Call for Eagle Questions!

Well...it's been quite some time since the first set of EAGLETIPS
hit our archives, and it's proven to be the most popular non-graphical
item that we make available to Scouters and others!

So, naturally, it's time to do the upgrade and to include all of the
NEW issues that we've been discussing here over the past year or so.
I've been saving those, along with some off-line discussions on the
Eagle Scout Badge and its "usefulness" past Scouting (which is one of
the questions I want to pose here) for the "upgrade".

I've already started on it, and it should be ready by "midterm" (about
the first or second week of March). Here's what I've got so far...

* discussion on the new requirements for Eagle (the inclusion of the
Family Living Merit Badge to the list of eleven; the clarification of
the "Scout Spirit" requirement)

* discussion on the various ways of doing a Court of Honor (rather
than to post Courts of Honor here, perhaps we might consider a
bibilographic index of where the most common are, and only include
some "special Court of Honor" information, like having it outdoors,
at a non-Scouting event (for instance, at a military review ceremony),
things like that. I know that there's a LOT of great Courts of Honor
scripts out there, but including them for people to review and look at
would REALLY take a while, both on the compiling end and on the
receiving end....maybe if those that have a unique Court of Honor
would send a copy to Jon and ask that he please post it to the
archives as a COH file..and the biblio would point to those as well.
Or we can include it in the large file. Tell me which way and I can
adjust!)

* information on "good tidings" acknowledgements presented to Eagle
Scouts from everyone from the President on down to the parents

* information on the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award and how it is
presented to Scouters

* information on the "Eagle Scout equal" in other countries, including
a short description on how that award earned, who presents it, the
ceremony or pagentry associated with it, and as someone wrote me once,
"what good is it?"

* information on the Girl Scout First Class Award (it is BRIEFLY
explained in the EAGLETIPS INTRO file, but I would really like more
information on it, so that Scouts "moanin'" about "how hard it is to
earn it...I don't have the time to do....", can compare what they have
to do to earn Eagle against the Girl Scouts of the USA's equal (there
is NO COMPARISON...the girls have to do MORE!)

So, here's the questions that I would really like input into. As much
as I LOVE to read mail (this is no put-on, gang...I really enjoy
answering and clarifying questions and concerns here!), PLEASE send
your replies to the LIST instead of me so that I can extract and save
them in the appropriate "folders" for the file. More importantly,
please reply to the list because I am positive that the questions and
issues here have relevance to the new folks as well as the old folks
that are wondering what the impact of these issues will be in their
communities.

As with EVERYTHING we talk about here, please feel free to share and
gather input from Roundtables, District/Council Committee meetings
and gatherings, and from your fellow Scouters and our Scouts.

(theme music from one of those "news-reflection shows" swells up...)

ISSUE ONE: What "good" is the Eagle Scout Badge anymore, anyway?
In this era whereby most kids already are aware of their environment,
knows about their physical being, and are cynical about their
community, the nation and other people....what real good IS the
earning of a $9.75 badge? (I have several answers, so don't wait on
this one to be answered by me until we sum things up! hehhehehe)

ISSUE TWO: Are the present Eagle Scout Award requirements "out of
step" with the realities of the Nineties? What would you take out and
what would you add (the next posting will list the requirements for
the Eagle Scout Award, for those not familiar with it)

ISSUE THREE: What can our society (defined for the purpose of this
question as "politicans, the media, the public outside of those
familiar with Scouting, business and industry, and academia) do to
encourage the Eagle to apply their skills? Or should they just stay
out of it, and simply allow us in the program to apply that
"encouragement"?

ISSUE FOUR: Should their be a regional or National "Eagle Scout
College" whereby all Eagle Scouts would meet and share experiences and
feelings and "network"? (Yeah, I know about the NESA Eagle
Gatherings, but they are mostly old-geezer affairs and the younger
folks that have earned Eagle have to listen to a lot of "when I was in
Scouts" stories...I am talking something on a REGIONAL basis that
would allow schools, universities, the military, the businesses to
come in and talk with, interview with and select Eagle Scouts for
jobs and internships and the like. Imagine that! In order to be
there, you *have* to be a Eagle Scout! That itself *could* answer
issue three above!)

ISSUE LAST: Should the Eagle Scout Award be presented to Scouts that
are at least 14 years or older, or should the present "whenever you
get finished with it, you have it" policy remain in place?
(Presently, for those that are not aware, it takes roughly two years
and a half to complete all requirements for all awards up to and
including Eagle. This has caused a lot of concern among many Scouters
that we have "raised Eagles too early, with not enough of the skills
they need to become good leaders. They have learned how to earn
badges and how to do several small jobs, but they haven't learned how
to LEAD".

Okay...okay...enought with the questions, right?! I am also seeking
your comments on the effectiveness (ineffectiveness) of the EAGLETIPS
series, what we have left out and what we needed to expand upon.

FYI, the EAGLETIPS series was NOT created by me. It was created by
all of YOU *including those of us that are NOT BSA Scouters...there's
lots of information that was contributed by GSUSA and other leaders*.
As we talk about these and other issues, they will be saved (along
with your name and email address) so that if people that want more
information about the suggestion or problem or resolution, they can
reach you.

Well...I've got to post the requirements and then get ready for work!

THANK YOU ALL for the input into the first version of this popular
series and I thank you all in advance for your input into these
questions and issues presented here!

If you have any questions, please ask away!

Settummanque!

--
 Settummanque, the blackeagle...   (MAJ) Mike L. Walton      (
    AIS/MR Recreation Specialist,  LifeSkills Inc.          ___)_
  (h) 502-782-7992  (f) 502-781-7279  (w) 502-842-2274      |-=-|]
 3201-D Cave Springs Avenue -- Greenwood, KY 42104-4439    -=====-
 WALTOML@WKUVX1.WKU.EDU (or via America OnLine) KYBLKEAGLE@AOL.COM
 "Not speaking for Lifeskills, Inc. or WKU...but I do speak well!!"

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