{"id":2503,"date":"2019-09-03T10:23:09","date_gmt":"2019-09-03T14:23:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/?p=2503"},"modified":"2019-09-03T10:23:09","modified_gmt":"2019-09-03T14:23:09","slug":"issue-614-september-3-2019","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/2019\/09\/issue-614-september-3-2019\/","title":{"rendered":"Issue 614 \u2013 September 3, 2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

________________________________________
\nEAGLE \u2013 An Attainable Goal!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Seven years and 290 issues ago I first wrote this piece. Since then, an entire generation of Scouts has moved on, \u201cScout\u201d has been added as a seventh rank, and we now have girls in Scouts BSA troops. It\u2019s time for an update. For any Scout interested in advancement through the Scout ranks, this is for you!<\/p>\n

Today, by the time most Scouts earn their Eagle, they\u2019re 17 years old. Many are so close to their 18th birthdays that they never get to wear the Eagle badge on their uniforms. This doesn\u2019t have to happen. All it takes is motivation and a plan. The motivation comes from you! Here\u2019s a plan you can make work.<\/p>\n

Start by reading your SCOUT HANDBOOK<\/span>, and get yourself a copy of another book: SCOUTS BSA REQUIREMENTS<\/span>. Read about the rank requirements and what it takes to earn merit badges. Now you\u2019re ready to start.<\/p>\n

When you join a troop, you\u2019ll earn your Scout rank either the very first night (the requirements are virtually identical to stuff you learned for Arrow of Light<\/em>), or the very next week (most of it is memorization<\/em>) if you\u2019re brand-new to Scouts.<\/p>\n

You\u2019re now ready to begin on your next three ranks. This starts with Tenderfoot and progresses through Second Class and then First Class.<\/p>\n

Start Tenderfoot by doing the personal fitness \u201cbaseline\u201d requirement 10a first. This full requirement takes 30 days of exercising to improve your baseline \u201cnumbers.\u201d Use this time to complete the rest of the requirements, so you can complete req. 10b on the 30-day mark. (In those four weeks, you can give yourself a head-start by also completing some of the requirements for your next two ranks<\/em>.)<\/p>\n

Plan to be First Class rank by the end of next summer. You\u2019ll have about eleven months\u2014including at least a week at Scout camp next summer\u2014to complete the rest of your Second Class and First Class requirements. And, speaking of summer camp, be sure to pick up several merit badges that you\u2019ll use to qualify for Star rank and beyond.<\/p>\n

Take the time to review your merit badge goals. Be aware that some merit badges will be specifically required (First Aid, Camping, and Family Life, for instance) and some will be whatever you\u2019d like to learn about. Plus, some merit badges have three-month requirements. (I\u2019ll talk more about these and a few other important things next week\u2026<\/em>)<\/p>\n

Each of the final three ranks has a \u201ctenure\u201d requirement: You\u2019ll need to hold a rank for a specific length of time before advancing to the next. First Class-to-Star is four months, Star-to-Life is six months, and Life-to-Eagle is also six months. This means that you can be an Eagle Scout by about age 14 if you want to and if you work your plan.<\/p>\n

Scouting is flexible. We know that Scouting is hardly the only thing going on in your busy life. There are religious youth groups and activities. There\u2019s school, including homework and extracurricular stuff. Plus sports like traveling soccer or something else. Maybe there are music lessons. And of course you\u2019re going to be hanging\u2019 out, Facebooking, texting, Tweeting, and doing whatever your personal hobbies might be. So if you take a year each for the next three ranks, you\u2019ll be doing just fine.<\/p>\n

For Star, you can hold an elected position in the troop, like Patrol Leader or maybe Senior Patrol Leader, or you can volunteer for one of your troop\u2019s appointed leadership positions (Assistant Senior Patrol Leader, Scribe, Quartermaster, Historian, and so on<\/em>). All of these are described in your handbook. Meanwhile, you\u2019re showing up for meetings, campouts, and other Scout activities. You\u2019re also helping out at troop service projects and volunteering to help other Scouts in your troop complete their Eagle service projects. You picked up a couple of merit badges at Scout camp last summer, so you\u2019ll want to complete some more, so you have six, including at least four from the list of those that qualify for Eagle rank. Although you can easily do all this in four months, it\u2019s okay to give yourself more time. Just make sure you\u2019re Star rank but with eleven (not just six<\/em>) merit badges, including seven Eagle-qualifiers, about two years from now.<\/p>\n

Life rank is next. You\u2019ll need a total of eleven merit badges. You can either take on another troop position of responsibility or continue with the one you have. You\u2019ll continue helping others. You\u2019ll continue showing up. Stick to your plan and you\u2019ll be a Life Scout by about your 14th birthday. Now, it\u2019s on to Eagle\u2026<\/p>\n

For Eagle, a lot is simply more of what you\u2019ve already been doing. Complete your merit badges so you have 21 including all the required ones. Continue being active. Hold a leadership position.<\/p>\n

