Tips For Eagle Advisors
I have a two page document below, that I would like to use to promote a discussion for the benefit of training our troop personnel that will help our advancement chairs and scoutmasters and anyone interested in being an Eagle Advisor or assisting in advancement within your troop. Please review the document and write down your comments and then bring them to share and discuss during the March and April Boy Scout break-outs at Round Table. If you can't make it to round table, feel free to send me your thoughts and I'll incorporate them and share them in the discussions we do have. I want to tap everyone's experiences and get a useable and hopefully, helpful document that will enable us to create/have a consistent set of guidelines and expectations for the benefit of our boys. Once again, I have sent this to the individuals I have contact information for. If you find that you are discussing this with someone who didn't get this email, let me know and I can add or delete the contact as appropriate. Thank you, Paul Paul Skoog Senior QA Analyst (651) 994-5370 Direct Dial (651) 406-5940 Fax
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1. I would pair a boy and an advisor shortly after the boy earns Life and no more than 2-4 boys per advisor, so that they can become familiar/comfortable with each other. The advisor MUST be very familiar with the 12 Steps to Eagle and the Eagle Project workbook so things aren't skipped or missed and they can appropriately advise the boy. Here as a troop the advice must be consistent.
2. Work closely with your troop’s advancement chair so you are preaching from the same sheet of music. Communicate regularly with the advancement chair and the boys you are an advisor for.
3. Get a copy of the latest BSA national Advancement Procedures and Polices manual and review the appropriate sections for Boy Scout advancement so you know the material well to discuss issues with your advancement chair and scoutmaster for the benefit of all. The new advancement policies have 21 changes to make the requirements clearer. These need to be learned and disseminated.
4. There are specific and detailed requirements for each rank and merit badge. We can neither add to or remove/change those requirements. BSA National Headquarters did post the new requirements for 2007 in their entirety on-line at www.scouting.org.
5. List all of the boys of Life rank in the troop by birth date and pay close attention, engage, cajole, prod, push, corral, or gang-up-on, etc., those that are getting close to their 18th birthdays.
6. Mentor and encourage these boys to find something they have a passion or interest in. They will have more FUN and success in completing the project. Use each other to bounce ideas off of one another—explore Eagle Scout service projects via “google” to get ideas.
7. Be the advisor, educator, editor, proof-reader for the boy’s project write-up. Do not DO the project planning for the boy. I would also add reviewing the boys MB progress, editing the goals/ambitions/religious beliefs statement, assisting with the letters of recommendation, briefing the Advancement Chair and or scoutmaster of the scout’s progress -- essentially acting as an assistant advancement chair.
8. The boys must use the BSA Eagle Project workbook to write-up the project. The Eagle Application requirements are quite specific -- #5 states the Eagle project must be accomplished as a Life Scout and MUST use the Eagle Project Workbook. Within the workbook, the instructions and requirements are also quite specific and clear. There is an electronic ‘MS Word’ downloadable version of it on the Mustang District, Northern Star Council, and the National BSA websites. Read it yourself as there is a lot of good useful information in it as to how to go about writing and conducting an Eagle Project.
Q&A:
1. Prior to a project approval, can a candidate solicit for financing for his project? Yes, I consider that part of his planning/budgeting process. If his first attempts fail, he needs to have time to adjust either his method or the materials.
2. Do you have stats regarding Mustang in the area of advancement? Yes, the monthly advancement report is forwarded electronically, by me, to the scoutmasters and advancement chairs for the troops with the Mustang District.
3. Who can be an Eagle Advisor? Anyone who has the desire to help the boys. The scoutmaster or any other adult leader in the troop or associated with the troop. I would recommend that the adult be youth protection certified.
4. What makes a good troop advancement chair? Dedication, organizational skills and commitment.
5. Expectations within the Mustang district as well as the council level? They are the same.
6. What can we do on our troop level to encourage more scouts to get to Eagle?
7. How do I know when I have a good candidate, and how can I encourage those boys who aren't such a strong candidate?
8. How do I flag a scout early on when I have concerns about conduct, behavior while they are in their pursuit of Eagle?
9. How do I know that I have a good quality advancement program?
10. Am I utilizing all of my troop's assets to bring out the potential in all of our scouts?
11. How do we keep the passion toward Eagle high within our troop?
12. What tools are available for a troop advancement chair, any others to troops are using?
13. What more can we do for you to make or keep this a quality program in terms of advancement?