eagle age

[mrprarar]

Hello I am new and the question I have has an answer I know but getting one that is concrete is a problem. What is the youngest age a eagle can be. If you can give this answer I have lots more because I am asm and fixing to be sm.

[FScouter]

The answer is ... as soon as he has completed the requirements, which may be found on the back pages of the Boy Scout Handbook. 1st Class, Star, and Life ranks must be held a minimum of 6 months each.

 

All the answers you need in Scouting can be found in the BSA publications. Start with the Boy Scout handbook and Scoutmaster handbook.

[mrprarar]

Me again. I have read most of the book. But we have a lot of people where we live say they have to be 16 and older. My son wants his sooner and wants to continue on with merit badges. He is only 12 and assistant senior patrol leader. He wants to lead and the older boys don't want to do it except one the patrol leader. Also we have had people say that a mb earned at mbu should not count toward anything to do with eagle. Why have them? Reading the book does not always give you clear answer when some people in your own troop seem to be holding the boys back and they drop like flys.

[SeattlePioneer]

Hello, mrprarar--

 

 

There is no BSA requirement that Scouts be 16 years of age in order to be Eagle Scouts, and no one else is entitled to add additional requirements. So I'd ask those people to show you WHERE in BSA rehulations this requirement is to be found. If they say it is a "Troop Rule," ask them to show you where such rules are authorized.

 

Follow the same procedure with people who say that Merit Badges for Eagle have to be earned by some special procedure.

 

As far as your son having difficulty commanding respect as ASPL, that is something he will have to do by his excellence in planning, organization and performance. When the Scouts discover that they can do more things and have a higher quality experience because of your son's contributions to the program, they ought to come around.

 

If he can't make those contributions now, he may have to endure doubts about his capability to do the job until he grows into the position.

 

Still, I'd say I'm surprised that a twelve year old is ASPL. Can you describe the circumstances that brought this appointment about? There's a lot to be said for a boy to develope leadership and planning skills as a Patrol Leader (arguably the best job in Scouting) before being thrust into a job that ought to require significantly more planning and leadership experience.

 

What kind of tasks is he assigned as ASPL, and how large is your Troop?

 

 

 

Seattle Pioneer

[mrprarar]

We have a small group of 12 but only about 8 active. The boys do listen to my son. It bothers me that we do have older scouts that do not want the job but they say they want eagle. Our troop has had problems in the past and I want to do what is best for the whole troop since it seems before long I will be the main leader. The rest of the boys did vote him to be aspl. He does a good job (mother speaking).

We are having some trouble getting the patrol to function properly because the current SM says for the boys to figure it out for themselves but they don't know what they are doing. Since I have begun to push the troop we seem to be making some improvements and the parents that were going to pull their children out say they want to stay as long as I am in charge. I am only asm and have 5 years experance in cubs and 1 year in boy and still have no clue what I am doing because it is so different and no real past leadership before I came. I want it to be better but don't want to be too pushy.How do you handle that?

[AwHeck]

Training, training, training!

 

Get all the training you can. Attend roundtables and talk to experienced leaders from within your district.

[Eamonn]

If I wasn't such a lazy toad I could go through the Scout Handbook and add up all the time requirements and that good stuff. But I'm just feeling a little lazy.

There has been a lot of debate about the ideal Eagle age. There are 13 year old Lads who have made Eagle Scout rank and there are the Lads who wait till the very last minute of the very last day.

The Eagle Scout rank should be a personal goal of the Scout. The Troop should have a goal of ensuring that all Scouts make First Class Scout.

I can only echo all the fine words that have been said about adult leader training, along with maybe seeing what the other successful well ran Troops in your area are doing.

Eamonn.

[OldGreyEagle]

Well, I am a as lazy a toad as Eamonn, but its 17 months from the time the scout joins, that assumes a 30 day time frame from the day they join until they make first class, because the tenderfoot exercise requirement says 30 days. Now, how practical is another story

[Oak Tree]

And since the youngest age a boy can join Scouts is 10 years old, the minimum age would be 11 years, 5 months (or more technically, 11 years, 4 months, and 30 days).

 

There would be all manner of practical obstacles to overcome in order to reach that. You'd have to have three campouts as part of the 10 troop activities in the first month. You'd also need to have Boards of Review scheduled on unusual nights - say, always the 1st of the month, which would vary in which weeknight it was, from month to month.

 

Oak Tree

[Eamonn]

I know that there was a change to the Boy Scout age requirement earlier this year. Looking at what it now states:

(Boys also may become Boy Scouts 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.)

Yes I very nearly put my foot in my mouth and said that the minimum age was ten and a half!!

Thanks OGE for the help.

I think I have read about 12 year old Eagle Scouts, they are a very rare bird.

I wonder what is the greatest number of palms a Scout has earned?

Eamonn.

 

[Oak Tree]

I think there are 120 merit badges right now. That would mean that 19 palms would be the maximum number that a Scout could earn, assuming he had his Eagle by 13 years, 3 months of age (and assuming that I have my facts and my math correct). I wouldn't be surprised if someone has done it.

 

I found this question in the Scouting archives: http://www.scoutingmagazine.org/issues/9811/d-lett.html

 

The kind of information you seek, however, is not readily available, because the Boy Scouts of America does not keep records, nor do councils, on Eagle Palms or the total number of merit badges earned by any one Scout.

 

Oak Tree

[SeattlePioneer]

Mrprar---

 

You say your son's troop has 12 Scouts and 8 active Scouts, yet has an Assistant Senior Patrol Leader?

 

I just want to check to be sure we are talking about the same office.

 

Your troop should have one or two elected Patrol Leaders, and usually the Patrol Leader appoints the other leaders in the Patrol, such as the Assistant Patrol Leader.

 

The Senior Patrol Leader is usually elected by all the Scouts in the Troop, and then appoints the other Troop leaders, such as the Assistant Senior Patrol Leader. It would be unusual to have an Assistant Senior Patrol Leader in such a small Troop, I'd say.

 

Has your son served as a Patrol Leader, and if so for how long?

 

 

 

Seattle Pioneer

[mrprarar]

He was voted by the troop as aspl. If it is a mistake it was made before I really began to notice our troop was going nowhere and stepped in. He takes his job very serious and is almost happy when the spl is not there. *I am still working on understanding how this stuff works and the people in charge before me know less than I know only because I am trying to find out the correct answers before the troop falls apart. I can't change what has already happened but I want to do my best to make improvements so the boys know what to do.

The troopmaster says let them lead themselves (as he sits back like a fly on the wall) and the boys run in circles not having a clue what to do. I believe the boys have to be taught first.

[jr56]

We had the same problem in my troop once, a new Scoutmaster took basic leader training and got the message loud and clear that it was to be a boy run troop. The part he missed out on was that you have to instruct the boys on how to run the troop and provide guidance as needed to make sure the boys get the job done. Good luck in trying to bring the troop around.

[Lynda J]

I have set on a BOR for an Eagle Scout that was 14.

Do I think a Scout should target 14 to complet Eagle. NO. Kevin wants to complet Eagle by 16. He said this gives him 2 years to earn Palms.

 

I personally think 16 is a great age to earn Eagle.The boy is then old enough to be a JASM. Be a role model for the younger boys.

I agree that age does not make a mature boy. I have some that are 12 that are more mature than the 16 year olds. But IMHO 16 is a perfect age to complete Eagle.