ADV: Eagle Scout Leadership Service Project Guide

North District Advancement

Eagle Projects -- Overview

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Eagle Scout Leadership Service Project

Planning Guide

(updated August 1, 2007)

Note from the North District Advancement Committee:

If you are a Life scout reading this, congratulations on your progress in Scouting! You are about to embark on one of the last steps before attaining the Eagle Rank. The Eagle Scout Leadership Service Project (the "Project") is an opportunity for you to show others that you have the skills to plan, lead and complete a worthwhile project benefiting your community. It will create a lasting impact on your community and those people receiving the benefit of your knowledge and skills. The North District Advancement Committee prepared this guide to help you in your Project, from where to find approvable projects, to how to get them approved, to how to write up the results.

If you are a Scouter in North District, we hope this guide will help you guide the efforts of your scouts as they progress towards the rank of Eagle Scout. This guide is NOT a substitute for the North District L2E training offered each year. Reviewing the sections that follow should help to remind you as to what the Project is and is not as well as some of the tricks of the trade that can make the planning and approval process go smoothly. If you are a SM or your unit's L2E adviser and have questions, please do not hesitate to contact the district advancement committee members. They are available to help and answer your questions so let us know where this information is unclear. And finally, thank you for your commitment to Scouting. No Scout walks this path alone. It is because of people like you that Scouting is successful.

If you are not a member, either scout or adult leader of the North District of Circle 10 Council, welcome! We encourage you read what we do in North District and, if you find our advice and exhibits useful, please feel free to use them. All of the information is taken from a combination of BSA published sources, tempered by the advancement process within North District, and salted with the considerable past experiences of the advancement committee. This committee has approved more than 1000 Eagle Projects and held about the same number of Eagle Boards of Review over the past fifteen years. The information contained in this webpage is offered freely and with only the caution that it is designed for scouts in our district; the individual processes within your district or council may vary slightly. Your local advancement committees can let you know.

This guide is a work in process and will be updated regularly as circumstances warrant. We expect to add a number of detailed examples to this guide as well as some sample tables where appropriate. We do appreciate feedback when offered constructively and will try to incorporate the answers to frequently asked questions into the appropriate sections of the guide. Please let us know if you have questions or need help. Questions are how we learn.

Overview--What's An Eagle Project?

The National Council sets forth the requirements for Eagle Scout rank as well as for all BSA advancement. By design the requirements do not contain the specificity to rigidly control all aspects of the advancement process and, in a number of cases, they specifically delegate responsibilities to council and district advancement committees. These subsidiary committees are bound to operate within the broader goals of the National Council guidelines; however, they are given some latitude as far as the process of advancement.

The 5th requirement for a Life Scout to advance to the rank of Eagle is:

"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."

In discussing the purposes of Scouting, the National Council offers this description:

"...BSA endeavors to develop American citizens who are physically, mentally, and emotionally fit; have a high degree of self-reliance as evidenced in such qualities as initiative, courage, and resourcefulness; have personal values based on religious concepts; have the desire and skills to help others; understand the principles of the American social, economic, and governmental systems; are knowledgeable about and take pride in their American heritage and understand our nation's role in the world; have a keen respect for the basic rights of all people; and are prepared to participate in and give leadership to American society.(emphasis added)"

The Eagle Scout Leadership Service Project gives the Life Scout the opportunity to showcase his skills in at least four of the purposes of Scouting (see underlined phrases above). It provides the opportunity for the Eagle Scout candidate to demonstrate the leadership skills he has learned in Scouting. As a demonstration of leadership, the Scout must plan the work, organize the personnel needed, and direct the project to its completion.

