Scoutmaster

Avoiding Eagle Scout Drama - part 4 -The Eagle Project

Open the Eagle Scout Project Workbook (opens PDF file) and you will find about 2 1/2 half pages of instructions about conducting the project written in less than 1000 words (966 to be exact).

Google the words "Eagle Scout Project" and you'll get about 1.4 million references.

Avoid drama by reading only the 966 words in the workbook. If you think this is adequate advice stop reading now and move on. Otherwise you can continue reading as I, unfortunately, add to the vast commentaries on the Eagle project out of necessity in the hopes that it will help someone avoid some drama.

If your Council Advancement Committee has amended the workbook (as mine has) get a clean copy of the current workbook from the link above. Check the National Eagle Scout Association site to be sure you have the correct iteration of the workbook (this is important). If, along the way, someone like your District Advancement Chairman insists on something outside of these 966 words insist (politely) that they show you in black and white the language from the BSA (not the Council Advancement Committee) upon which their instruction is based.

If it is not in the workbook it is not part of the requirement. I am writing principally on the administrative aspects of the project because the candidate themselves take care of the execution of the project and, ideally, no adult leaders from their Troop are involved in that phase of the project.
 
Here's the things that usually cause problems;

Originality
A perennial observation of Scoutmasters and other leaders is that Scouts seem to be doing similar projects over and over again. This must be a very common concern because the BSA has chosen to address it specifically.

Does the leadership service project for Eagle have to be original, perhaps something you dream up that has never been done before? The answer: No, but it certainly could be. You may pick a project that has been done before, but you must accept responsibility for planning, directing, and following through to its successful completion.

There is a clear answer to the question of originality - NO. Anyone who insists on originality is adding to the requirement which, we all know, is a big no-no. Remember that you may have seen a dozen Eagle projects that were very similar or exactly alike - but it is all new to the Eagle candidate.

No minimum number of hours is required
A simple statement - need I explain it? No 'target number of hours', 'average number of hours'. If stating these were important or helpful don't you think that the folks at the BSA who have seen two million Eagle Scouts would have included them?

Size
There are no specific requirements. Nada, none, no, not any.

How big a project is required? There are no specific requirements, as long as the project is helpful to a religious institution, school, or community. The amount of time spent by you in planning your project and the actual working time spent in carrying out the project should be as much as is necessary for you to demonstrate your leadership of others.

It is up to the Eagle candidate to design his project to adequately demonstrate his abilities.

The Scoutmaster's Role
Scoutmasters approve the project plan and may have a role in helping advise and coach the Scout as through the planning process. Sometimes Troops have an adult leader who is detailed to do this.
An Eagle Candidate is conducting his project to demonstrate his leadership of others. Who will ultimately pass judgment on whether or not he has done so? Not his Scoutmaster. The Scoutmaster signs off to certify the project "was planned, developed, and carried out by the candidate", not on the quality of the project or the leadership, this is not the Scoutmaster's concern. The Board of Review, and they alone, will evaluate this aspect of the project. 

Eagle projects may be simple, complex require thousands of dollars or not one cent. They may take months or days to complete and require tens or hundreds of hours on the part of a few people or a veritable army of helpers. They may have a tremendous impact or simply make a difference. Every project in this broad spectrum is valuable, laudable and important. There are few, if any, universal standards to the size, scope and originality of the project so every Scout, regardless of where he lives, his talents abilities or resources has the opportunity to become an Eagle Scout.

I readily guide Scouts to explore what others have done for projects and encourage them to be imaginative and expansive when planning their projects.  But I  guard that my encouragements did not become so coercive to be thought of as a requirement.

Avoiding Eagle Scout Drama - part 3

So far we have determined that needless drama can be caused when a Scoutmaster seeks to impose his ideal vision of an Eagle Scout on the advancement process. In addition we have discovered Baden Powell founded Scouting on the idea that it would offer Scouts a way to challenge themselves towards achievement on an individual basis rather than against an ideal standard.

As a rule of thumb if there is no numerical metric applied to a requirement it is improper and against policy to create one.

So how in the world can a Scoutmaster evaluate Scouts fairly? If Scouts challenged themselves against an internalized standard then it is our task to learn how each Scout evaluates their individual performance. That's why we have Scoutmaster's conferences rather than Scoutmaster reviews. Conferring is an exchange of information, a discussion, a series of questions designed to establish a common understanding.

During conferences for ranks that require leadership tenure I ask plenty of questions about the Scouts experience with the leadership position:

• What was your most and least successful moment as a leader?
• What would you change about the way you did the job?
• How do you evaluate your performance, did you fulfill this requirement?

