eagle project review question

[Lisabob]

It has been a while (year or so) since I've paid much attention. Have expectations changed for how eagle projects are approved, prior to the start of the project?

 

Used to be that it required troop committee approval and (I think) the signature of the SE, which in most cases was pro forma. Now I am hearing that there's a middle step where the boy presents his (committee-approved) project at the district level for approval, too.

 

I can see good and bad about that. It is certainly a quality-control check on what troop committees are doing. Depending on the personalities on that district committee, it could be a bureaucratic hurdle - although on our district committee, that isn't something I'd be worried about right now. I had just not heard of this before. Is it new?

 

 

[GKlose]

In our district and council (who mandated common standards across districts), projects are reviewed by the district advancement committee. Prior to these common standards, in our prior district (and independent of the other districts in the council), one district advancement committee member would have reviewed the project and given approval for the project.

 

This is just the way our council has been trending, and recently posted the guidelines on the web: http://www.yccbsa.org/advancement/Eagle/index.htm

 

I just noticed that looking at the project workbook (not the application!), there is no slot for a district signature.

 

Here's something mildly interesting: the application and workbook are supplied by national as editable PDFs. Someone figured out that a sizable project, needing many pages of project description, had problems printing as an edited PDF. So they made a Word template.

 

Guy

[Eagle1973]

Where is the Word version? Because the .pdf was so difficult to work with, I was making a Word 2007 version for my troop's use, but if one has already been created...

 

All I can find on the NESA site is the .pdf.

[evmori]

I just noticed that looking at the project workbook (not the application!), there is no slot for a district signature.

 

It's there. It's titled Council or district advancement committee member

 

This depends on what level the advancement committee is. In my council, it is at the district level.

 

The Word version is here - http://www.yccbsa.org/advancement/Eagle/index.htm

 

Look on the right side of the page for the link.

[John-in-KC]

Lisa,

 

Verbatim from Requirements webpage:

 

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.

 

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

 

Here is the approvals section from the pdf, verbatim:

Approvals

Before You Start

The project plan must be reviewed and approved by the beneficiary of the project, your unit leader,

the unit committee, and the council or district advancement committee before the project is started.

The following questions must be answered before giving this approval:

 What is the project you are planning?

 Who will benefit from the project?

 How will they benefit?

 What representative of the projects beneficiary will be contacted for guidance in planning the project?

 What are the project planning details?

Remember, the project must be approved before you begin, so make sure all signatures have been secured before you start the project. You must be a Life Scout before you begin an Eagle Scout leadership service project.

 

Here is what happens at the EBOR. The italics are mine:

After Completion

 

Although your project was preapproved by the projects beneficiary, your unit leader, the unit committee, and the council or district advancement committee before it was begun, the Eagle Scout board of review must approve the manner in which it was carried out. The following must be answered:

 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.

 

Short version:

BEFORE

- Scoutmaster approves the project.

- Troop Committee approves the project.

- Customer approves the project.

- District Advancement Committee approves the project.

 

AFTER:

- Customer signs off project was completed.

- EBOR approves the project completion.

 

Does that make sense?

 

John

[UCEagle72]

And in our case, the District Advancement Chairperson has assigned the task of Eagle Project Reviews to the EBoR sub-committee. And either the chairperson (most frequently) or one of the sub-committee members reviews, approves, and retains a copy for the "library" of the initial project information (so we can compare when the EBoR is held).

 

[packsaddle]

John-in-KC described exactly the process we use. In this area I've not heard of anything like Lisa described.

[gcnphkr]

You left off a step.

 

 

AFTER:

>>> Scoutmaster signs off project completion

- Customer signs off project was completed.

- EBOR approves the project completion

[John-in-KC]

jet,

 

The step you implied is part of the much broader Scoutmaster Conference

 

I left it off malice aforethought.

 

We on this board went through a year long thread of over 50 pages covering a refused Scoutmaster Conference.

[shortridge]

And that was fun! Can we do it again?

[eisely]

To the best of my knowledge, the requirement for a signature from someone at either the council or district level has been a requirement for many years. This approval must be obtained before the project is undertaken. In my experience this devolves down to the district advancement committee. I have never seen it done at the council level, but then there are some very small councils that may not have districts at all.

[John-in-KC]

@shortridge:

 

NO!!! (This message has been edited by John-in-KC)

[Lisabob]

Yeah, I guess I need to clarify what I'm asking about. What is new to me is the boy having to make a second (post-troop committee) formal presentation of his proposed project to the district committee, in order to get that district or council signature. This isn't something I recall ever hearing about before.

 

Does anyone else do this? If so, how does it work out for you?

 

 

 

[OldGreyEagle]

Been doing District Advancement for quite awhile now, used to be when there was an Eagle Project to get approved, one guy looked at it and approved it or went back to the scout for more details and they hashed it out.

 

Then the District decided that it didnt want one guy holding the keys as it were and wanted the Advancement committee to approve the projects, not just one guy. So, the Eagle Guy would scan the Project workbook (see how long I have been doing this, they used to actually use the Eagle Leadership Book LOL) and email it to us on the committee and we would asl questions and the Eagle guy would talk to the scout and get back to us and so on and it was a nightmare, took way too long it was thought. So, we went to having the scouts present their project to the Advancement Committee, we have them once a month, Project approval first and then Eagle Boards of Review, no, the socut coming for Project review is not also getting a Board of Review. The face to face allows the committee to speak to the scout, ask questions, get immediate answers and generally the project is approved. If more information is needed, that information is specified and the scout is told who contact with the answers, he does not have to wait for the next month. If a scout wishes, he can just turn in the write-up, and we go through it, and have questions hunt down the scout and get answers. The face to face makes things easier but the scout can still just leace his write up as well

[John-in-KC]

Yes, Lisa,

 

That is customary.

 

In the District I serve, we allocate a room to the District Advancement Committee each month at Roundtable. (The object of that exercise is 1 stop shopping for direct contact Scouters). The Scout meets 1/1 with a member of the advancement committee. The project is either approved, or the Scout is told exactly the deficiencies. If there is a deferral, the Scout also gets contact data so he and the Advancement Committee member can get together during the month and close the gaps.

 

I hope that makes sense.