As with many ventures in Scouting and in life, there are rules to which the Eagle candidate must adhere:

The project must be done outside the sphere of Scouting. This means it cannot benefit Scouting directly. For example, it cannot improve BSA camps or provide a service to Scouting at any level. This also means that it is not appropriate for the Scout's project to take place in conjunction with other unit activities such as unit meetings and unit campouts.
It must benefit a religious organization, a school, or the community. It cannot directly benefit any individual or a commercial organization. It must, of course, conform to the wishes of the benefiting organization.
The project does not need to be original but it must stand apart from any other Eagle Project. Two or more Eagle candidates cannot share a project. Each project must fulfill the need in its entirety. It is inappropriate for two or more Scouts to divide up a large project. It is also inappropriate for a Scout to do a project which is already planned by the organization, or an identical project to that of another Scout in which no planning was necessary for this project.
The project may not be a fundraiser for the benefiting organization. Fundraising may only be done in order to purchase materials and supplies to be used in the project. Any excess funds raised by the Scout may not be donated to the organization but must be returned to the donors.
The Eagle candidate must use the current version of the Eagle Scout Leadership Service Project Workbook to plan and document the project. Either the booklet format or the downloaded version is acceptable. They may be typed or handwritten but must be neat and completely document the plan and the effort.
The project cannot be routine labor, or be a service of a nature normally provided by either the Scout or the unit.
The detailed project plan must be approved in advance by the benefiting organization, the candidate's unit leader or project advisor, the unit committee, and the district advancement committee PRIOR to work beginning on the project.
The personnel led in the effort can be Scouts from the candidate's unit, or from other units, or non-Scouts. Adults can be a part of personnel; HOWEVER, adults should only do those tasks where their strength or skills are necessary. They should be a minor component of the project workforce. If the majority of the work crew is adults, the quality of the leadership effort will be called into question and the board could return an adverse decision and decline the Eagle application.
The project planning and work cannot be started until after the Scout has achieved the rank of Life and must be completed, including the write up and obtaining completion signatures, prior to the candidate's 18th birthday.

When Should I Start?

The Eagle Project must be planned and completed while the Scout is Life rank and must be completed before his 18th birthday. This includes the write up -- i.e., completing the Eagle Scout Leadership Service Project Workbook and getting the two required completion signatures. Since a Scout is considered to be a Life Scout on the day he passes his Life rank board of review, and since he must be a Life Scout for at least 6 months before becoming eligible for Eagle Scout rank, he has at least 6 months in which to identify, plan, gain approval, conduct, complete, and write up his project.

The simple answer is START EARLY -- it usually takes a minimum of two months to identify, plan and gain approval for a project. Scouts who wait until two weeks before their 18th birthday should not be surprised when a single small bump in the project derails their plans to make Eagle and they find themselves out of time and out of luck. Most scouts will find their troop and district leadership eager to help in a well thought out effort, but relatively unsympathetic towards the scout who does not plan ahead. Remember: failure to plan on your part does not constitute an emergency for us.

How long will each step take? It depends on how well planned and documented the project is. A scout should plan on 1 to 2 months to find a project and determine if it is a worthwhile project that both his troop leadership and the potential beneficiary can support. He should plan on a minimum of a month to adequately plan, document, and gain approvals at all four levels. Depending on the project and the time of year, it could take 2 more months to carryout the project and complete the documentation. It is not uncommon for a project to take 6+ months from idea to completion. It can be accomplished in less time but everything must go exactly as planned. So why not make it easy on everyone? Start at least 6 months before your 18th birthday.

The Role of The Advisor

The Eagle candidate is not required to have a particular adult leader serve as an advisor to his project. It is, however, a large and somewhat daunting requirement and many young men feel somewhat lost in knowing where to begin and how to progress. In some troops, the scout can simply visit with an experienced and knowledgeable Scoutmaster who will advise him as to the process. This is a great solution and works well in many smaller troops. However, in some large troops, some of which may produce 8 or more Eagles each year, and even some smaller ones where the Scoutmaster may be new or less knowledgeable, this is a less than satisfactory solution. In these cases it is a great asset for the scouts if an experienced adult leader is designated as the Life-to-Eagle advisor. This person should become trained in the specifics of the Eagle project, the Eagle application process, courts of honor, NESA, and all of the other peculiarities of the rise to Eagle rank. There are statistics that indicate that possibly as many as 50% of the scouts that achieve the rank of Life Scout, do not make Eagle. A good Eagle advisor can greatly improve that statistic.

