Eagle projects

[ChemMommy]

Oh, please someone offer some encouragement!! We are only the final stretch of my son's Eagle project. The deadline is Sept 30th (for the next Eagle review board) and I don't think the family can keep up this pace for two more weeks! We worked until 10pm last night by car headlight to try to get to a stopping point.

 

Is it ALWAYS like this????? Did we just choose too big a project. We are at 150 hours and are NOT NEARLY DONE!! We haven't even started the paper work.

 

At this point, I am so happy that my next three were girls. I can't imagine going through this again!!:lol:

 

Any encouraging words or funny stories to lift my spirits? :lurk5:

[In The Great White North]

Yes, ds picked too big a project. Way too big.

 

For encouragement, how about in-state tuition for out-of-staters at Texas A&M, plus a Corps Scholarship? :D Check out the Aggie Eagle Weekends.

 

For your girls, the Gold Award project is only 60 or 75 (I forget) hours. I think I'll be paying particular attention to their time estimates.

[justasque]

I know it's grueling now (I *really* know!), but it's good to get it over and done with *before* he is later in high school and has to be looking at colleges, etc. You will be *so* glad when it is all done!

 

If it's really looking too big, ask your leaders for advice.

 

Don't forget that it is a *leadership* project, and asking others to help with the work is a large part of it.

[cougarmom4]

Wow...I'd say you guys are awesome! Keep it up...good luck finishing! (Is there any way that the timing can be pushed back at all?)

 

We are just starting to look at ideas for ds Eagle project...I think I'll keep your post in mind as he brainstorms & makes a decision!

 

Anybody want to share some great Eagle Project ideas?

[Sebastian (a lady)]

Oh, please someone offer some encouragement!! We are only the final stretch of my son's Eagle project. The deadline is Sept 30th (for the next Eagle review board) and I don't think the family can keep up this pace for two more weeks! We worked until 10pm last night by car headlight to try to get to a stopping point.

 

Is it ALWAYS like this????? Did we just choose too big a project. We are at 150 hours and are NOT NEARLY DONE!! We haven't even started the paper work.

 

At this point, I am so happy that my next three were girls. I can't imagine going through this again!!:lol:

 

Any encouraging words or funny stories to lift my spirits? :lurk5:

 

That does sound like a doozy of a project, but one that he'll be proud of having completed. I'd second the idea of his pulling out the stops to get more help if needed. Remember that he can and should look beyond just the family or scout troop for manpower for the project.

 

Does your district have set dates for Eagle boards? I've not run into that, but then we're sort of in an odd case here. We convene boards only when there is a candidate who has completed the project and submitted both an application and the workbook for review (by the registrar and the advancements chair).

 

Tell your young man to keep at it. When I interview candidates for the Naval Academy, I always ask for examples of leadership experience. Eagle projects are great topics, even when there have been setbacks and they haven't gone as planned.

[Granny_Weatherwax]

No stories but :grouphug:

 

My DS will begin thinking about his Eagle project in November. He has a couple of merit badges left to finish and then he will begin the preliminary work.

 

What is your son doing as his project?

[Granny_Weatherwax]

 

Does your district have set dates for Eagle boards? I've not run into that, but then we're sort of in an odd case here. We convene boards only when there is a candidate who has completed the project and submitted both an application and the workbook for review (by the registrar and the advancements chair).

 

That's what happens here, too. There are no set dates; the EBOR is convened when the scout is ready for one, not the other way around.

[QueenCat]

The only deadline that matters is his 18th birthday. He has to file the paperwork with your Council before his 18th birthday. The day before is the deadline. The Board of Review can take place AFTER the filing, even after the 18th birthday. This is NATIONAL policy, which your district can not go against. Further, they can't do the Board of Review before you have filed the paperwork with Council, which has to be done in person. Even if they have scheduled BORs, they can certainly schedule them "as needed" if needed. Been there very recently, ds just got the paperwork back from national last week, making him officially an Eagle. The only step left is the ceremony :)

[Pippen]

My cousin lost interest only two merit badges and a project short of becoming an Eagle Scout...and my aunt never let him forget it. ;)

 

You have far more behind you invested in his scouting adventure than you have remaining for this project.

