NEW (CHANGED) EAGLE APPLICATION on NESA Website!!!

[John-in-KC]

All,

I just got an email from my Council covering all manner of program stuff. Much we've covered already (read: bullying) elsewhere here.

This got my attention: The National Council, BSA has revised the Eagle Scout Rank Application. Please review your forms to ensure that form No. 58-728, now shows under Requirement 5, the name of the candidate's Eagle project, as well as the grand total of hours devoted to it. The new application will be required beginning May 1, 2008. http://www.nesa.org/trail/58-728.pdf

 

You want to make sure the Eagle app you use is #58-728A, with a release date of 2008.

Here are the words, copied from the new form:

REQUIREMENT 5. 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 idea must be approved by your Scoutmaster and troop committee and by the council or district before you start. You must use the Eagle Scout Leadership Service Project Workbook, No. 18-927, in meeting this requirement.

Project name: ____________________________________________________________

Grand total of hours: __________ (from page 10 of Eagle Scout Leadership Project Workbook) Date project was completed: Month Day Year (key entry data type box)

Here's to serving our youth, John(This message has been edited by John-in-KC)

[FireKat]

We were at Eagle Boards last thurs and the District Eagle Chair was very happy to tell us about the changes as she had been wanting to see that on the app for a long time. We already had ben asking for total hours so it is not a big deal except turning in the correct form on the correct time.

[ccjj]

My son just turned in his application for the second time. He used the 2004 version, instead of the 2006 version. After he went and had everyone sign it (again), we found that there is a 2008 version. But, luckily we don't have to use it.

 

ccjj

[FScouter]

The boy has always been required to record the number of hours in the project workbook. The new app just has a place to copy the number from the workbook to the app.

 

Now, if the application said a certain minimum number of hours was required, that would be a noteworthy change.

[John-in-KC]

My personal suspicision is someone perceives "Good Turn For America" isn't getting the Eagle Project hours... and so the remedy is to use the app as a source document... with the folks in Irving posting the data!

[mdutch]

It also adds the new venturing positions to the list of acceptable positions. I find it interesting how it says at the bottom "EDITIONS OF THIS APPLICATION PREVIOUS TO THE 2000 REVISION SHOULD NOT BE USED." Does this mean you do not have to use this edition of the form?

[John-in-KC]

What my Council has issued as guidance:

 

"The new application will be required beginning May 1, 2008."

[Gardyloo]

I understand that the new guidelines take effect May 1, but HOW do they take effect? I'm a troop Advancement Chair whose district is backed up three months on BoR. Our troop and others nearby, have scouts who turned their application and books into the district rep in January and still haven't had their BoR. If they haven't had their BoR by May 1, do the scouts have to reapply?

[John-in-KC]

I think you have your COR call the Council Key 3 and ask why they aren't meeting the Charter Agreement.

 

Three months behind on EBORs??? That is simply not acceptable.

 

The first practical thing I'd do is email your DAC and ask for explicit guidance. Send a carbon copy to your COR.

 

Absent guidance, I'd help the kids re-do their forms and take old/new to the Council office for recertification, and demand your place in the queue be maintained.

 

Jeez... I'm still flabbergasted about a 3 month backlong.(This message has been edited by John-in-KC)

[WAKWIB]

"Three months behind on EBORs??? That is simply not acceptable"

 

Understand your amazement, but I that is why in most of the HOAC that I am familiar with, Eagle BOR is organized by the Candidate's Troop Committee with a district or council rep. present. Could you imagine the huge backlog there would be in large districts like Blue Elk or North Star where there are 15-20 kids up for Eagle in any given month and it was up to a district committee to pull that off. They usually have quite a crowd of kids at our roundtable keeping 4 or 5 district guys busy looking over Project workbooks as it is.

[ScoutNut]

In a large District they should have even more volunteers available for EBOR's.

 

You get 6 Board Members together 1 Saturday each month. An EBOR should be 30 mins MAX. Run 2 Boards (3 ea) starting from 9AM, and even with an hour for lunch, they can do 20 EBOR's and be done by around 3PM.

 

We run all day trainings all of the time, an all day BOR should be a piece of cake.

[John-in-KC]

Hi Mark (Wakwib), good to see you. Won't be at Osceola this summer, I'm going to Philmont Training Center, also doing Bear Camp out at Naish.

 

Absolutely agree with you... one of the things I like about HOAC NS district is the Advancment Committee clears every Scout who shows up for a ELSP review. He may not get a "go forward", but he gets a review (assuming he shows up about 7PM and joins the queue). I also like that individual Advancement Committee members will then do whatever it takes to clear that young man if he's ready between RT nights.

 

Even in the districts in HOAC which use District EBORs, they don't leave until every young person on the schedule is cleared, and if they expect a surge, they generate more board groupings.

 

Like I said, I'm flabbergasted about a 3 month queue after app approval to have the EBOR. That Council is not meeting, imnsho, its side of the Charter Agreement!

 

John

[Gardyloo]

Those RT reviews sound great; it truly demonstrates to the scouts that THEY are the important ones; not the adults who are sandbagging the applications.

 

Here's what's interesting: I contacted the council and they say the April 30 date is set in stone- BOR's must be completed by that date or the scout must resubmit. So that's the policy.

 

The DAC maintains that anyone whose application is stamped by council by April 30 won't be turned back, and he doesn't want any new applications (I guess not, since he has a huge backlog). I've asked him to please check with Council and he gave me the brushoff (probably because he couldn't possibly be wrong).

 

Our Charter Org is a figurehead, they aren't interested in this at all. The ones holding the short end of the stick here are the scouts. Um, aren't they the ones this is supposed to be about???

[John-in-KC]

A quick bump on this. I don't know about your Council, mine has now said any Eagle apps not using 58-728A (2008) with project name and hours included, will be rejected out of hand.

 

Heads up, all you Scoutmasters, Life to Eagle Coordinators, and Unit Advancement Coordinators.... check with your own Council.