The Eagle Scout Service Project, or simply Eagle Project, is the opportunity for a Scout (Scouts, B.S.A.), or qualified Venturer or Sea Scout in the Boy Scouts of America (B.S.A.) to demonstrate leadership of others while performing a project for the benefit of their community. This is the culmination of the Scout's leadership training, and it requires a significant effort on his or her part. [1] The project must benefit an organization other than the B.S.A., and it cannot be performed for an individual or a business or be commercial in nature. Completing an Eagle Project is a requirement in order for Scouts to attain the Eagle Scout rank.
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 must benefit an organization other than the Boy Scouts of America.) A project proposal must be approved by the organization benefiting from the effort, your Scoutmaster and unit committee, and the council or district before you start. You must use the Eagle Scout Service Project Workbook, [2] in meeting this requirement. [3]
A written plan must be submitted using the B.S.A. Eagle Scout Leadership Service Project Workbook and be pre-approved by the benefiting organization, the Scout Leader, the unit committee, and a district representative, before work on the project can begin. After the project is complete, the Scout updates the workbook where they discuss the methods in which they gave leadership, ways the plan may have had to change, and the benefits of the project to the community. [2]
Examples of Eagle Projects include constructing park benches, running a blood drive, [4] [5] constructing a playground, building bat houses for a local park, refurbishing a room at a church or school, resetting stones at a cemetery, planting grass for erosion control, organizing a dinner, interviewing American veterans for the Library of Congress, distributing emergency medical information kits, [6] and collecting necessities for the homeless. [7]
The merit badges required for Eagles have been a requirement since the inception of the award. A Scout's "record of satisfactory service" with his troop was first added to the Eagle requirements in 1927. [8] This changed in 1952 to "do your best to help in your home, school, church or synagogue, and community." This vague statement was refined to "plan, develop, and carry out a service project" in 1965. [8]
In 1972 a leadership component "give leadership to others" was added. [8]
The idea for a project may be an original one or the candidate may model their project on another Scout's. In either case, the Scout must plan, develop, and lead others in doing the project. There is no numerical minimum amount of time or requirement for time in which the project needs to be completed, but it must be enough to "demonstrate leadership." [9] The exact implementation of requirements varies among districts and councils.
The rigorous nature of the required service project is a major step in the completion of the Eagle rank. [8] Very often, the Eagle Project is what highlights the full impact of the Scouting program to the community at-large. [10] [11] [12]
In 2012, the National Eagle Scout Association researched the number of volunteer hours spent on Eagle Projects and it came a total of more than 100 million hours of service. Each year, new Eagle Scouts are adding more than three million more hours. [13]
The Boy Scouts of America is one of the largest scouting organizations and one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with over 1 million youth, including 176,000 female participants. The BSA was founded in 1910; about 130 million Americans have participated in its programs, which are served by 477,000 adult volunteers. BSA became a founding member organization of the World Organization of the Scout Movement in 1922.
Eagle Scout is the highest rank attainable in the Scouts BSA program by the Boy Scouts of America (BSA). Since its inception in 1911, only four percent of Scouts have earned this rank after a lengthy review process. The Eagle Scout rank has been earned by over 2.5 million youth.
Advancement and recognition in the Boy Scouts of America is a tradition dating from the inception of the Scouting movement. A fundamental purpose of advancement is the self-confidence a young man or woman acquires from his participation in Scouting. Advancement is one of the methods used in the "Aims and Methods of Scouting"– character development, citizenship training and personal fitness.
Cub Scouting is part of the Scouting program of Scouting America, formerly known as Boy Scouts of America (BSA), available to coeducational children from kindergarten through fifth grade, or 5 to 10 years of age and their families. Its membership is the largest of the five main BSA divisions. Cub Scouting is part of the worldwide Scouting movement and aims to promote character development, citizenship training, personal fitness, and leadership.
A variety of religious emblems programs are used by the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) to encourage youth to learn about their faith and to recognize adults who provide significant service to youth in a religious environment. These religious programs are created, administered and awarded by the various religious groups, not the BSA, but each program must be recognized by the BSA.
