Committee Approval of Eagle Project

[OldGreyEagle]

OK, just when you think you have heard it all. One of the Troops in the District has decided that to get the signature of a Committee member on the Eagle Project Application, the project needs to be approved by the entire committee. (Insert comment about craziness and come back)

 

Anybody have a reference on why they can't do this? Or can they?

[evmori]

I assume you are talking about the Troop committee? If I'm not mistaken, the signature needs to be a unit leader, which can be any registered adult in the unit!

[CNYScouter]

A Committee member's signature is required in the Eagle project workbook before a Scout can begin his project.

 

This can be downloaded at:

http://www.nesa.org/how-to-manuals.html

 

I know of a couple of Troops that require a Scout to present his Eagle Project Wookbook to the Troop Committee for approval before the CC or a Committee Member signs it.

[OldGreyEagle]

Just when you think you are being clear, you arent

 

This is a Troop that wants the Troop Committee to approve all Eagle Projects before a Committee member signs off on it.

 

My gut tells me this is wrong, but unfortunately the ol' gut has been known to be wrong. Can the Troop Committee make this requirement?

[scoutldr]

CNY is correct. Signatures required are "Unit Committee Member" and "Scoutmaster". The Unit Committee can decide the process for approval, as long as they are not adding requirements.

 

Edited to add: The above is my opinion and interpretation only.(This message has been edited by scoutldr)

[Lisabob]

Perhaps we've been violating all sorts of rules and if so I'll surely bring this up to our committee. However, son's troop practice has been that a boy presents his Eagle project to the committee and it must be approved by said committee, prior to the CC signing off.

 

This is not generally a stumbling block - committee has been quite reasonable and nobody is "out to get" any boy. At least as far as I've seen, it hasn't been an inquisition-style affair. It does mean that there is unlikely to be significant committee division once a project is approved, and avoids a (hopefully unlikely) scenario where a boy tries to "cherry pick" his way to a signature despite having a half-baked plan that really shouldn't go forward.

[NJCubScouter]

In our troop, "committee approval" is required. Some Scouts do come to a committee meeting to present their plan. However, in most cases a Scout attending a troop meeting will ask the CC or Advancement Chair (who are usually present) for an appointment and will be told they can meet on the spot with whichever committee members happen to be present (usually three or four; we hang out in a separate room from the Scouts.) The main function of the meeting is to give constructive suggestions to the Scout on how to improve his plan and/or presentation before meeting with the District Advancement Chair, and to give the Scout "practice" in discussing his project with other adults. It is not done in a way that slows down the Scout's progress, and if the Scout is running short of time, it will be done at lightning speed. The purpose is to help the Scout, not create another roadblock.

[CNYScouter]

The Troop my son was in a Scout scheduled an Eagle project approval just like a BOR.

 

BORs for this troop were done once a month right before the Committee meetings and required a Scout to sign up in advance.

 

They could do the same for an Eagle Project approval.

 

The same committee members that did the BORs for that month did the Eagle project approval and usually were just mixed in with the BORs.

 

I agree with Lisabob in that generally it wasnt a stumbling block or inquisition but if the project didnt get approved by the unit it probably wont get approved at the district level either.

 

[croushorn]

Interesting how much even THIS part differs from troop to troop:

Had a Scout ask me after opening Tuesday night if I could sit with him to review his proposal. After closing, the CC and I sat down, listened to the Scout explain what he wants to do and we threw a few questions at him while we were reading his proposal write up. We both signed. Now hes off and running. Only took about 20 minutes, no big effort. I guess I can see some benefits to having the presentation come before the full committee, and I'm all for maximizing the learning process on a kid's trail to Eagle.

Is the committee way more prevalent than what I just described? The more I think on it, I like the idea.

[Scoutmaster Ron]

The troop I served also approved projects by the entire committee. They evaluated the write-up to even suggesting doing additional work for the sponser even though the sponsor didnt want it.

 

I was able to sit in on the very last one the committee approved. After the scout presented his project and stepped outside & as the commitee voted on it I reminded them that what you are acutally voting on is not how well the write up was done or not, neither the scope or size of the project, that you are voting on that this scout may use the leadership skills learned thru Boy Scouting that he can use this project towards his Eagle Scout advancement.

 

The Project was approved by unanomously.

 

I now serve as the District Eagle Advancement Person, (I sign off as the district)Troop varies from formal presentations to just signing off

[John-in-KC]

When I was CC, I asked the Scouts to come to me well in advance of building their project book. In plain English, I wanted to listen in as he developed his idea.

 

Things that I looked for were needs for adult support (that means power tools and driving among others). I'd provide some rudimentary training on what 2-deep meant, what no 1/1 contact meant. A previous DAC (not our current guy) had deferred a project because there was 1/1 youth-adult contact at a couple of project points.

 

When the youth said he was ready for the ELSP review at District RT, I'd sign off, wish him Godspeed, and make sure he knew where and when to be there

[evmori]

Why would the unit committee have to approve anything? The only thing that they should be doing is checking to make sure all the paperwork is in order. Having the entire committee approve the Scout's project IS adding to the requirements.

 

Ed Mori

1 Peter 4:10

[NJCubScouter]

I just looked at the Eagle Scout Leadership Service Project Workbook (this is the official National document mentioned in the requirements) and it says: "The project plan must be reviewed and approved by the beneficiary of the project, your unit leader, the unit committee, and the council or district advancement committee before the project is started". That's pretty clear: The unit committee's approval is required.

 

The guidelines from our council verify and expand on this, but they actually introduce an ambiguity: "Troop committee approval for the proposal is next. The Troop Advancement Committee will expect that certain requirements be met, in writing, before Troop approval will be issued."

 

So, do you need approval from the full committee or just from the "troop advancement committee", which is part of the committee? I think the answer is, it's up to the troop. In our troop, the "committee" that must approve an Eagle project plan consists, in effect, of "the Troop Committee members who are present at committee meeting, or at a troop meeting when the CC or advancement chair decide to call an advancement committee meeting on the spot." Of course, that isn't written down anywhere. I haven't seen or heard of anyone complaining about this system in the five years I have been involved with the troop.

[John-in-KC]

Ed,

 

Have you looked at the ELSP workbook recently? Unit Committee Member signoff is an explicit requirement.

 

http://www.nesa.org/PDF/18-927.pdf

 

Page NINE as BSA numbers it, page 11 of 16 as adobe acrobat reader numbers it.

 

The one way for another committee person to get afoul of me, the SM, and the COR simultaneously was to sign off for the committee without my advance knowledge as CC (such as I was going to be absent and the youth needed a signature).(This message has been edited by John-in-KC)

[Twocubdad]

Despite my on-going crusade against the bureauracy of ESLP project approvals, I'm okay with this. It's reasonable that if a committee member has to sign off on the project, and the member is doing so on behalf of the committee, then the committee should be able to establish an approval process. I can also see where presenting a project would be a good exercise for a Scout.

 

HOWEVER, I can also see this as a slippery slope. The real work and mentoring needs to be going on between the SM or his designee and the Eagle candidate. Barring any real problems, I would hope that by the time the proposal gets to the committe -- or the district advancement committee for that matter -- the presentation and approval should be a victory lap.

 

I most certainly would not want to see a troop committee become another set of hoops for a Scout to jumb through.