Letters of Recommendation are returned (Item 18)
o Ask a member of the community to serve on the Eagle Board (Item 19)
o Eagle Board of Review (in Full Uniform) (Items 20-22)
o The completed Advancement Report, Eagle Scout Application, and other paperwork are sent to the Council Service Center for processing and final review (Item 23-25)
o Eagle Court of Honor (in Full Uniform)
The process outlined in this document is a culmination of the 12 Steps to Eagle found in NESA's Eagle Scout Leadership Project Workbook, a modified version of those 12 steps created with the assistance of a member of the District Advancement Committee, and a pamphlet published by the District Advancement Committee titled "Life to Eagle Process."
Eagle Packet
Once an Eagle Scout candidate is identified by the unit, the unit leader or advancement coordinator is to pick up an Eagle Scout Packet from the council service center. This packet has an Eagle Scout Leadership Service Project Workbook, an Eagle Scout Rank Application, and form letters for the candidate to use to request Letter of Recommendations from the references they choose. These are available at council, roundtable, and possibly the Troop's Advancement Chair.
1. Upon obtaining the Eagle Packet, the scout should thoroughly read it and then arrange to meet with his Troop Eagle Scout coordinator, or Eagle Advisor. This may be the Scoutmaster, Assistant Scoutmaster, or a member of the Troop Committee. The purpose of this meeting between the Scout and his Eagle Advisor is to review what the Scout needs to do to fulfill Eagle Scout requirements. The Scout should also discuss his ideas on a Project with the Eagle Advisor.
2. It is imperative that all requirements for the Eagle Scout rank except the board of review be completed prior to the candidate’s 18th birthday. In order to advance to the rank of Eagle, a candidate must complete
a. All requirements of tenure
b. Scout spirit
c. Merit badges
d. Positions of responsibility
e. While a Life Scout, plan, develop, and provide leadership to others in a service project
f. The Scoutmaster conference.
Project Planning & Approval
Using the Eagle Scout Leadership Service Project Workbook (the workbook must be used in meeting these requirements), the candidate must:
a. Select his Eagle service project
b. Have the project concept approved by his unit leader and unit committee
c. Have the project concept approved by the benefactor of the project
d. Attend a District Roundtable with the project plan to have the project concept reviewed and approved by the council or district advancement committee.
e. Execute the project and record in the workbook the individual helper records and any changes made to the project
f. Attend a District Roundtable with the completed workbook for the completed project review from the Advancement Committee.
3. During the process of selecting a Project, the Scout must meet with the Project beneficiary and agree upon the parameters of the proposed Project. Signatures from the beneficiary are not yet required, but the agreed-upon parameters must be documented in the PROJECT DESCRIPTION section of the Project Workbook.
4. Once full agreement on the Project is reached with the beneficiary and with the Eagle Advisor, the Scout will prepare his Eagle Project proposal in the PROJECT DETAILS section of the Project Workbook, following the guidelines in the Eagle Scout Leadership Project Workbook. The proposal MUST include:
a. Beneficiary's name and address
b. Specific, identifiable, and measurable goal(s) of the Project
c. Materials and supplies required to complete the Project
d. Source(s) of funding for the materials and supplies
e. How the funding will be obtained
f. Identify permits that will be required (type and from whom)
g. Plans and drawings of the Project, particularly for constructed items (as applicable)
h. Dimensions of the area where Project work will take place (as applicable)
i. Total estimated hours and sources of manpower to be utilized
j. Detailed discussion of safety and health issues
k. Before photographs (as applicable)
5. The Scout should provide the beneficiary with the final proposal for signature, to assure complete understanding of the Project and full agreement of what will be accomplished by the Project. If possible, the beneficiary should provide a separate letter or typed agreement specifying what the Project consists of and what was agreed upon.
6. The Scout should obtain signatures in the Eagle Scout Leadership Project Workbook from the Project beneficiary, his Scoutmaster, and his Troop Committee Chairperson.
7. Once the proposal is written up in the workbook and signatures have been obtained, the Scout should arrange to submit his signed proposal to the District Advancement Chairman (usually at the next Round Table meeting, ask Scoutmaster for contact information). The Scout must personally present his project proposal in full uniform.
Project Execution
8. Once the District Advancement Chairman/Committee has approved the project proposal and signed the workbook, only then may the Scout begin work on the Project. While working on the Project, it is strongly recommended that the Scout maintain a detailed, daily log. The log would include information as to who worked on the project (by name, date, and number of hours), what work was accomplished, and what materials and funds were collected and expended. The log will assist the Scout in writing the final Project report, but the log itself will not normally be included in the Project report.
