Eagle Scout Candidate Guide

Dear Life Scout,

Congratulations on attaining the rank of Life Scout! Hopefully you are eager to continue on the trail to becoming an Eagle Scout. The rank of Eagle Scout requires considerable achievement and living up to the ideals of Scouting which is why, as you probably know, it is Boy Scouts of America's highest award.

Please read this guide (and the items listed below) carefully and completely as you now continue to work toward Eagle Scout rank. Following these directions should help you avoid problems which could cause unnecessary delays in achieving your goal.

Review the Eagle Scout Rank Requirements in your Boy Scout Handbook. (As you complete the requirements, have them checked off in your handbook.)

Review this packet with your parents and Scoutmaster.

The District Advancement Chairmen who can assist you in this process are:

Chief Logan (Blair County)- Gary Davis -- gary.davis46@yahoo.com

Nittany Mountain (Centre County) - Anne Messner or John Hawkins  -- Nittany.Advancement@gmail.com

Oneida (Huntingdon County) - Mike Kemp  kempm@alumni.psu.edu

Shawnee (Mifflin & Juniata Counties)  - Mark Amig - markamig@icloud.com

The Eagle Scout Service Project

The Requirement:
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 idea must be approved by your Scoutmaster and troop committee and approved by the council or district before you start. You must use the Eagle Scout Service Project Workbook,#512-927 , in meeting this requirement.

You must plan, develop, and give leadership to others. The key to the Eagle Scout service project is leadership. For Star and Life you could be a follower. But to be an Eagle Scout, you must be a leader. Your project will require the assistance of other people to make it a success. It is up to you to line up the manpower and give leadership to their work.

The Eagle Scout service project must provide a significant benefit to a religious institution, school, or your community. It cannot involve BSA property or activities, be performed for a business, be of a commercial nature, or be a. The project need not be original but you must plan the details, organize the work and the manpower, and direct the successful carrying out of the project. It must be something that is really needed and will, when it is finished, be of significant value to the group for which it is done. It should not be something that is normally expected of you as part of your school, religious, or community activities. Because the service project is an individual matter, two Eagle Scout candidates may not receive credit for the same project. The total time involvement must be considerable and the project should represent your best effort.

When you have decided on a project, you must complete a Preapproval Application for Eagle Scout Service Project. The project idea must be approved by an official from the group to be benefited, your Scoutmaster, and your Troop Committee, each of whom will need to sign that application before it is sent to the District Advancement Chairman for review.

The preapproval application will be returned to you by the District Advancement Chairman, usually with an explanatory letter that is also sent to your Scoutmaster.

Keep records of all work done on the project including the names of all those who helped and the time spent by each of them, and any plans, drawings, publicity, and/or photographs. Keeping good records will make it easier to write your final narrative project report. Also get a letter from the group benefited verifying that your project was completed and appreciated.

Write a final summary report of the project. This should be a summary of what was done. It should include answers to questions such as:

What was the project? How did you choose it?

What did you do to plan and develop this project?

How did the project benefit others?

Who from the group benefited gave you guidance?

What steps were taken to complete the project?

Who helped you carry out the project?

How much time was spent by you and your helpers?

What materials were used and how were they acquired?

What were the sources and amounts of any money raised and how was the money spent?

What problems did you encounter and how did you resolve them?

 Eagle Scout Award Procedures

1. After you complete all of the requirements and write up your project report, fill out the requested information and dates on the Eagle Scout Rank Application form through the “Certification by Applicant” section on the back side of the application (including your statement for requirement 6 which can be written on the last page of this packet). You should use two copies of the Eagle Scout Rank Application form. Use one as a working copy and the other as a final copy. Do not complete the final copy until you are sure there are no errors on your working copy.

Be sure that the dates are correct and that each of them includes a month, a day, and a year. Comply with the note at the bottom of the first page.

2. Your Scoutmaster and Troop Committee Chairman sign and date the “Unit Approval” section on the application indicating their approval. NOTE: A parent may not sign your application as the unit leader or committee chairman. The signature of another registered assistant leader 21 years or older will be acceptable.

3. Prior to your eighteenth birthday, a member of the District Advancement Committee should review your project report.

4. The Eagle Scout Rank Application must be sent to the Scout Service Center in Reedsville so they can verify your advancement record prior to your Board of Review. It is then sent to the District Advancement Chairman.

5. You will need to give a Confidential Reference for Eagle Scout Award form to at least five people, usually those listed on your Eagle Scout Rank Application. Reference forms are available from your Scoutmaster or the Council Service Center.

Fill out your name and unit number at the top of each form and, at the bottom, the name of the person to whom the form should be returned. It is appropriate to provide a pre-addressed stamped return envelope with each form. The forms should be returned to the Advancement Chairman or the Committee Chairman for your unit.

These reference forms are confidential and will not be returned to you. They will only be read by members of your Board of Review.

6. When most of the reference forms have been returned, the Troop Advancement Chairman schedules your Board of Review including at least three but not more than five members from your unit and a member of the District Advancement Committee. (The District Advancement Chairman should be consulted in advance about an appropriate time for the Board of Review.)

7. If the Board of Review agrees that you have met the requirements to become an Eagle Scout, your application is signed by the Board chairman and the District Advancement Committee representative.

8. The completed application is sent to the Council Service Center (9 Taylor Drive, Reedsville, PA 17084).

9. The Scout Executive signs the application to certify his approval and forwards that information to the Eagle Scout Service at the BSA National Office.

10, It may take 6 weeks for the Eagle Scout Service to screen the application and notify the Council Service Center of their decision.

11. The Scoutmaster consults with the Eagle Scout and his family to schedule the Eagle Court of Honor after being informed that approval has been received from the Eagle Scout Service and that the Eagle Presentation Kit has also been received.

Life to Eagle Resources

Pre-Approval Application for Eagle Scout Service Project

Eagle Scout Workbook

Eagle Scout Rank Application

• When all of the other requirements are also completed, the project report should be submitted with your completed Eagle Scout Rank Application to your Scoutmaster for his review and approval.