How to motivate a 17 yr old to finish his Eagle

[isvirtual]

I am the Eagle Advisor at my unit. I have a scout who has completed all the Eagle badges and his position of responsibility. He wrote an Eagle Project Proposal but didn't submit this because it turned out to be more work than he (or his Dad) thought was necessary.

 

This week, I've learned that he is no longer interested in completing a project or becoming an Eagle scout. He is very busy with school, work, clubs, etc., and simply burned out on scouting.

 

I would like to say something to him that might motivate him. He turns 18 next April.

 

Any suggestions?

 

Mike

I used to be a bear...

[purcelce]

Just sit down and have a 5-10 minute chat with him, about how close he is, how you know a few older folks who have regregted not getting Eagle, and how Eagle Scouts are looked highly upon in the world. All you can do is advise. It's up to him to be motivated to finish his Eagle.

[madkins007]

Different approaches work better for different people.

 

One possibility might be to look at it from his point of view. He's worked hard- probably these last several months have felt joyless with all the pressures of school, work, etc. The work to get Eagle is just one more brick in what he obviously feels is a heavy load.

 

I might suggest that he ease up in Scouts a bit. Let it become fun for him again. No more badges, no more of the things that cause him distress. Maybe he could help teach the new Scouts or take on a project that interests him instead of other troop duties. Or, just work with you to craft a new possible project- one that better reflects his interests.

 

Give him a chance to catch his breath and review his options- without chasing him out of the unit. Let him alone for a bit (and try to get his parents on board).

 

I know all the adults will be chomping on the bit over every 'wasted' second- those projects have a way of taking more time than the Scout thinks, and processing the paperwork takes time he does not have a lot of either.

 

On the other hand, if he gets a chance to get back to what he loves about Scoutiing, he might reattack the project with a vengence and stay well after his COH.

 

It does not always work- but with the right person, it does pretty well.

[KoreaScouter]

Sounds like the lad is taking his cue from his father. You said that both he or his father thought the project required too much effort. To me, that says it all. You can have all the 5-minute talks you want to with the boy, but if he's getting a conflicting message from dad, you're fighting an uphill battle. And, it shouldn't be a battle at all. For sure, this part of the trail is steepest. It's supposed to be. If it was easy, everyone would earn their Eagle. This takes a lot of desire and self-motivation. I say again, self-motivation.

 

We had a discussion similar to this some time back, and I said then that I don't know an Eagle Scout who made it without the enthusiastic support of his family. He may be out there, but I've never met him. Considering how tough this part of the advancement program is, what he needs at home should resemble a formation of geese in flight, with him up front, and the rest of the geese (his family) honking encouragement from behind. Absent that, he'll age out as a Life Scout, and there's little you can do about it.

 

We get them for 1 1/2 hours per week; their families have them 166 1/2. That's almost impossible to overcome.

 

KS

[SeattlePioneer]

I agree that the Scout should be free to make his own decision. If he decides he has better, or other things to do with his time, that's fine.

 

I also like the idea of encouraging him to have fun with his troop. That's probably more important than getting the Eagle rank, anyway.

 

 

Those comments aside, perhaps he should consider some other Eagle project that would be more fun for him and less work. That might be worth a five minute discussion after he has the time to have had some fun in his troop once again.

 

 

 

Seattle Pioneer

[Lynda J]

Earning Eagle can be a money issue for some scouts. We had one that is 17 and just seemed to have stalled. He lacks 3 Eagle badges and his project. Last meeting one of our ASM hear him talking that he was going into the military after graduation. The ASM sat down with him and explained that if he is an Eagle entering any branch of the military he will go in at a higher pay level. He exlpained that having Eagle on that form can make as much as $700 a month difference in what your pay scale is. This kid called me the next night wanting to get going on his project. I am meeting with him tomorrow and we will sit down and go over it. It will be a challenge for him since he is a foster kid and has little support at home. But the leaders of our troop will do everything in our power to help him.

I also have a customer that looks on a persons resume. If he has to applications with everything equal except one person was in scouts and earned Eagle he will always hire the Eagle over the other. He also looks for women who were Girl Scouts. He says that people that stayed in scouting are more dependable and make better employees.

The sad thing is that once they "lost interest" there is little you can do unless they make up their minds they want to do it. It also sounds like the father of this kid isn't really interested in his finishing.

[EagleInKY]

Lynda, You stole one of my examples! My neighbor's son was losing interest, just had a couple of MBs to go. Talking to the recruiter, he learned he would make an extra $250 or so per month coming out of Basic Training. He got his act together and finished it.

 

You have to figure out the motivation of the young man. Is he interested in college, then there are scholarships available. Talk to the parents if you need to. Sometimes they can motivate the boy, sometimes they are the worst ones to have do it. It all depends upon the person.

 

One tactic is the "you'll only have one chance to do this" speech. He can always "hide" the fact that he's an eagle. But he'll never be able to go back and turn himself into one.

 

Good luck.

[Cubmaster Mike]

what, nobody out there uses cattle prods and 2x4s any more?

[OldGreyEagle]

Only on recalcitrant poster's who don't heave to!

[NeilLup]

The first thing to do is to look in the mirror and say:

 

"I have not failed. It is not MY Eagle. It is his Eagle. If this boy decides not to get his Eagle, I HAVE NOT FAILED."

 

The second thing to do is to look at the Scout from a distance and say:

 

"He has not failed. He is a Life Scout. He has earned many merit badges, been a leader and have great experiences. He has benefitted from Scouting. HE HAS NOT FAILED."

 

Then if you want to have a gentle conversation with the boy, communicate how much the Troop has enjoyed having him as a member. Say that he has been a great Scout. Say that you would hope that he would complete his Eagle but it is up to him. Say that if he thinks his current project is too hard, he can certainly create and propose another project which is less hard, provided that it meets Eagle Scout project standards. And say that whether or not he continues on and makes Eagle Scout, he is welcome in the Troop.

 

Then, I would suggest asking him about once more in November. Indicate that if he is going to finish, he probably should start about then.

 

BTW, and this is not directed personally to you, I loathe the concept of "Eagle Advisors" in Troops. Eagle Scout is supposed to be hard, requiring not just the merit badges, leadership and project but also a fair amount of personal initiative to get over the lumps and bumps of the process. The idea of an adult whose job is to goose, cajole, and harry Scouts to make Eagle and smooth over those lumps and bumps is, in my opinion, very contrary to the concept of the Eagle trail.

 

Does your Troop have a "Tenderfoot Advisor" or a "First Class Scout Advisor?" If not, why not. Those are the important ranks.

 

But, if I may suggest it, the most important thing is to put into place and believe the following:

 

LIFE SCOUT IS NOT A FAILURE!!

[Cubmaster Mike]

Here, here Neil.

 

CMM (finished as a Life Scout)