That said, the scout should not expect the Eagle advisor to do his work for him. It is, after all, the scout's quest for the rank. But it can save the scout some frustration and help him make certain he is on the right path. A good advisor can help the scout identify possible project ideas. He or she might be familiar with certain organizations that are in need of help with their facilities or services. Through experience and training a good advisor can guide the scout with respect to the scope of the project by letting him know whether the scout's idea will have sufficient merit to qualify as an Eagle Project. He or she also can caution the Scout about tackling an open ended, overly large project with insufficient controls to determine when the project is completed. Most importantly, the advisor knows the importance of the Eagle candidate's leadership. If necessary, he or she can intercede on the scout's behalf if a well-meaning but unknowledgeable adult tries to take over the leadership of the project.

All of these responsibilities take time and probably will involve a number of meetings between the scout and his advisor. Any adult can serve in this capacity; however, it is critical that the adult be knowledgeable as to the rules of advancement and the local processes involved. Otherwise, their bad advice will compound the scout's problems. The advisor's role is best described by what it is not. It is not the advisor's role to choose the project. It is not the advisor's role to contact the benefiting organization on the scout's behalf. It is not the advisor's role to write up the plan or tell the scout how to do the project better. The advisor should let the scout stumble a little; enough to learn but, if possible, not enough to fail. The advisor should be a cheerleader, a source of knowledge, a mentor, a timekeeper, and a guidance counselor. A successful advisor will also be a friend.

The Hardest Part -- Picking a Project

By the time many young men reach the rank of Life Scout, they have participated in a number of service projects with their troops. They probably have worked with their patrol or troop in various projects at campouts such as building monkey bridges or climbing towers. In almost every case, they were not the leader of the project and contributed only their skills and desire to complete the project. These projects were almost always planned by someone else. So it is not unusual for a Life Scout to feel a bit lost when faced with the apparently daunting task of finding and leading a project to satisfy the requirement for Eagle. It does not have to be daunting. There is lots of help if you know where to look.

Where do I get my project? In an earlier section of this guide, we discussed the rules -- what a project cannot be and what traits it must have. Those just provide the boundaries. They do not tell you how to find a project. It is up to you to come up with a project idea; however, there are lots of places you can look for ideas and lots of people ready to help you develop your idea. Scoutmasters and Eagle advisors make mental notes of project ideas they see in the normal course of being an adult. Members of your troop committee might have ideas. Your school principal, your pastor, your next door neighbor who volunteers at the food bank each week. Any and all of them could be sources of ideas. CAUTION: Remember that many individuals, particularly those who are not trained leaders, can only make suggestions as to what MIGHT be made into suitable Eagle Projects. Their view might differ significantly from your unit's leadership or the North District Advancement Committee.

The first step is to determine what kind of work you like to do - your project will require a lot of work and you should at least pick an idea on which you will enjoy working. Do you like to build things (construction) or work on environmental projects or work on improving an outdoor area or park? Or would you rather plan and carryout a service project benefiting some needy group? Or have you thought of something else? Important note: don't approach this with the mindset of "What is the easiest project I can do?" or "What is the minimum acceptable amount of work?" Focus on selecting an idea in which you will be proud of the result. You might find that if you choose what appears to be a very easy project requiring little if any work on your part that you will spend many, many hours (or weeks) trying to get the project approved - time you could have spent on completing the project if you had chosen a better project. However, a project does not have to be a complicated ordeal. Lots of very simple projects have been approved. Work with your Scoutmaster or Eagle Adviser. If they have questions, they should call the North District Advancement Committee for guidance. We are all interested in seeing you complete the project and attaining the Eagle Rank.

I am stumped. I can't find an idea. Are there places I can look for ideas? Yes. But have you really looked at all of the places you normally frequent? Parks, schools, church? And you can see no way to improve something at any of those locations? Look harder. Then read on. The North District Advancement Committee maintains and publishes an "idea list" that is a part of this website. It contains several hundred project ideas that have been approved and completed by North District scouts over the past ten years. These are offered as ideas to help you discover a project of your own.

I've got an idea. Now what? You should discuss the idea with your Scoutmaster or your Troop's Eagle Adviser. He or she will evaluate the idea to determine if it has the potential to be an approvable Eagle Project. He or she will focus on the basic rules for a project: will it give you the opportunity to show your leadership skills and planning skills; and is the benefiting organization an approved entity (not BSA, not an individual, and not a "for profit" organization). You should be prepared at this point to tell your Adviser what you envision the final completed project will look like and what you think the critical parts will be. You need not have all the details finalized at this point. If the Adviser agrees that the project has merit, you need to present the idea to the benefiting organization. If they also like the idea, you should start the planning process.

