 Some Life Scouts race against the clock to earn the Eagle Scout award before they turn 18, including a handful who complete their board of review on the eve of their 18th birthday. It doesn’t have to be that way. Dial down the drama of eleventh-hour Eagles with these five tips for helping Scouts reach Eagle with plenty of time to spare. The ideas were adapted from Mark Ray’s Scouting magazine article called “Game of Life to Eagle: Helping Scouts reach the finish line.” Find more great ideas there. 5. Set a target date. Make sure the target dates are several months before the Scout turns 18.
The journey to Eagle isn’t easy. So it’s best taken one step at a time. That’s why you suggest that Scouts concentrate on merit badges first and then the service project (or vice versa), so they won’t feel overwhelmed. 2. Finish the time-sensitive merit badges ASAP. The Eagle-required Family Life, Personal Fitness and Personal Management merit badges have requirements that take several months. Urge Scouts to get those time-sensitive requirements out of the way early. Those requirements can’t be altered in any way, so a Life Scout starting on Family Life requirement 3 — “Prepare a list of your regular home duties or chores (at least five) and do them for 90 days” — two months before he turns 18 would not be able to earn the Eagle Scout award. 1. Remember your role. A basketball coach encourages and guides his players from the sidelines, but he doesn’t take the shots himself. Similarly, encouragement along the journey to Eagle Scout is fine — and preferable to not paying attention at all. But don’t take the shots for them. And never work harder than the Scouts you’re working with. After all, they’re the ones who get the Eagle Scout badge once all requirements are completed — not you. Make sure they’ve earned it. |
Troop News >