asm 411 Posted December 1, 2008 Author Share Posted December 1, 2008 The following are really rough numbers but I found them interesting. What I did to get them was take the number of Scouts that are currently involved in the program in the given year. Then calculating the number of available boys based on births for a particular year and infant and standard mortality rates found the number of available boys ages 11-17. Like I said really rough but I think it gives a picture of the decline: Year Percent of boys in Scouting out of available boys 1998 9.63% 1999 8.21% 2000 7.86% 2001 7.75% 2002 7.63% 2003 7.54% 2004 7.44% 2005 7.10% 2006 6.51% 2007 6.51% I interpolated 2002 using ljnrsu's data adding 2001 and 2003 together and dividing by 2. Not the best but it filled the gap. Also interesting is the percentage Eagle Scouts based on available boys instead of the number of Scouts. Year Percent of Eagles Scouts for all boys ages 11-17 1998 0.39% 1999 0.38% 2000 0.31% 2001 0.34% 2002 0.38% 2003 0.37% 2004 0.38% 2005 0.38% 2006 0.39% 2007 0.40% It could be argued that the numbers above are off a little off because in any group of boys from the ages of 11-17 there are already Eagles Scouts that can not earn the rank a second time. I think that number would not effect the out come much. Regardless I think it is interesting that even with participation dropping the number who earn Eagle is on the rise. Are those who stay in more likely to earn Eagle then those in the past? Does that mean the trail to Eagle process in helping or is the program softer? To make a true analysis more reliable data would be needed. Non-the-less interesting to think about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twocubdad Posted December 2, 2008 Share Posted December 2, 2008 My old troop was a microcosim of what was happening nationally. We had 13 Eagles in '73 including six at one Court of Honor. I don't think there were any the following year and maybe only one in '75. In addition to the new requirements which took effect in '74, our troop went to National Jamboree in '73 and there was quite a bit of competition among the guys in the troop to go to jambo as an Eagle. As to the statistics, in any of your research have you run across anything on retention? I'd be interestd in that data. Specifically, what's the normal "mortality rate" for a group of boys joining Scouta at age 11? How many of those boys will still be active by age 18? How many make Eagle? How many will remain active through age 18 but not make Eagle? My hunch is that the number active Scouts who age out without making Eagle is substantially lower than the number of Eagles who age out of the program(This message has been edited by Twocubdad) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roljers Posted February 25, 2019 Share Posted February 25, 2019 I guess I am an "Old School" Eagle Scout...1965...Only 1% of the Scouts were Eagles back then. Yes it was harder. You had to swim and you had to pass lifesaving and earn the lifesaving merit badge--no choices, no substitute of "emergency preparedness"...If you could not swim, you could not be an Eagle, ...if you could not jump in the water and face your own demise--your potential death--to save another human who was drowning--then you did not become an Eagle--Period, no debate. Sorry, that's the way it was. Simply put, its a lot easier to be an Eagle without facing a true life threatening situation. ..and I flunked lifesaving the first time at Camp Rotary in July of 1964. The next few months I worked hard at becoming a better swimmer and passed lifesaving with a lot of difficulty and no excuses...it was hard, very hard, but there was no way I was not going pass lifesaving and be prepared to do so into the future...and I'm still ready today, if necessary....and, by the way, I saw someone became an Eagle at age 11, sorry, no way...it was impossible to become an Eagle at age 11--the time limits for each rank prohibited it.... and with all do respect, I have doubts as to an eleven year old being able to pass lifesaving--just too small...he could not cut it back then. I'm not saying that today's Eagles do not have the character necessary, but the standards have been lowered....and that is a shame....Now I see why 6% and not 1% of the Scouts are Eagles... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
desertrat77 Posted February 25, 2019 Share Posted February 25, 2019 @roljers, welcome to the forums. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roljers Posted February 25, 2019 Share Posted February 25, 2019 Great to be here... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hawkwin Posted February 25, 2019 Share Posted February 25, 2019 29 minutes ago, roljers said: I saw someone became an Eagle at age 11, When was this? Care to elaborate? Considering the fact that such a person would violate not only the Eagle requirements but many/most of the previous rank requirements, I have to wonder not only about that troop but also the district that allowed such to proceed. Heck, the council would likely have to be complicit too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jameson76 Posted February 25, 2019 Share Posted February 25, 2019 31 minutes ago, roljers said: Now I see why 6% and not 1% of the Scouts are Eagles... Actually the number that attain Eagle Scout is much higher They do the math by saying 50,000 Eagle Scouts this year and 800,000 Scouts are registered this year so 6%. Then next year there are 50,000 Eagles and 800,000 Scouts so again 6% of Scouts. So on every year. X Eagles in a year and Y Scouts, divide and get the percentage. The misrepresentation is that many (hopefully most) Boy Scouts stay in for more than 1 year. The actual percentage needs to be X unique Boy Scouts and Y Boy Scouts earn Eagle Scout so you get % of Scouts that get Eagle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jameson76 Posted February 25, 2019 Share Posted February 25, 2019 5 minutes ago, Hawkwin said: When was this? Care to elaborate? Considering the fact that such a person would violate not only the Eagle requirements but many/most of the previous rank requirements, I have to wonder not only about that troop but also the district that allowed such to proceed. Heck, the council would likely have to be complicit too. Apparently it did happen. Not saying how, just that it did Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roljers Posted February 25, 2019 Share Posted February 25, 2019 14 minutes ago, Hawkwin said: When was this? Care to elaborate? Considering the fact that such a person would violate not only the Eagle requirements but many/most of the previous rank requirements, I have to wonder not only about that troop but also the district that allowed such to proceed. Heck, the council would likely have to be complicit too. - A Ventura boy became the youngest Eagle Scout in the country. After achieving the rank at just 11 years old. Kaylan Ouerbacker is part of Troop 813 based in Camarillo. An event at Bible Fellowship Church in Ventura made his ascension to the rank of Eagle Scout official.Dec 4, 2014 Ventura Boy Now Nation's Youngest Eagle Scout - KEYT www.keyt.com/news/ventura-county/ventura-boy...youngest-eagle-scout/64548532 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ParkMan Posted February 25, 2019 Share Posted February 25, 2019 Couldn't he hard earned AOL or completed 5th grade before turning 10? Then, as soon as he's 10 he joins a troop. Then he's got 2 years to make Eagle. Seems highly unusual, but possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roljers Posted February 25, 2019 Share Posted February 25, 2019 this may be...I don't know about AOL....but I do know that we could not be a Boy Scout, therefore a tenderfoot, until we were 11..."To become a TENDERFOOT SCOUT, you must be at least 11 years of age..." page 34, BOY SCOUT HANDBOOK, Seventh Edition1965, Boy Scouts of America. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ParkMan Posted February 25, 2019 Share Posted February 25, 2019 Hi @roljers, Here's the joining info from the BSA website: Quote Scouts BSA is for youth 11 to 17 years of age. Scouts also may join Scouts BSA if they have earned the Cub Scouting Arrow of Light Award and are at least 10 years old or have completed the fifth grade and are at least 10 years old. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roljers Posted February 25, 2019 Share Posted February 25, 2019 Thank you...what is the requirement for becoming a Tenderfoot in the Handbook? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malraux Posted February 25, 2019 Share Posted February 25, 2019 12 minutes ago, roljers said: Thank you...what is the requirement for becoming a Tenderfoot in the Handbook? Tenderfoot to first class have a lot of specific elements. http://meritbadge.org/wiki/index.php/Tenderfoot_rank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skeptic Posted February 25, 2019 Share Posted February 25, 2019 Please, can we simply move on. This will never go away for those of us closest to it, and few would question that it absolutely pushed every limit and bent every rule, to the point of local protests and National actually being involved. It overwhelmed unit leaders and district volunteers, to the point of some throwing in the towel, and touched at least 6 units counting cubs. Far too many mistakes and "just make it go away" issues, always with the subtle threat of a parent who is a lawyer and lived vicariously through his kids. The Scout actually had lots of promise, and I am not sure that even he today, entering full adulthood very soon, will want to have a serious discussion of how badly this went down. Even at the time, I know that he would not look me in the eye when it finally came to the end where the video shows. I still harbor a little hope that he will at some point face this personal demon and find a way to feel actually good about it. Just about the classic example of adults taking the Scouting experience away from their children and then setting a very poor example as to how to circumvent or bend by ploys and threats. I can assure you that those of us near, or peripheral to this not only took a lot of deep breaths, But, as I said, let us not again beat this horse. Thank you. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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