Suggested Steps to get project approval and getting ready for Eagle Boards

Suggested handout for Project approval.  Revise it for your own troop’s procedure.

Procedure for getting your Eagle Project planned and executed. Procedure for Eagle Board. 

Be sure to record all (and I mean ALL) conversations, phone calls, discussions, typing up reports, etc in list form.  You need date, who, what discussed or performed, and amount of time in min. or hr. You will need to total this up and attach it to your workbook.  This whole process takes weeks if not months.  Please give yourself enough time and plan ahead.

1. Think of a project that you want to do.  This should be your idea and not your parent’s and not an already established event that you are just joining.
2. Contact the organization’s representative and get their approval.
3. Discuss the idea of the project with the troop Eagle Coach/SM for their approval.
4. Fill out the Eagle Project Workbook up to the “Approval Signatures for Project Plan”.  Some of it can be “see attachments” for referring to your write up.
5. Be sure to write up a list of possible injuries and how you plan to prevent them.
6. Get the signature of the organization representative in the Workbook.
7. Write up a complete plan of your project; as described elsewhere or see your coach or the web site for an example. 
8. After plans and workbook are in final form, approve them by your coach and get his signature. 
9. Present it to the committee.  Have 8 copies to hand out to the committee.  Ask the committee chairman for a time when you can present it to committee.  After getting the committee’s approval, then get the chairman’s signature in the workbook.
10. Call the district eagle advancement person and arrange a time to meet him.  Present the project to him and get his signature.  You must not begin your project until all 4 signatures have been put in your workbook.
11. Check with troop calendar and SM to find an appropriate day for the project.
12. Present project to troop to get helpers.  You also can have non-scout help to do your project.
13. Get materials from those who are donating them.
14. Arrange for the persons who will be loaning equipment. 
15. Call all those who are helping or bringing equipment or supplies, the night before to remind them.
16. Carry out the project.  List the helpers’ names and how long they worked on the project.  Take pictures of it before during and after.  Note any changes from your original plan that you make while doing the project.  (That shows leadership.)
17. Fill out the rest of the workbook and get signatures of the organization and troop that the project was finished. 

The steps in getting ready for your Eagle Board of Review. 

After you have finished your project and all merit badges and you are ready to have your eagle board of review by the district, here are the things you need to do.

1. Fill out all the paper work in the sheets given to you with the eagle project workbook.  Ask for more if you have lost them.
2. In those papers you will need to fill out all dates of merit badges, ranks and the like.  The merit badges filled out in the worksheet are only the ones you obtained for star and life.  The date of the board of review in the top right corner of the worksheet is the troop board of review. 
3. Write up your future ambitions.  This is nothing about what you did in the past but a description of your dream life. For example, you want to graduate in the top 10, be class president, go to Texas A&M, get a BS degree and go to Vet School, be a vet in Southlake TX, marry a cute red head and have 3 children, have a boy and get him into scouts, be a scoutmaster and go to Philmont, earn a million dollars by age 40 and retire, have a big house with lots of dogs, etc, etc.  Another words what do you want to do with your life if you could do anything.
4. List your leadership positions in scouts, church, band, sports or what ever.
5. List your awards in scouts, church, community, sports, or anything.  Like spelling bee champ, scholarship, student of the week, etc.
6. Ask the SM for a SM Conference. He will sign your paper for eagle.
7. Get an Eagle Book together with all documents and materials and get it approved by Eagle Coach.
8. Contact Committee Chairman to get a Troop Eagle Board of Review. 
   Get your Eagle book for this Board.  The Chairman will then sign your eagle application.
9. Then contact the district advancement person to arrange for a District Eagle Board of Review.  Arrange for 1-2 of your favorite troop leaders (not parents, they can not be in the room during the review.) to accompany you to this Board of Review to be by your side for assistance and support.
10. Be sure to bring an Advancement Form to fill out at the board to get your Eagle Badge.
11. We recommend full uniform (shirt, pants, sash, and other parts as you would at your troop's court of honor.)  We require the same amount of uniform for the Eagle Board that you  wear for your troop's court of honor and board of reviews.

We suggest you prepare your Eagle Book.  It  is a big binder of material that represents you and who you are.  It usually is 1-3 inches thick.  Here is what needs to be in it, and positioned in this order.

1. Eagle Scout Rank Application
2. Eagle Scout Leadership Service Project Workbook
3. All attachments, pictures, and materials that you used in your project.
4. Your typed up ambitions and life purposes.
5. Your typed up list of leadership positions.
6. Your typed up list of honors and awards.
7. Letters of Recommendations from at least 3 or more of the people you have listed on your Eagle application.
8. Cards for rank advancement and merit badges or the print out of the troop's records.
9. Now you need to put originals or copies of :
   • Scout training certificates, and certificates of scouting events you attended.
   • Pictures of your scouting from cubs thru eagle.
   • Pictures of your family, pets, church, sports, parades, etc.
   • Awards for spelling bee champ, school awards, etc.  Certificates of achievement in sports, church and any activities in which you were involved.  You can have copies of it if your parents want to keep the originals.

The purpose of the book is to have a clear overall image of the boy.  What has he done in his life so far and what kind of leader is he.  It is good to see a well rounded boy who is active in the community, family, church, sports, and scouts.