Using The Project Workbook -- What Information Goes in Which Part?

You are now ready to start the detailed planning process. Everything you are planning to do needs to be documented in some form within the official Eagle Scout Leadership Service Project Workbook. You can use the preprinted version available at Council offices or you can download a copy from the NESA website or from this website. If you choose the electronic version, it is fillable PDF version. It is your choice.

Let's get started. First, COMPLETELY fill out the title page with yours and the adults' addresses including City, State, Zip, and Phone. Remember, North District covers a part of seven cities and we have scouts in eleven cities. We don't know where "123 Oak Street" is. Your project will not be considered for district approval without completed addresses and contact information.

The next section is titled "Project Description". This is a short general discussion of the idea, NOT a detailed explanation of the plan. For some projects, 4 or 5 sentences MIGHT suffice; some projects will take more description to convey a picture of what the Scout intends to do. If the project warrants a longer description, feel free to fill the space -- there is a full page.

Examples:

"I intend to lead a group of eight Scouts and a few adults in the planning and construction of ADA-approved access ramps to connect three outbuildings at First Methodist Church. This will provide access to the church offices and the main sanctuary. The ramps will be made primarily of wood. The ramps will be 42" wide and total length of all ramps is 165'. I expect to recruit Scouts from T300 and several parents and leaders that are knowledgeable regarding wood construction projects. I hope to have some materials donated but will hold a book drive as a fundraising event to cover some of the remaining cost. I will use my funds to cover any shortfall from the donations or fundraising. The project should take two work weekends not including the fundraiser."

"Because of the shortage of food contributions to various city food pantries during the summer, and the scarcity of workers due to vacations, I will lead a group of 12 Scouts and up to 3 adults in providing supplies of food and other goods to Food Pantry Anonymous. Our group will provide primarily dry goods and canned food to the food pantry sufficient to fulfill their needs for three weeks. We will orchestrate a collection effort to gather the items, deliver the items to the food pantry location, sort, divide, repackage items as necessary, store the items, and provide relief workers for the organization for the three week period.

I expect the collection area to cover a large area of north Carrollton. It will extend over three weekends with additional weekends if necessary to achieve our goals. Volunteers from Troop 300 will provide the manpower with considerable adult support for driving Scouts in the collection effort and to the food pantry. Training will be provided to avoid Scouts being alone, weather-related issues, and to avoid any traffic problems."

The most important part of this section is to paint a picture for the reviewers so that they understand the big picture of what you are trying to do. Do not get mired in the details yet -- there is lots of space for those items in a later section.

How will your project benefit the group? Hopefully, you already have a thorough understanding of what the organization does and why your project is needed. We need to know how your project will have a lasting beneficial impact on the community. Simply saying that "It will save the organization money if I do the work" is not a sufficient answer. That may be one of the benefits but, if it is the only one, the project is probably routine labor. Why is there a need for this project? What existing need will the completion of this project satisfy? What is being done now -- prior to your project being completed? How are they coping without this work being done? And, probably most importantly, are you satisfying the whole need? For example, if there is a need for six picnic tables at a trailhead, we expect your project to be six tables. You could probably build three in an afternoon and be done; but that would not satisfy the need. If you have to work a little extra to satisfy the need, that is a characteristic of an Eagle Scout -- doing the job properly and completely.

Based on previous examples, these would be reasonable need statements:

"(ADA wooden ramps) As the church has expanded, the facilities have become more spread out. Church members and employees often need to visit more than one building to see the people they came to see or to perform the tasks they came to do. One church employee is wheelchair bound and another regularly utilizes a cane for walking support. Both visit multiple buildings each day. Additionally, at least 15 members of the church regularly attend services in a wheelchair and at least twice that many utilize a walker for mobility support. These ramps make movement possible independent of needing assistance from others and make those members needing this assistance understand that they are valued members of the church."

"(food drive) Over the past few years, Food Pantry Anonymous has had to turn away families in need due to lack of supplies in the summer and the lack of personnel to collect and distribute food. The need for food and related supplies does not let up in the summer, only the supplies. This is an excellent match of their need with our availability as school is not in session during the proposed time of the project.