If I have an issue with the Scout's performance and I haven't discussed this with him before the Scoutmaster's conference I consider that I am not doing my job. If I have had an ongoing discussion and the Scout hasn't made any effort to address the issue we'll discuss it further and try to find out what the real problem is.

Responsible Scoutmasters have an ongoing dialog with their Scouts that is marked by encouragement rather than fault finding. They address and resolve concerns and don't let become major problems.

Adolescence can be one long infuriating power struggle. Our work demands that we try to understand the process and not react out of anger. We especially do not want to turn a Scoutmaster's conference into a passive-aggressive, sanctimonious exercise of supposed power.

Scout aged boys do a lot of things they shouldn't and don't do a lot of things they should. Our role is to work with them, not against them, to recognize achievement and effort and downplay failure. We accomplish this by helping our Scouts develop personal goals, overcome difficulty, deal with disappointment and meet the challenges they define for themselves.

Avoiding Eagle Scout Drama
Avoiding Eagle Scout Drama part 2

Avoiding Eagle Scout Drama part 2

Scoutmasters need to understand what makes Scouting different from everything else - why young men and women have been Scouts all over the world for the past century.

Scouting's founder Baden-Powell envisioned a movement that would give everyone the opportunity to challenge and achievement based not on a single standard of performance but on a highly individualized, internalized standard. (Read Baden-Powell's thoughts on this here).

If we can encourage Scouts to define, internalize and follow an internal standard of acheivement we will have given them an set of skills that will immeasurably enrich their lives and communities.

Like many Scoutmasters I was initially frustrated by the lack of measurable metrics in Scouting. Just what is Scout Spirit? What percentage of meetings or camp outs must a Scout attend to be considered active? How does one measure the effectiveness of someone's leadership?

Metrics are missing for a good reason; every Scout and every Scout's circumstances in life are different. Scouts who are academically talented and Scouts who are poor students, from affluent families, from poor families all become Eagle Scouts. There are no class-a or class-b Eagle Scouts.

So one particularly common source of Eagle Scout drama is eliminated when Scoutmasters understand and embrace the concept of individual effort evaluated by an individualized standard. Can't you use this individualized standard to justify bad behavior, poor performance and indifference? How does a Scoutmaster hold Scouts accountable if everyone is going to advance anyway?

The answer is actually very simple, it should be part of every Scoutmaster conference and I'll write about it in my next post.

See also:

Avoiding Eagle Scout Drama

Avoiding Eagle Scout Drama

During my tenure as Scoutmaster I have worked with 50 Scouts who have earned the rank of Eagle. Becoming an Eagle Scout is beset by difficulties and so should it be, it is supposed to be challenging. Unfortunately these normal difficulties are often compounded by totally unnecessary complications that we'll call drama.

All too often this drama is caused  by the Scoutmaster.

Somehow there are a number of Scoutmasters who act like that they are the gatekeepers for the advancement system (especially the rank of Eagle) when they are supposed to be coaches, guides and mentors. Some Scoutmasters develop the idea that their personal standard of acheivement is all important.They wield the Scoutmaster's conference like a weapon making it a pronouncement of their often capricious judgment.

Now this all sounds pretty dramatic because it really is dramatic. Scouts and families take a huge emotional hit whose shock waves extend to other Scouts and their families.

Narratives of these dramas unfold as if they had been scripted; a Scout, having completed their Eagle project, six months of leadership tenure, 21 merit badges and six previous Scoutmaster Conferences sits down with his Scoutmaster who ambushes him with one of two (and often both) pronouncements that he has not met the 'active' requirement or has failed to show Scout Spirit. Sometimes the Scoutmaster may set the Scout a task to appease the Scoutmaster, sometimes the Scoutmaster just slams the gate closed.

Why does this happen over and over again? (Trust me, it does, I get emails.) Usually because the Scoutmaster either lacks an understanding of the advancement system and/or is just generally frustrated with is Scouts.

What do I mean 'just generally frustrated with his Scouts'?. The best explanation I have is drawn from personal experience. Most of us Scoutmasters develop an idealized concept of what an Eagle Scout should be and it becomes a standard by which we judge our Scouts. This idealized standard supplants the advancement process and results in a great deal of frustration.

It took me some years to understand that no Scout would measure up to the idealized standard I had developed. Upholding my idealized yet non-existent Eagle Scout was doing a lot more harm than good. The antidote to this dilemma was an understanding of what Scouting really is all about and what makes it different from every other field of endeavor - something that I'll explore further in tomorrow's post.