There are a couple of added wrinkles here, like coming up with a list of up to six references, writing a concise \u201cleadership bio\u201d about what your future life plans are at the moment. But these can be done when you\u2019re ready to fill out the Eagle rank application.<\/p>\n

And then, of course, there\u2019s the Eagle Scout Service Project.<\/p>\n

Now most folks talk about the service project as if it\u2019s a twenty-foot high pole vault bar and the pole in your hands is made of rubber. It\u2019s not. It\u2019s simply doing what you already know how to do: Make a plan and carry it out; lead others; collaborate with adults. You\u2019re going to put together what you\u2019ve learned about service to others and how to lead a group, and then focus these on something you\u2019d like to do to benefit your community.<\/p>\n

The BSA even provides a \u201ctemplate\u201d for doing this: The Eagle Scout Service Project Workbook. This workbook may look a little intimidating, but it\u2019s not. It actually does a lot of the \u201cpre-thinking\u201d for you, so that you don\u2019t inadvertantly leave something out. Follow it, fill in the boxes, and you\u2019ve got your concept and then plan; after that, you just follow your own \u201crecipe.\u201d<\/p>\n

Oh, one more thing about the service project for Eagle: You can start putting this together the very next day after your Life rank board of review! That\u2019s right: It\u2019s not the \u201clast\u201d requirement. You can get to work on this one as soon as you\u2019re a Life Scout!<\/p>\n

Same with your Scoutmaster conference: It\u2019s not the \u201clast\u201d requirement; it can happen anytime once you\u2019re a Life Scout! (This is true of all such conferences: They\u2019re absolutely not the last requirement for any rank!<\/em>)<\/p>\n

And that\u2019s it! You\u2019ve had your board of review, and you\u2019re an Eagle Scout! If you stuck to your plan, this is happening right about your 15th birthday.<\/p>\n

So why go for Eagle by 15? There are lots of good reasons. Here are a few\u2026<\/p>\n

> You get to wear your Eagle badge for the next three years, showing everyone you\u2019re a top Scout who knows his stuff.<\/p>\n

> In high school, sometimes classmates joke about others who are Scouts. But I\u2019m guaranteeing you: Nobody pokes fun at an Eagle Scout.<\/p>\n

> Imagine how proud of you your family\u2019s going to be, and the example you\u2019ll be setting if you have any younger brothers or sisters! Plus, you\u2019ll be setting a great example for the younger Scouts in your patrol and troop.<\/p>\n

> You can also keep finding merit badges you\u2019re interested in, earn them, and receive Eagle \u201cpalms\u201d for every five more you earn (plus three months of staying active in your troop). If you want to, you can actually earn as many as four Silver Palms for the 60 more merit badges you can earn in those three years!<\/p>\n

> Think about all the free time you\u2019re going to have in high school, to get on a Varsity team, or marching band, or orchestra, or choral group, math club, chess club, theater, and more!<\/p>\n

> When you go to a National Jamboree or attend your council\u2019s NYLT (National Youth Leadership Training), and then the NYLT Leadership Academy, you\u2019ll go as an Eagle!<\/p>\n

> Same if you decide to go to NAYLE (National Advanced Youth Leadership Experience) at Philmont or one of the NAYLE programs in the Northeast, Central, or Western BSA Regions\u2014you\u2019ll go as an Eagle!<\/p>\n

> When you decide to run for election in your high school\u2019s student service club, like Interact or Key Club, or you want to run for president of the student council, Eagle puts you way ahead of the competition!<\/p>\n

> Think how you\u2019ll feel going to an International Jamboree as an Eagle Scout, and the troop chooses you as Jamboree Senior Patrol Leader!<\/p>\n

> Imagine taking a Philmont or Northern Tier trek as an Eagle Scout! Or going to Sea Base as an Eagle. These are the ones who get elected Crew Leader!<\/p>\n

> Finally, and this one may not be important to you now, but I\u2019ll personally guarantee it\u2019s a \u201ctopper\u201d\u2026 In just a few years, being an Eagle Scout is going to impress your date and absolutely delight his or her parents!<\/p>\n

If you have a question about anything I\u2019ve said here, write to me. You\u2019ll get your answer directly from me in a reply email\u2014no waiting!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Happy Scouting!<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Andy<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Have a question? Facing a dilemma? Wondering where to find a BSA policy or guideline? Write to askandybsa@yahoo.com. Please include your name and council. (If you\u2019d prefer to be anonymous, if published, let me know and that\u2019s what we\u2019ll do.)<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

[No. 614 \u2013 9\/3\/2019 \u2013 Copyright \u00a9 Andy McCommish 2019]<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

________________________________________ EAGLE \u2013 An Attainable Goal! Seven years and 290 issues ago I first wrote this piece. Since then, an entire generation of Scouts has moved on, \u201cScout\u201d has been added as a seventh rank, and we now have girls in Scouts BSA troops. It\u2019s time for an update. For any Scout interested in advancement […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2503","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2503","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2503"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2503\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2507,"href":"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2503\/revisions\/2507"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2503"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2503"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2503"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}