The food pantry expects to be able to distribute 300 lbs of food each day during this period. Their regular suppliers usually provide about 200 lbs creating the shortfall we hope to be able to fulfill. In addition, each of the food pantry employees normally take summer vacations staggered over the summer. By providing two workers each day throughout the period, the food pantry will be able to service the needs of our community fully."

These explanations give the reviewer a clear understanding of the need you are meeting and why this project is a benefit to the community.

The most important section is next: "Project Details". This is a FULL and DETAILED description of the plan. Reviewers are looking for evidence of adequate planning and leadership and that you (the Eagle candidate) are actually controlling the project. We will discuss what information we will be looking for in great detail in the next section of this guide, but know that we have a general guideline we use: Could another scout of similar rank and capabilities, who is unfamiliar with the project, take the project workbook and successfully complete the project without talking to you? If so, it is probably well done.

Adequate documentation is the first thing reviewers look for. If it is adequate, we will make certain that it conforms to the nine rules listed previously in this guide. If it does, it should be an easy approval. Now let's get on to the real Project Plan -- the Detailed Work Plan.

NOTE REGARDING THE FORMAT OF THE INFORMATION IN THE WORKBOOK--BSA rules indicate that you must use an official and current version of the Eagle Scout Leadership Service Project Workbook. That means that the information you provide to the various adults reviewing your project for approval must be inserted as a part of the workbook. Typing out your plan on separate sheets of paper and submitting those for review with the words "see Attached Pages" does not constitute use of the workbook. If you would like to create rough drafts of the plan on separate sheets, that is up to you; however, the workbook must be used with the information and steps incorporated into the workbook. If you have drawings or exhibits that cannot be placed within the file, you may attach those as separate sheets prior to the approval signature page.

The Detailed Work Plan

On the Workbook page titled "Project Details", BSA asks the Eagle candidate specifically to describe the present condition, the method, the materials to be used, planned project helpers, and a time schedule for carrying out the project. Also, you must describe any safety hazards and your plans to protect those carrying out the project. If done in detail, this list answers most of the questions that project reviewers will have as they review your project. If completed in a very cursory manner, you can expect to have the project workbook returned for more detail.

Present Condition. The logical place to start any discussion of an action plan is to describe our starting point. Explain what particular conditions exist that makes this project necessary. Describe how the structure or machinery or yard or whatever got into the condition it is in presently. This is the obvious place to include pictures if they enhance the story. If not, there is no requirement that pictures be included. This section is the transition between the need statement and plans and workflow sections coming up next.

Method. We are looking for a detailed workflow outline in this section. Document each major step that will be performed; each task that needs completion; and your estimate of how long each step will take. If this is a construction project, you should include diagrams and plans of the finished items as well as any detail drawings of complicated portions of the project. The drawings should have dimensions where appropriate. If you are constructing something for which you have a model, this is a good spot to include a photo of the model or prototype. Remember that this section needs to be detailed enough so that the reviewer understands what you intend to do in each step and how each step contributes to the completion of the project. Note: if you are not building something, but are instead putting on a program or completing a drive of some sort, you should include the program or the steps in the collection process instead of detailed drawings. If you will be passing out flyers or providing some other printed advertisement, please include a mock up of these items. If you are doing a drive, you need to set a clear goal either in this section or in one of the earlier sections.

Materials. We actually ask for materials twice -- once in the planning stage and once after completion. The planning list should indicate what materials and tools you anticipate using. It is best to think of this as a shopping list. Tell us what materials and tools you need to buy, how much you think they will cost , and what tools you will be able to borrow. Do your best on this list but don't worry if you forget an item. You can list it on the final list and note it under "Changes".