The President's Volunteer Service Award

The President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation (the Council) was established in 2003 to recognize the valuable contributions volunteers are making in our communities and encourage more people to serve. The Council created the President’s Volunteer Service Award program as a way to thank and honor Americans who, by their demonstrated commitment and example, inspire others to engage in volunteer service.

Recognizing and honoring volunteers sets a standard for service, encourages a sustained commitment to civic participation, and inspires others to make service a central part of their lives. The President’s Volunteer Service Award recognizes individuals, families, and groups that have achieved a certain standard – measured by the number of hours of service over a 12-month period or cumulative hours earned over the course of a lifetime.

To date, the President’s Council has partnered with more than 80 Leadership Organizations and more than 28,000 Certifying Organizations to bestow more than 1.5 million awards to the Nation's deserving volunteers.

Scout Units are qualified to become Certifying Organizations through a fairly simple application process. Once registered the Unit can nominate recipients for the award by submitting a record of their service. I think this is a particularly good way to recognize and thank volunteer leaders every year. It is a dignified simple recognition. It can be presented with the appropriate service star that can be worn on the Scout Uniform, and Veteran Scouter Pin (for 'civilian' wear) on an annual basis.

Note that the President's award is not approved for wearing on the Scout Uniform.

The Award
Depending on which award package is ordered, award recipients can receive:
* An official President’s Volunteer Service Award lapel pin
* A personalized certificate of achievement
* A congratulatory letter from the President of the United States
* A letter from the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation

Award Criteria
Any individual, family, or group can receive Presidential recognition for volunteer hours earned over a 12-month period or over the course of a lifetime at home or abroad.

Bronze President's Volunteer Service Award Pin
Kids: 50 to 74 hours
Young Adults: 100 to 174 hours
Adults: 100 to 249 hours
Family & Groups: 200 to 499 hours

Silver President's Volunteer Service Award Pin
Kids: 75 to 99 hours
Young Adults: 175 to 249 hours
Adults: 250 to 499 hours
Family & Groups: 500 to 999 hours


Gold President's Volunteer Service Award Pin
Kids: 100 hours or more
Young Adults: 250 hours or more
Adults: 500 hours or more
Family & Groups: 1000 hours or more

President’s Call to Service Award
All Ages 4,000 hours or more of volunteer service (over a lifetime).

Service Stars in the Insignia Guide
President's Volunteer Service Award website

The New Scout Handbook

I've had my copy of the 12th Edition of the new Scout Handbook for a couple of weeks now and I recently added the Scout Handbook to my Ipod touch. I have also looked over the website bsahandbook.org.

As the way we use and manipulate information changes I applaud the BSA in attempting to keep up. Information seems to have aspirations to take on one form or another so it will be used. Information flows into the most accessible platform and seems to favor maximum flexibility. It morphs from thought to speech to type to video almost instantly in its quest to be useful.

None of the three ways to get the Scout Handbook is perfect but they are greater than the sum of their parts. 

I was disappointed, at first, that the new hard-copy handbook did not follow the convention of dividing information by rank advancement. We had grown used to using the color coded tabs of the old handbook. The new handbook divides information and skills into three broad categories (scoutcraft, woodcraft and campcraft). After some thought I like the new system better. Instead of emphasizing advancement the new presentation emphasizes Scouting. Rather than a series of small achievements Scouting is seen as a series of experiences. I think this approach puts the cart and horse in their correct places.

I find the graphic design of the new handbook a little cloying. I think visually and appreciate illustrations, charts and other graphics but the new handbook seems to be a bit overloaded with them. I think, too, that the handbook is far too large. I'd like to see a hand book of fewer pages in a smaller format that would better fit into a backpack and not fall to pieces quite so quickly.

The Ipod app is in it's first iteration (hopefully there will be significant improvements). It does not use some of the more expansive possibilities inherent in the technology but I trust that someone is working towards a second edition.

The Web presence seems to be comprehensive and useful. I'd welcome a way to personalize and annotate the handbook online (recording advancement or taking notes).

All in all I think that the new Handbook works. I can see a day, in the not too distant future, when a more usable version is available electronically. I'd like to see the entire Scout Library (Merit Badge books etc.)  available to download to a portable electronic device like the ipod. The technology exists and the whole project seems fairly easy.

Eagle Projects Aren't Unit Activities

Here's an exchange from Ask Andy (an online column from a long-time Scouter and Unit Commissioner) about Eagle Projects.

There's a couple of levels of information going on in this exchange. First of all Andy does a good job of clarifying what actual policy is regarding Eagle Projects. They aren't unit activities and so do not fall under the oversight of the unit or Scouters. I'll add that Life Scouts conducting Eagle projects need as much latitude to actually lead the project as they can get. I have assisted with exactly three Eagle Projects in 25 years (one was my step-sons project). There is no way for me to go to a Scouts Eagle Project and not be the Scoutmaster.