Venturing is a core program of the Boy Scouts of America for young men and women ages 14 through 20. It is one of the Boy Scouts' three programs for older youth, which also include Sea Scouts and Exploring. The purpose of Venturing is to provide a positive environment where youth members, called Venturers, can lead the adventure, take on new leadership roles, and mature into responsible adults.
The Gold Award is the highest achievement within the Girl Scouts of the USA, earned by Senior and Ambassador Girl Scouts. Only 5.4% of eligible Girl Scouts earn the Gold Award.
Sea Scouts is a program of the Boy Scouts of America for young men and women ages 14 through 20.
Eagle Scout is the highest rank awarded to a Senior Scout in the Boy Scouts of the Philippines (BSP). To be awarded the rank, a Scout must lead in planning and doing two community service projects and earn a total of 23 merit badges consisting of 17 required merit badges and 2 specialist ratings. After achieving the rank of Eagle, a Scout may earn an Anahaw award for earning 2 additional specialist ratings.
The Boy Scouts of America (BSA) use uniforms and insignia to give a Scout visibility and create a level of identity within both the unit and the community. The uniform is used to promote equality while showing individual achievement. While all uniforms are similar in basic design, they do vary in color and detail to identify the different membership divisions of Cub Scouting, Scouts BSA, Sea Scouts, and Venturing. Many people collect BSA insignia such as camporee and jamboree emblems, council shoulder strips and historical badges.
The National Eagle Scout Association is an organization of individuals who have earned the rank of Eagle Scout in the Boy Scouts of America. NESA's stated objective is "to serve Eagle Scouts and, through them, the entire movement of Scouting."
The American Heritage Girls (AHG) is a Christian Scouting-like organization for Americans. The organization has more than 52,000 members (2020) with troops or individuals ("trailblazers") in all 50 states of the United States and for American expatriates in fifteen other countries.
Randall v. Orange County Council, 17 Cal.4th 736, 952 P.2d 261, 72 Cal.Rptr.2d 453 (1998), was a case before the Supreme Court of California that established that groups such as the Boy Scouts of America are not considered "business establishments" as used in the state's Unruh Civil Rights Act and could not be subject to its provisions. Its companion case was Curran v. Mount Diablo Council of the Boy Scouts of America, 17 Cal.4th 670, 952 P.2d 218, 72 Cal.Rptr.2d 410 (1998).
Scouts BSA is the flagship program and membership level of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) for coeducational young people between the ages of typically 11 and 17. It provides youth training in character, citizenship, personal fitness, and leadership, and aims to develop the skills necessary to become successful adults.
First Class Scout is a rank in the Boy Scouts of America, the rank above Second Class and below Star Scout. It is the highest of the lower four ranks in Scouting, and is the minimum rank that need be attained for entry into the Order of the Arrow.
The Boy Scouts of America (BSA) was inspired by and modeled on The Boy Scouts Association, established by Robert Baden-Powell in Britain in 1908. In the early 1900s, several youth organizations were active, and many became part of the BSA.
The advancement program for Scouts participating in the Scouts BSA program of the Boy Scouts of America is symbolized by the earning of seven ranks. The advancement program is often considered to be divided into two phases. The first phase from joining to First Class is designed to teach the scout Scoutcraft skills, how to participate in a group and to learn self-reliance. The Scout badge is awarded when the Scout demonstrates a rudimentary knowledge of the Scouting ideals and program. Tenderfoot, Second Class, and First Class have progressively harder requirements in the areas of Scoutcraft, physical fitness, citizenship, personal growth and Scout Spirit.
The Quartermaster Award is the highest rank attainable in the Sea Scouting program of the Boy Scouts of America.
The Scouter's Training Award is an adult recognition of the Boy Scouts of America. This award is available across several different program areas and can be earned more than once.
The Venturing Summit is the highest rank for youth in the Venturing program of the Boy Scouts of America. It requires Venturers to earn the Pathfinder Rank, participate in adventures, and demonstrate leadership, service and personal growth.