Helpers. This is one of the most important sections and it is usually one of the worst parts of the initial plan. Remember that the focus of the project is on leadership so it is important that you tell us who you will be leading, how many and for how long, how you will get them to show up, and what special skills will be needed. We want to know your optimal number of workers and what the absolute minimum is before you reschedule your project. We would like to know how you will recruit workers. If you expect to pass out a flyer at a meeting, include a draft of the flyer in your plan. You should also include a contingency plan covering how you will ensure that your workers show up. Note: there is no magic number of workers necessary to get the project approved. If you tell us that you are building bookshelves and using power tools and then say that you need thirty helpers (to impress us), we will see that as a safety hazard. We will also expect you to have thirty workers. Put the optimal number of workers necessary to safely do the job. With some projects 20-30 might be reasonable. Other projects might only require four or five. Also, be reasonable with your time estimates. If you tell us 20 workers will work 10 hours and then complete the project with three helpers in three hours, the board of review will likely question your leadership effort and might determine that your project was insufficient. Secret: projects that involve multiple workdays, even if some of the days only involve the Eagle candidate and a couple of helpers, are easier to approve than a project scheduling 24 helpers for a six hour workday. Our experience is that scouts rarely get the 24 helpers and the project rarely takes the prescribed six hours. Our response is that we approve that project with much more stringent requirements for manpower than a multi-day project.

Note about Adult Helpers. BSA regulations do not prohibit adults from working on an Eagle candidate's project. HOWEVER, the Board of Review will seriously question Scouts who have a large part of their workforce as adults as they will assume that adults are not "led by the Eagle" and it will be up to the Scout to prove that he exhibited leadership. If the project is such that a large part of the workforce is made up of adults, it probably is a poor choice of a project and the scout would do well to look elsewhere. Adults can do limited work on a project where their manual skills or strength are required. Other than that, the Scout should focus on leading youths as much as possible.

Safety. A good leader tries to anticipate the various ways in which their helpers could be in danger. Just saying "We will have a first aid kit handy" is not anticipating safety issues. That is reactive thinking. Try being proactive. Power tools, traffic, splinters, and the weather are the obvious ones but different projects will have others. Once you identify them, explain how you will protect your team. Education should be a part of your plan. And yes, you should still have a first aid kit handy.

Contingency Planning. No project goes exactly as planned. You will have to adapt to the small hurdles as they appear. However, there may be some larger ones to which you cannot adapt. Contingency planning is what you do to prevent the critical events from occurring and also pre-determining what you will do if they occur anyway. For example, what about bad weather? If your team is building a fence and the weather on your workday is thunderstorms and hail, your contingency plan will likely be to reschedule the workday. If you need 12 workers and in spite of your best efforts you get 2 to show up, what will you do? (Hint: probably reschedule or postpone until the afternoon or until you can work the phones to get more workers). What if a critical piece of material that was to be donated does not show up? How will you obtain the needed item? Think about the critical parts of your project and determine what is the worst that could happen on each step?

Budget & Funding The Project

It is critical that you have some estimate of the cost of the project before starting out on the venture. Once you determine the estimated cost, we want to know how you intend to pay for it. BSA has some strict rules about fundraising -- and remember the project itself cannot be a fundraiser for an organization. If you are asking commercial entities for donated materials, indicate which materials and what you will do if they decline. If you are asking family and friends to donate funds to cover the costs, say so. If the benefiting organization is covering the cost of materials, you still need to estimate the costs. Note: you can solicit funds only to cover the costs of materials used in the project. If you are completing a drive for a portion of the project, you cannot solicit funds to buy the items you are asking for in the drive.

There is some confusion as to the requirements of disclosure on fundraising. If the Scout is requesting donations from friends and family, if he is using his own funds to cover costs, if the benefiting organization is providing materials, or if commercial entities are donating materials, there is no fundraising permit required by BSA. If the Scout is publicly raising funds by selling something (Christmas wreaths, fertilizer, candy bars, etc), BSA does not require a fundraising permit (however some municipalities do require one so check the local laws). If the troop is backing the project through a public fundraising activity, BSA requires a Unit Fund Raising Form be filed with the project workbook for approval prior to the event.

Project Approval -- Getting The "Go Ahead" Letter

Once you (and your Eagle advisor if you are working with one) determine that the project plan is fully developed and clearly documented, you need to meet with the benefiting organization to get their final go ahead and approval. You should carefully explain each step to them, especially any parts of the project that depend on them providing some material or performing some service. Failure of the scout to complete a project cannot usually be blamed on the benefiting organization not providing the materials or access to a location. It is up to the Eagle candidate to make certain that his plans are understood and agreed upon by the benefiting organizaton.

