The Eagle Project must demonstrate leadership and provide service to a worthy institution other that the Boy Scouts. See the first page of the Eagle Service Project Workbook for all requirements. You should look for a project idea which is original, truly valuable, and a challenge to you.
Your project may include members of this or other troops, or may be done entirely by non-Scouts, if you choose. While it is nice to do projects for your sponsoring organization, it is not at all required.
Project ideas can be found in many places: in the newspaper, at your church, at your school, or from community organizations. Let the word out that you are looking for project ideas and see what input you get. As you look around for ideas, write down several which interests you. You should not spend much time planning a project until you have talked the idea over with your Life to Eagle Advisor or unit Advancement Chairman to insure that it is a valid idea.
If you do not already have one please see your unit advancement chairman for a Life to Eagle Advisor. This leader can help you chose a project, help you determine what needs to be done in planning it, and help you get the write-up ready to go to the district for approval. Always take detailed notes when talking to your advisor -- you cannot remember nearly as well as you can read your notes later. Your advisor may not want to tell you the same thing again and again.
You may choose to build something, do service for someone, present a program to a group, or correct a problem area for the benefit of an authorized organization. Some projects completed by Eagles are listed below:
After you have talked over possible project ideas with your troop leaders and chosen the right one for you, it is now time to begin the detail planning and initial write-up which will be submitted, after refinement, to the Will Rogers District for approval. Remember, you cannot begin actual work on the project until it is approved by your Life to Eagle Advisor, Advancement Chairman, the Troop committee and district advancement committee, but there is a lot of planning to be done before you get that far.
Get a current copy of the Life to Eagle Packet, which includes the Eagle Scout Service Project Workbook, from this disk to use in preparing your plan. This is the official booklet which is submitted to the district for approval. Read everything in it before beginning to write up your plan.
The project plan may be typed on a typewriter or computer (recommended), or may be hand written, but it must be very neat and written using your best grammar. The plan should tell someone else everything they would need to know to carryout your project without you. You should include the following information as shown in the workbook:
Briefly (approximately 1/2 to one page) describe the project. This should not include any details, those will come later. Address this section as though you were telling a friend what you were going to do.
Name the group or organization that will benefit from your project and how your project will benefit them. Remember, the project cannot benefit the Boy Scouts (except in the most indirect way). Do not describe the project again, just focus on the benefit of the project.
This is the heart of the project plan and the area which will require the most work. The plan should include all details needed by someone else to carryout the project as though you were not around. The plan will include the sections discussed below, if appropriate. All sections are not applicable to all projects, so may be omitted if not needed. Since there is limited space in the workbook, you may attach extra pages with the details. You may prefer to write or type the plan on separate pages and then cut and paste them into the proper section of the workbook after your advisor has helped you get it into the final form. From the very beginning you will need to keep a time long of all of your activities. This includes the total hours of all that have participated in your project. If you and your dad meet with the salesman from Home Depot for an hour, that would be 3 hours total to log for your project.
Describe the current condition or situation that you are going to change. Do not repeat the benefit of the project, but focus on creating a word picture of how things are now. This is a good place to include pictures (either photographs or drawings) of the project area. Remember, the District Advancement Committee does not know what your church or school or park looks like so they cannot understand why your project is important unless you show and tell them.
If your project is to build something, you will need detail plans or drawings. These are like blue prints and should show all dimensions, paint schemes, floor plans, layouts, or other detail that can be drawn. Plans or drawings are usually done on graph paper which has guidelines, but blank paper is acceptable as long are you are neat. Photographs may also be of value here for some projects. If you have made a design (e.g. emblem, logo, etc.) include it in this section.
Materials are those things which become part of the finished product. Examples are lumber, paint, nails, concrete, etc. This is truly a shopping list, so include material specifications (exact size, quality, brand, finish, etc.), number of each item, and cost. Don't just say "lumber", you need to describe exactly what pieces of lumber. If items are to be donated, state so. This section is best presented in the form of a separate list attached to extra pages in the workbook.