The other thing to learn from this exchange is how  a well-intentioned, convoluted and ultimately wrong-headed approach is inflexible even in the face of a clear statement of policy.

Dear Andy,

I’ve respected you opinions in the past, but this time I think you’re wrong about two-deep leadership for Eagle projects, for a number of reasons…

1. In a Scout-led Troop, the Scouts are always in charge, but just because the Eagle candidate is in charge of his Eagle project doesn’t mean that we don’t need two-deep adult leadership.

2. The Eagle service project is a unit event in that it’s been reviewed and approved by the Scoutmaster and Troop Committee, and the Eagle candidate has encouraged his fellow Scouts to help him on the project by announcing it at Troop meetings, and his Scoutmaster has agreed to allow the Scouts’ participation to be counted as service hours.

3. Consider what would happen if a Scout gets hurt while working on an Eagle project and no adult leaders are present. Can we claim that it wasn’t a Scouting event and therefore we’re not required to have adult leaders there? I’d hate to see that in the newspapers.

4. "In-city" events that occur for less than a day don’t require tour permits, but they’re still considered unit events. Are you arguing that we only need two-deep adult leadership when a tour permit is required? That doesn't sound right to me.

(John Shriver, CC, Greater Alabama Council)

The short version is: Nope, nope, nope, and nope. Here’s why…

1. Yes, in fact, a Life Scout is absolutely in charge of his own project, and no one else should even suggest taking this away from him. The "Eagle project," after all, is much more about leadership than it is about service. Moreover, a Life Scout doesn't have merely other Scouts as helpers... he can recruit friends, neighbors, cousins, classmates, brothers or sisters, teammates, and on and on, so that having "adult troop leaders" hangin' around might actually interfere with rather than aid what this requirement is intended to accomplish.

2. The Eagle service project is absolutely not a "unit event," regardless of signatures. This endeavor belongs to the Life Scout and no one else. If a Scout "announces" his project and need for help at a troop meeting, this is just one of many venues open to him for recruiting. This makes it even more afield from a "unit event." As for a Scoutmaster "agreeing" to "allow" Scouts to "count" their time on a project toward "service hours," any Scoutmaster who didn't "agree" to this would need his head examined.

3. Regarding accidents, you're perhaps forgetting that the BSA-provided insurance is the very last insurance to kick in. All other insurances come first. This would include one's medical insurance if medical treatment proved necessary. The presence of adults from the troop would have no effect whatsoever on treatment or insurance. Besides, just what are you expecting to have happen? There are no chain saws or other powered equipment ever necessary to complete an Eagle project—hand tools should always be preferred, and this should be a part of the project plan. Moreover, no "headlines" would go away just because some troop adults were there and couldn't prevent the "accident."

4. If you carefully read the Guide to Safe Scouting FOR UNIT ACTIVITIES (that's the full title, and I've capitalized the part of the title we often overlook, for emphasis), you'll discover that it specifically states that there are events for which "two-deep leadership" aren't required, including, also, patrol meetings.

Thanks for providing the logic behind your answer. I appreciate it. Our difference stems from whether or not we view an Eagle project as being something outside Scouting. I don’t believe it is, and you do. While it must be performed for an organization other than the BSA, and people outside of Scouting can assist, it’s still controlled by a Scout and approved by Scouters. I don’t see any reason to define it as being separate from Scouting. We define what it is and set up fairly strict guidelines as to what must be done. How can we then say that it’s not part of our organization? The other difference is that I believe that two-deep leadership is an excellent idea for everyone involved (not for insurance reasons). I suspect that you do too. It may be restrictive at times, but then so are safety helmets and seat belts. (John Shriver)

No one until now said that an Eagle project is "outside Scouting." An Eagle project is "Scouting in action!" What it's not, however, is a "unit activity" (i.e., a "troop activity"). Therefore, two-deep leadership is absolutely not mandatory, for the same reason that a patrol of Scouts can have a meeting or even go out and do something all together and it's not mandatory that they have adults along—not because it's "outside Scouting" but because it's not a "unit activity." (As regards helmets and seat belts, these are laws.)

Extraordinary Eagle Project

Life Scout Alex Griffith was born in the Siberian region of Russia. As an Eagle project Alex chose to build a playground at the orphanage in Russia where his foster parents adopted him.