Once you have the benefiting organization on board, you need to present the final plan to the Scoutmaster and the Troop Committee. Their review of the project should not be a routine, 2-minute discussion and signature. The troop's review should be detailed and complete. They should determine if the basic rules are adhered to; is the scout showing leadership; are his workdays in conflict with other troop activities; will the troop support the project by helping the Eagle candidate get the workers out to work? If the troop is properly vetting the projects and thoroughly reviewing the plans, it is likely that the District Advancement Committee will approve the project. Projects that are not approved at the district level usually indicate that the troop is not providing adequate guidance to the scouts, either because of lack of training or experience or through neglect. Once the project workbook has the signatures from the benefiting organization, the Scoutmaster, and the Troop Committee, the scout (or the troop) submits the workbook to the District Advancement Committee. There is no oral presentation necessary. We review the workbook and any attached documents or descriptions. We will not consider verbal additions. Our policy is simple: if you want something considered as part of your project, include it in the workbook. The district normally has three or more experienced adult leaders who review and approve Eagle projects. The current reviewers are listed here. Once submitted to the district review committee, it will be considered at the next project review meeting. The scout should not expect an answer immediately as the review meetings take place twice each month and turnaround can exceed two weeks. If we have one or two small questions about the project, we may call you to ask. If there are larger issues or sections of the write up missing, we will return the workbook unapproved to your troop with notes as to what is missing. Once you have made any additions required, you are free to submit the workbook for approval. It is uncommon for us not to have one or two small questions about a project. If you do a thorough job of planning and documenting the project the first time, it is likely that you will receive an approval letter very quickly after the review meeting.

Important Note: READ the letter carefully -- they are not form letters but are customized to each project. In the letter we will list what critical parts of the project were most important to our apporval. We understand that most projects will have changes due to unanticipated circumstances during the work phase; however, if you need to make significant changes to the critical parts of the project we specifically identify, you should consider that those changes might result in an unsatisfactory board of review decision. If you need to make a significant change to your project in a critical area, contact the District Advancement Committee for their advice as to whether the changes have altered the spirit of the project and it needs to be re-approved.

Carrying Out The Project

You may not know it but you are done with the hard part. Now that you have your approval letter in hand, your task is very simple: WORK THE PLAN. Do what you said you would do and it is very likely that you will have an outstanding experience and a successful project. It is likely that you will have a few changes but make certain that the changes are necessary due to circumstances beyond your control. Shortchanging the project because you are in a hurry will probably result in an unfavorable board of review decision.

A few notes: remember that this is a leadership project -- lots of delegating and leading by example is appropriate. Practice the leadership skills you have learned as a patrol leader or trek leader or den chief. Take good notes along the way about who worked and how long as well as how long each step took compared to your original estimates. Remember to make notes of how much things cost. And most importantly, remember to be safe. Keep your helpers safe.

The Final Write Up -- Filling Out The Rest Of The Workbook

Once you have finished the workdays of the project, you must finish the write up. Complete the list of workers indicating when and how long they worked and noting any sections of the project that took considerably less time or more time than you anticpated. Complete the final materials and tools lists and budget. Finally, fill out the section on the changes. Changes in a project are expected as this is a learning process for you. Make certain to document the changes and the reasons why these changes were necessary. If pictures are available and they show the finished project and the work crew performing tasks, include them. They are not required but they can help the board of review evaluate your project favorably.

Final Sign Off & Approval By Board Of Review

After everything is completed, you must return to the benefiting organization to get their final sign off that the project was completed to their satisfaction. Your Scoutmaster, or another adult leader who observed (or maybe participated) the work must sign the completion page to certify that it was completed within the rules. And last but not least, you sign it saying that you completed the plan as approved.

The final approval of your project will not come right away. The completed Eagle Scout Leadership Service Project Workbook is part of the packet of credentials you must submit for your Eagle board of review. One of the most important parts of that review will be the discussion of your project and the board's evaluation of whether it was sufficient to satisfy the requirement for Eagle rank. If you worked the plan as approved by your troop and the district advancement committee, it is very likely that the board will give final approval to your project.

Congratulations on making it this far in Scouting. We are proud of you and will be proud to call you Eagle Scout.