Tools are those items used to aid in making the work easier, or even make it possible to do at all. Tools are not used up and should be saved and used again and again. Examples of tools are hammers, shovels, tractors, or saws. Provide a list of all tools required to work the project; don't take for granted that required equipment will just appear when you need it. Be very specific (e.g. number of hammers, type of shovels, and type of paint brushes, etc.). Tell how those tools will be obtained. If you must purchase tools, include them in the financial plan. You should be able to borrow most tools from the people who are working on the project or from someone else. Try not to spend much money on tools since they are expensive but not part of the finished product. If you must buy tools, discuss what is going to be done with them after your project is complete. Are you going to keep them, give them to the troop or other organization, or maybe to the organization who is funding the project?
Supplies are those expendable things which do not become part of the finished product, but that are used to complete it. Examples of supplies are sandpaper, trash bags, posters, gasoline, pens, markers, paper, paint rollers, drop cloths, etc. Provide a list of all supplies you will need and where you will get them. Since supplies cannot normally be reused, you need to either buy them or have them donated. You cannot borrow something which you cannot return. You may choose to combine the materials and supplies into one list; but label it as such.
A good schedule is a necessity for any successful plan. It shows when everything is done and in what order each step happens. You must make your best estimate of how long tasks will take and in what order they will be done. Your schedule may be in the form of a Gantt chart, a calendar with tasks entered on the appropriate days, or just a list of tasks and the date when they will be done. Include project planning and approval on your schedule. No project follows the planned schedule exactly, but is helps make things happen logically. When you complete your project and do the final write-up, you will discuss how well the project followed the planned schedule and why you think it deviated from it.
In addition to the schedule which shows the dates when you think tasks will be worked, you will also need detailed instructions. These instructions should read like a recipe in a cookbook. These tell the workers exactly what to do. Include a list of every task you can think of, what order they will be done, who will do them. Include the clean-up of the work site in your plan.
Every project will cost something and you need to discuss those costs. Provide a list of all materials, tools, supplies, etc. with a cost of each. This information may be part of your list of materials/supplies. If items are loaned or donated, state so. Remember to include fees (e.g. city dump fees) in your cost estimate. Once you have determined how much the project is going to cost, you must find the money to pay for it. You may consider several sources for funding, including the organization for which you are doing the project, donations from others, from your allowance, or any other legitimate source. While your project may not be a fund raiser, you may conduct fund-raising activities to finance the supplies and materials needed for your project. Obtaining the funds to do the project is your responsibility; don't assume that someone will cover cost until you have asked them.
A major part in any project, whether for Scouts, church, community, or a business, is funding. If you cannot come up with all the money you need, look at reducing the cost to get within your budget. You may even find that the project is too expensive and you will have to choose another one.
If you are going to use handouts, posters, letters, or other written materials as part of your project, include a copy of those in the plan. These should be included as attachments to the workbook.
Discuss who will be doing the work. You do not need to tell names, just the number of people, what organization they are part of, and what special skills will be required. However, if you can make a list of potential helpers (with their phone numbers) it will help you get volunteers later. For example, are you going to need a carpenter? Describe how you are going to organize the workers to get the work done efficiently. Will they be divided into teams and if so who will lead the teams? What tasks will each team be doing? How will you use adult leaders? Discuss how you will ensure the safety of the workers.
Remember, you do not have to DO any of the physical work yourself; you are responsible for LEADING others in carrying out the project and ensuring that everything is done the way you want it (i.e. show leadership).
Boy Scout policy requires at least two adult leaders be present at all times during any Scouting activity. At least one of them must have 'Youth Protection' certification. It is your responsibility to ensure that this policy is followed. Don't assume that the right people will just 'be there' -- arrange, in advance, for them to be there. You should state how you will ensure this in your plan.
Where will the work be done? If you are going to build something, are you going to build it at the location where it will be used or somewhere else then moved? Remember, you must get permission to use any work site from the responsible person/owner. If the location where you are going to work requires special facilities or tools, state so. Think about how the weather will affect your work site.