9. Upon completion of the Project, the Scout MUST write a detailed report in the CARRYING OUT THE PROJECT section of the Project Workbook, clearly stating in the report how he demonstrated leadership during the planning and execution of the project. The report should include at least the following items:
a. Signatures of completion in the Eagle Scout Leadership Project Workbook
b. List of workers by name, and a schedule of dates and times that each person worked. Time should be broken down by each volunteer, as required in the workbook. This listing must include the Scout himself, as well as his family, to the extent they helped the Scout.
c. Since no project ever is completed without some problems, the report should explain the problems and issues encountered and how they were resolved.
d. All changes made from the initial proposal (it is important to point out that any changes that are significant must be reported to the Eagle Scout Advisor and the District Advancement Chairman when they are encountered, along with a recommended course of action).
e. A detailed explanation of how the Scout directed others to accomplish the successful completion of the project.
f. "After" photographs or other similar documentation (as applicable).
g. A letter from the beneficiary stating satisfactory completion of the project.
h. No signature date may be later than the Scout's 18th birthday.
10. Once the Project Report is completed, the Project Workbook is completely filled out and all necessary signatures have been obtained, the Scout should arrange to submit his Project Report and Project Workbook to the District Advancement Chairman (usually at the next Round Table meeting). As with the Project Proposal, the Scout must personally present his Project Report in full uniform.
Applying for the Rank of Eagle
11. When all requirements except the board of review for the rank of Eagle, including the leadership service project, have been completed, the Scout should meet with his Unit Advancement Chair to verify the advancement record of the candidate, verifying 100% of the dates. The Unit Advancement Chair should order the Scout's advancement record or "transcript" from the Council Service Center and verify that the Scout's and Troop's advancement records match the Council's records. Any discrepancies among the records must be resolved before the Eagle Scout Rank Application is submitted.
12. The Eagle Scout Rank Application must be completed . (Youth members with disabilities should meet with their unit leader regarding time extensions.) Requirement 6 of the Eagle Scout Rank Application must be written and detail the following:
a. Life purpose
b. Membership/positions held in Scouting, church, community organizations
c. Achievements in Scouting, such as Order of the Arrow, leadership positions, high adventure, etc.
d. Future ambitions.
13. The candidate should contact potential references to determine if they would be willing to provide a letter of recommendation for the candidate for the rank of Eagle before placing that person’s name on the Eagle application as a reference.
14. The Scout should then schedule a Scoutmaster's Conference and obtain the Soutmaster's signature on his Application. It is important to point out that no person may substitute for either the Scoutmaster or the Chairperson unless one of these is a parent to the Eagle Scout candidate.
15. The unit committee reviews and approves the record of the Eagle candidate before the application is submitted to the local council. If a unit leader or unit committee fails to sign or otherwise approve an application, the Eagle candidate may still be granted a board of review. The failure of a unit leader or unit committee to sign an application may be considered by the board of review in determining the qualification of the Eagle candidate.
16. The original application is to be sent to the Council Service Center while the applicant keeps a copy of the application. When the completed application is received at the Council Service Center, its contents will be verified by the Council Registrar and the application will be returned to the Scout or the unit advancement coordinator. The Council Registrar will verify all dates and entries, focusing on correct dates for Merit Badges, Boards of Review, and Leadership.
17. Using the form letter supplied by the council in the Eagle Packet as a template, the candidate must send a letter to each reference listed on the application along with a stamped envelope addressed to the Troop Advancement Coordinator. The candidate should have contacted those individuals listed as references before including their names on the application. The references will then send their Letter of Recommendation to the Advancement Chair who will keep them unopened to be brought to the Eagle Board of Review. The candidates should not be involved personally in transmitting any correspondence between persons listed as references and the Eagle Board.
The Eagle Board
18. After the Application is returned and the letters of recommendation received by the Advancement Chair, the Candidate must contact the District Advancement Chair to schedule a Board of Review for the Candidate. The Candidate will contact his Scoutmaster and Eagle Scout Advisor and confirm their availability to attend. Under no circumstances should a board of review be scheduled until the approved application is returned to the Scout or Unit Advancement Coordinator. Any reference checks that may have been done by the council that are forwarded with the application, and any Letters of Recommendation received by the unit advancement coordinator are confidential, and their contents are not to be disclosed to any person who is not a member of the board of review.
