Eagle project benefactors

[SR540Beaver]

One of the things I've noticed locally is a large difference between district expectations. In our district, they like to see you build something that will last. Re-tarracing and graveling an eroded trail isn't enough. They want you to build a bench or two along the trail. My son's project was reconstructing the roof on a pavillion at a NFP camp. The old roof was made of particle board and shingles and was rotting beyond repair. His project removed the old roof down to the six support posts and totally building a new frame and roof using corrugated steel. Then he painted the supports and the frame. I don't remember the total hours, but it cost around $600. Now, that is a project! Our neighboring district approved a flag retirement demonstration. The scout held a demonstration where he explained the process to a church group and then actually held a retirement ceremony. Not very lasting, not very hard and I'm not sure how it showed leadership. Then just the other day, I heard where a scout in the same district collected blankets and gave them to a homeless shelter. A worthy cause to be sure, but I'd have to see the write up to determine how much effort went into the project and how it showed leadership.

 

Another inconsistency is doing projects for your charter. It is forbidden in our district, yet other districts do it routinely....as long as it doesn't benefit the unit. You can repaint the church building, but you can't recarpet the scout room. The only justification I can find for this is that those districts are more rural and there might not be as many opportunities as we city dwellers have.

 

All I ask is a little consistency within the council. If any of those projects had come before a board in my district, I doubt that they would have passed.

[NJCubScouter]

The "conventional wisdom" in my district is that a project of less than 100 hours (some say it should be at least 120 just to be on the safe side) will not get approval. So it is not just a "guideline" or a "goal", but rather a number used to determine whether the project is "sufficient" to show leadership, planning and organizing.

 

To address an issue in SR540Beaver's post, in our district there is no problem with projects to benefit the troop's CO, and we seem to have one of these projects in our troop every few years. It is understood that it cannot solely benefit the troop.

[clemlaw]

I'm not advocating going back to this--I'm just pointing it out as a historical curiosity.

 

But back in my day, as far as I know, there was no requirement that the BSA couldn't be the beneficiary of an Eagle project. Quite a few projects were improvements at camp facilities, and I'm pretty sure that some of them were council camps.

 

The new rule makes sense--it should be _public_ service, and service to other Boy Scouts isn't really public service. But I was kind of surprised when I saw that rule, because it hasn't always been that way.

[FScouter]

What new rule?

 

Sometimes I wonder if these districts or advancement poohbahs and "Eagle mentors" ever read the Eagle Project Workbook - you know, the one the boy relys upon to learn the requirements for his Eagle project. There might be more consisntency if folks would just read the requirements.

[OldGreyEagle]

SR540Beaver, I think you have mentioned that District quirk before, that you could not do an Eagle Project for your chartering organization. Sounds so bizarre you wouldnt do something for the people who allow you to exist, but C'est le vie

 

My son's Eagle Project was also a Flag Retirement, it was sponsored by the local VFW Post, first the troop sent a day replacing the American Flag at the graves of Veterans in the 5 cemetaries the post took care of and then he ran a 2 week drive of collecting American Flags no longer fit for display. He talked to the kids in the school band who were also scouts and they came up with music to play. Then he lead the Flag Retirement ceremony where 520 or so flags were retired with dignity and respect and he lead the clean up so when it was over, there was no trace something had hever neen held there.

 

I thought it was pretty good, then again it was my son so I could have a bias, but many times its what occurs around the project that makes it an Eagle Project rather then just a service project

 

Still working on why you couldnt do somehting for your CO, let me guess the Distrct Advancement Chair has been in the position since he got off the boat with Noah?