Moving people, materials, supplies, tools to/from a work site will most likely be required. Discuss what needs to be moved, what vehicles you will need, where you will get those vehicles, and who will drive. BSA policy places initiations on drivers under 21 years old; ensure you are aware of these limits and work within them. Remember that all passengers must be seated with a seat belt on whenever a vehicle is in motion. All of this is your responsibility.
There are several approvals required for your project along the way. The first is the verbal approval from your Life to Eagle Advisor and the Advancement Chairman that your idea will qualify as a valid project. You need this before spending much time writing up the detail plan. After your advisor has helped you get the written plan in order and ready to submit, you will then need several signatures in the Eagle Service Project Workbook. A responsible representative from the organization you are doing the project for is the first signature required. It is also a good idea to get a letter from the organization if possible. Next, your Scoutmaster, followed by the Troop Committee Chairman. The project is now ready to turn in to the Will Rogers District Advancement Committee for approval to proceed. Note: You should keep the original copy and turn in a Xerox copy of the project to the District Advancement Chairperson (Sandy Bentley, 405-354-3961) two weeks before your proposal board. Your actual proposal board will be scheduled based on the coordination with Mrs. Bentley, providing you provide a copy of your project to the District Advancement Chairperson two weeks before that board.
It is very important that you do not DO any of the project, except planning, until the District Committee has signed it. Once they have approved the project plan, THEN you can begin to DO the project!
Now that the hard part is over, you can begin the fun part - working the project! If you have prepared a good plan (which you will have or it won't be submitted to the district), all you have to do is follow the plan and make the project happen. Do what you said you were going to do.
It is important that you keep very good notes about everything that is done. Keep lists of all work done, who does the work, and how much time they each spent. For your final report, you will need to discuss how well the plan worked and all areas where you were not able to follow the plan, so keep good track of this information as you go along. Take pictures of each stage of the work. These will be included in the final report and will be a nice souvenir of an important milestone in your life. Keep track of all materials, supplies, tools, etc. used, paying particular attention to any differences from you original plan. Save all receipts.
After the actual work on the project is completed, you are ready for the last phase of your project - the final report. This is the section where you describe what actually happened as you carried out the plan. This information is entered in the last section of the Eagle Service Project Workbook, following the Initial Planning section which was approved by the District.
As with any project, it is important to review what was done and see what lessons were learned as well as providing a historic record. In this case, you also need to write a final report because your project is not complete without it! You should use the project plan as guide for preparing the final report. In the 'Carrying Out the Plan' workbook section, briefly describe what was done and how you deviated from the plan. Go through each section of the plan and write a summary of the results versus the plan. For example, discuss if you had all of the materials you needed or if you had a lot left over. Summarize the actual costs, tools used (and tools needed that you did not have), or anything else of interest.
Provide a record of all the time worked by your volunteers. This can be done in a list or table showing names, dates, hours worked, tasks performed by each volunteer. Discuss how you were able to lead the volunteers. Did you have any problem with getting them to come to work or to stay focused on the assigned tasks? Leading people is a difficult skill and you most likely learned something about this. The final reviewers want to read about what you learned about leading people.
Hopefully, you took many photographs during each phase of the project. Include a section in you report for representative photographs. A photo of you presenting the finished product to the organization for which you did the work helps show off the value of the project. Of course, the photographs should be labeled.
One of the final things that you need to do with the organization that you are doing the project for is getting acknowledgment for the work that you have done. You will need to get a letter of completion from the contact person you have been working with. This will need to be put into your binder.
You will most likely require some advice from your project advisor before you are ready to turn the project in for final signatures. Consult with him often as you are completing the report. Once you and your advisor are happy with the result, it is time to get the final approval signatures.
Only a couple of signatures are required on your final report, the most important of which is yours. If you are proud of your effort and pleased with the write-up, then sign it on the last page. The only other signature is that of your Scoutmaster or project advisor. While these are the only signatures required, the project's final approval will come during your Eagle Board of Review. You will submit the project (plan and final report) along with your completed Eagle Scout application to the Advancement Committee through your Scoutmaster. You will also complete the Requirement number 6 on the Eagle Application and submit with your application. The full write-up is kept until your Board of Review, and then returned to you.