19. The unit should ask a member of the community to serve on the candidate’s Eagle Board. This community member can be a member of a church or other community organization that may or may not know the candidate, but they cannot be related to the candidate. The preference is that the community member be part of the unit’s Chartering Organization.
20. The board of review for an Eagle candidate is composed of at least three but not more than six members. One member serves as chairman. Unit leaders, assistant unit leaders, relatives, or guardians may not serve as members of a Scout’s board of review. At least one district or council advancement representative must be a member of the Eagle board of review if the board of review is conducted on a unit level. A council or district may designate more than one person to serve as a member of Eagle boards of review when requested to do so by the unit. It is not required that these persons be members of the advancement committee; however, they must have an understanding of the importance of the Eagle board of review.
21. The Eagle Scout Leadership Service Project Workbook, properly filled out, must be brought to the Eagle Board of Review by the candidate along with his Boy Scout Handbook (with all advancement dates updated) and all completed Merit Badge blue cards (often kept by the candidate in a 3 ring binder, known as an Eagle Book). The unit leader or the unit advancement coordinator must bring the unopened Letters of Recommendation, the council-approved Eagle Scout Rank Application with requirement number 6 completed and attached, and a blank advancement report that will be completed by the board.
22. The candidate’s unit leader introduces him to the members of the board of review. The parents and the unit leader must also attend the Board of Review, but will only be present for a short time while the candidate is introduced and the parents and Scoutmaster questioned by the board. The unit leader may remain in the room, but does not participate in the board of review. The unit leader may be called on to clarify a point in question. In no case should a relative or guardian of the candidate attend the review in its entirety, even as a unit leader. There is no set of questions that an Eagle candidate should be asked. However, the board should be assured of the candidate’s participation in the program. This is the highest award that a Scout may achieve and, consequently, a thorough discussion of his successes and experiences in Scouting should be considered. After the review, the candidate and his unit leader leave the room while the board members discuss the acceptability of the candidate as an Eagle Scout. The decision must be unanimous. If the candidate meets the requirements, he is asked to return and is informed that he will receive the board’s recommendation for the Eagle Scout rank. The Eagle Board will fill out the blank advancement report supplied by the unit leader and give it back to the unit leader, who must sign it and send it in to the Council Service Center. If the candidate does not meet the requirements, he is asked to return and told the reasons for his failure to qualify. A discussion should be held with him as to how he may meet the requirements within a given period. Should the applicant disagree with the decision, the appeal procedures should be explained to the candidate. A follow-up letter must be sent to the Scout confirming the agreements reached on the action(s) necessary for the advancement. If the Scout chooses to appeal, the board should provide the name and address of the person he is to contact. (See ‘‘Appealing a Decision” in the National BSA Policies and Procedures, No. 33088D.)
Final Approval
23. Immediately after the board of review and after the application has been appropriately signed, the application and a properly completed Advancement Report are returned to the council service center.
24. When the application arrives at the council service center, the Scout executive signs it to certify that the proper procedure has been followed and that the board of review has recommended the candidate for the Eagle Scout rank. The application and references are retained by the council. Only the Eagle Scout Rank Application is forwarded to the national Eagle Scout Service.
25. The Eagle Scout Service screens the application to ascertain information such as proper signature, positions of responsibility, tenure between ranks, and age of the candidate. Any item not meeting national standards will cause the application to be returned for more information. If the application is in order, the Scout is then certified as an Eagle Scout by the Eagle Scout Service on behalf of the National Council. Notice of approval is given by sending the Eagle Scout certificate to the local council. The date used on the certificate will be the date of the board of review. The Eagle Award must not be sold or given to any unit until after the certificate is received by the council service center. The Eagle Scout court of honor should not be scheduled until the local council receives the Eagle Scout rank credentials. This process usually takes 6 weeks.
Use these websites as great resources for Scouts on the trail to Eagle:
http://www.EagleScout.org
http://www.eaglebook.com/sites.htm
http://www.scoutorama.com/project
http://home.flash.net/~smithrc/eagleprj.htm
The above process is a culmination of the 12 Steps to Eagle found in NESA's Eagle Scout Leadership Project Workbook, a modified version of those 12 steps created with the assistance of a member of the District Advancement Committee, and a pamphlet published by the District Advancement Committee titled "Life to Eagle Process."