 

Is this the type of project he could recruit volunteers to help with in order to reduce the remaining hours?

[Carrie12345]

 

At this point, I am so happy that my next three were girls. I can't imagine going through this again!!:lol:

 

Any encouraging words or funny stories to lift my spirits? :lurk5:

 

Well, I can tell you that my mom would beg to differ on the girl thing, lol. She was miserable for the 6 months of planning that my Gold Award took, and wanted to kill me on the day of the actual event I (we) pulled off!

[Pippen]

Well, I can tell you that my mom would beg to differ on the girl thing, lol. She was miserable for the 6 months of planning that my Gold Award took, and wanted to kill me on the day of the actual event I (we) pulled off!

 

Just wait until ChemMommy gets to the wedding stage with those three girls. She might be looking back fondly to these Eagle Scout days. ;););)

[bookfiend]

Kudos to your son for choosing something big with lasting impact. I get irritated reading in the paper about boys receiving their Eagle and the project is some lame "built a flower box" item.

[Luckymama]

The 150 hours------is that just on the project itself (building or whatever) or on the entire process?

 

In ds's troop, the average project from initial thought to final review takes the boy 300-350 hours (minimum 250, maximum so far 675!!!!!). That includes ALL the paperwork, all the preliminary back-and-forth, presenting the project to the troop adult committee, fundraising, the actual hands-on days----usually 4-6 weekend days with volunteers, and so on.

[In The Great White North]

In ds's troop, the average project from initial thought to final review takes the boy 300-350 hours (minimum 250, maximum so far 675!!!!!).

 

For some reason, 40 hours rang a bell, but on doing some research, I found that there is actually no minimum number of hours. If your ds's troop has one, especially one that large, they are really doing the boys a disservice.

 

From the Eagle Project Planning Guide (http://home.flash.net/~smithrc/eagleprj.htm):

Hours Spent Working the Project

Provide a record of all the time worked by you and your volunteers. Don’t forget to include all the time you spent planning the project, writing the plan, getting approvals, and gathering tools / materials, not just the time doing the labor. This can be documented in a list or table showing names, dates, hours worked, and tasks performed by you and each volunteer. Also, don’t forget to give your Scoutmaster a list of those who worked on your project so that they can get credit for service hours toward their own advancement.

Note on Minimum Hours – The BSA Eagle Project Workbook specifically states: “Size – How big a project is required? There are no specific requirements, as long as the project is helpful to a religious institution, school, or community. The amount of time spent by you in planning your project and the actual working time spent in carrying out the project should be as much as is necessary for you to demonstrate your leadership of others.â€

 

The BSA Advancement Committee Policies and Procedures (#33088D) says: “There is no minimum number of hours that must be spent on carrying out the project.†(pg. 27) This BSA document alsostates: “No council, district, unit, or individual has the authority to add to or subtract from any advancement requirement.†(pg. 23)

Therefore, it would violate the stated BSA policy for anyone to add a new “minimum hour†requirement.

 

and

 

http://www.scouting.org/filestore/pdf/512-927.pdf

[Luckymama]

I wasn't referring to a stated minimum for the troop. The usual project takes at least 250 hours, because these are generally not simple projects. They want the boys to truly demonstrate leadership. Fundraising and paperwork/meetings/etc take up a good portion of the time.

 

 

 

For some reason, 40 hours rang a bell, but on doing some research, I found that there is actually no minimum number of hours. If your ds's troop has one, especially one that large, they are really doing the boys a disservice.

 

From the Eagle Project Planning Guide (http://home.flash.net/~smithrc/eagleprj.htm):

 

 

and

 

http://www.scouting.org/filestore/pdf/512-927.pdf