634 people who contributed time, expertise, material or money (106 from Russia)
78 cities where help came from
23 states where help came from
5 countries where help came from
$62,856 dollars raised
838 hours spent by Alex
1,867 known hours spent by other volunteers (actual number probably close to double)

Alex chronicled his project at http://www.krasplayground.org

Merit Badge Thoughts

We had a wonderful, if somewhat damp, week at summer camp and our Scouts arrived home happily tired from having a great time.

Merit Badge work is a big part of summer camp so there are usually some conversations about the quality of instruction and the effort extended by Scouts in completing requirements. There is talk of 'merit badge factories' of 'giving away' badges and so forth as if a merit badge was something the counselor could give away in the first place. Some counselors are better than others and some Scouts are more adept at certain skills so evaluating the work done for a given badge is evaluated on a very subjective scale. What is important is that a Scout has been given instruction in and opportunity to experience subjects that interest him.

I counsel several merit badges on occasion and strive to do my best as an instructor. I expect that scouts respond by doing their best to fulfill the requirements. It's a simple process. I did not write the requirements, I don't own the badges, I can't give them away. I can only certify that a Scout has fulfilled a requirement as it is written. 

Perhaps someone somewhere is distributing merit badges like party favors but I rather doubt it.

How Scout Advancement Happens

Here's the latest from Ask Andy - I think his take on Advancement in Scouting is spot on and important enough to publish here in its entirety:

B-P described "advancement" as like a suntan: something you get naturally and effortlessly whilst having fun in the out-of-doors.

I think of "advancement" as "serendipity"--Done well, the Scout doesn't even know it's happened till it's too late!

In addition to staying as far away from "Scout school" as we can, we also need to stop such admonitions as, "Go on this hike and you'll get credit for...(fill in the blank)," or "Show up for this project and you'll get service hour credit," or "Go to camp so you can earn merit badges."  All of this is, in cold fact, the antithesis of what Scouting's all about, and it's anathema to who boys joined up in the first place!

I'm looking, right now, at a little booklet, produced in 1948, titled, "It's Fun To Be A Scout."  Here are some excerpts: "You'll find fun and adventure in Scouting--lots of it!"... "There's fun in hiking...with your best friends"... "There's fun in living on your own in the open...in a tent you've pitched, eating meals you've prepared"... and, "When you become a Scout, you show your willingness to join with other Scouts...in service."... "Scouts have fun at home, too...when you learn some of the tracks (that) make camping easier..."

Notice immediately that there's not one word in this introduction about "completing requirements" or "being tested," or "doing stuff to receive 'credit'."

Let's remember our Wood Badge "guided discovery" experiences... We did something, and then learned why we did it and what we'd done!  These weren't put in the syllabus for us adults; these were put there as models for us to emulate with our Scouts!

Think of a well-run COPE course... Do you hear guides saying, "Now we're gonna learn how to work as a team"?  Of course not!  Instead, we're given a challenge and we discover for ourselves that teamwork will produce a solution!  Wow!  What a concept!  But... do we bring this home and apply it?  Or do we return home with a renewed enthusiasm for running "classes"?  Think about it...

So, how do we accomplish "serendipity" and "guided discovery" as Scoutmasters in our home troops...?

Let's try this...

We notice that we have a new Scout patrol and every one of the six members is Tenderfoot, so they all need to learn how to pick a camping site, build a cooking fire, cook a couple of meals, and do a flag ceremony.  So, they go on a campout with the troop, and pre-plan their meals under the guidance of their Troop Guide (the Assistant Scoutmaster also assigned to them "shadows" the Troop Guide).  The Guide uses a Q&A method to elicit from them thoughts on how to select a good patrol campsite, and then he demonstrates how to gather the necessary ingredients for a successful cooking fire, so that the patrol goes off and does it, led by their Patrol Leader (not the Guide!), and they come back and a couple of them cook a meal (they make up their own "duty roster" of course), and then the next day others do the cooking.  And so forth, without ever once mentioning "requirements"!

The patrol comes home.  They bring their handbooks to the next troop meeting.  At that meeting, their ASM says, "Scouts, your Guide tells me that you had a great campout!  You selected your patrol site, built a couple of good cooking fires, had some good meals, and played capture-the-flag with the other patrols!  Nice going!  Say, by the way, would you give me your handbooks, please..." and then he proceeds to initial their books on the appropriate page, and shows them what they've done!  Cool, huh!?!  THAT is how Scouting's supposed to work!  No class, no quiz, no nuthin' 'cept learning-and-doing.  Visceral, kinetic, hands-on, and A SURPRISE!

Same with service... Scouts aren't "encouraged" to show up to "get credit"--they show up BECAUSE THEY'RE SCOUTS and THIS IS WHAT SCOUTS DO!

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