Last revised: January 25, 2012
Eagle "Project Concept" and "Project Proposal" Approvals at Roundtable
In Many Waters District, our Eagle Project Approvals occur before the monthly Roundtable meetings (Scouts are also welcome for Q&A about their projects).
The location is Maranatha Assembly of God Church, 24799 Forest Blvd, between Forest Lake and Wyoming, Minnesota. (Map) The Project Approvals are held from 6:00 to 7:15 p.m. in Room 171. Please enter the church on the east side (in parking lot, go left around the church).
Protocols
Project Concept: When ready to discuss their project ideas with someone outside their unit, Scouts should call or send an email to discuss their Project Concept with their Advancement Area Contact (see chart below). Scouts are also more than welcome to come to Roundtable to do so in person, especially if they have questions their Eagle Coach cannot answer.
Coming to Roundtable: Scouts need to call or email to let the Area Contact know they are coming:
A. For Q&A, or, to discuss/approve their Project Concept, or
B. For approval of their Project Proposal.
Scout presenters must wear their full uniform as designated by their unit, and "be prepared" to take notes.
Unit Leaders and/or Eagle Coaches are encouraged to attend to introduce their candidate, and to help as-needed. Parents may attend but must remain silent during the presentation.
| Area I: Northeast |
Mike Brinkman |
| 651-464-8196 |
thedoc@usfamily.net |
| 135 |
Center City |
| 141, 411 |
North Branch |
| 159 |
Lindstrom |
| 962 |
LDS North Branch and Area |
| Area II: East Central |
Teri Fick |
| 651-433-3070 |
tkfick@mmm.com |
| 127 |
Chisago City |
| 142 |
Wyoming |
| 151 |
Hugo |
| 173 |
Scandia |
| 487, 733 |
Forest Lake |
| Area III: West Central |
Holly Peirson |
| 612-309-5019 |
hpbirdscouter@msn.com |
| 103 |
Circle Pines |
| 136, 232 |
Lino Lakes |
| 414 |
Columbus |
| 435 |
Linwood |
| Area IV: Southwest |
Jim Letourneau, Jr. |
| 651-442-2245 |
jaletourneau@gmail.com |
| 112, 402, 431, 494 |
White Bear Lake |
| 212 |
Vadnais Heights |
| Area V: Southeast |
Steve Wiberg |
| 651-429-7914 |
stevenwiberg959@msn.com |
| 89, 433 |
Mahtomedi |
| 389 |
Willernie |
| 434, 438, 439, 726 |
White Bear Lake |
The Workbook
As of January 2012, only the newest version of the "Eagle Scout Service Project Workbook" can be used. Before beginning, Scouts, parents, and adult leaders should read the article that appears on page 9 of The Navigator, January/February 2012.
- The workbook should be saved to a computer or a travel drive. If the Scout does not have regular access to a computer, the form may be printed out at a local library, a friend’s house, or ask the unit’s Scoutmaster or advancement chair for a copy. It must be filled in using blue or black ink.
- The workbook file is expandable. (If problems are encountered while using this fillable file, please inform District Advancement Committee. The BSA would like to know of problems so they may re-program the file.) The most common problem encountered is that the Scout may not be able to print pages in an area where his data entry went longer than the form "allows." If that occurs, copy/paste the additional info into a word processing file for printing.
- This form is no longer printed by the BSA.
Scouts should read the workbook thoroughly and completely before they begin work.
On page 5, pay particular attention to the "Preparing the Project Proposal" paragraph and notes. This is the section the District Advancement Committee will be working through in order to approve the Scout’s Proposal.
Pages 6-10: The “Project Proposal” Section of the Workbook
- Page 6, Contacts:
- The "PID No." is found on the BSA’s ID card or from the unit advancement chair.
- Please leave the "Council Service Center" box blank.
- For District Project Representative – in Many Waters we call these people our Area Contacts – see the chart in this document. (Do not contact the council.)
- Project (Eagle) Coach should not be the Scoutmaster or the Scout’s parents, but can be anyone else in the unit who has knowledge of the process. (District Advancement Committee will also be happy to work with any Scout who needs a coach.)
- Pages 8-10: The Workbook file contains expandable Designated Boxes for such things as Project Description, Leadership (number of helpers and where they will come from), Materials, Supplies, Tools, Logistics, and Safety. Scouts are encouraged to add diagrams, layouts, building plans, "before" photos, landscaping information, store materials lists and estimates, building permits, internet downloads, etc., whatever they need to include, and can legally use (no copyrighted material).
- Page 10: The candidate must sign to show that he has read the entire workbook, and must have attained these signatures:
- Unit Leader (Scoutmaster, or Unit-approved designee).
- Unit Committee (Chair, or Unit-approved designee).
- Beneficiary.
Scouts coming for Project Approval need to bring one copy of pages 6-10 of the workbook for the District Advancement Committee to keep.
What District Advancement Committee will be looking for:
Did the Scout think up his project, or find it on his own? If he discussed the project with someone, are there features that he designed on his own? We wish the project to be a positive experience, so we encourage the Scout to think about whether he will be interested enough to enjoy working on and directing this type of project. If not, he should take the time to find one he will always be proud to show off in the future.
Planning, development, and leadership are the key components we look for. We LOVE to see things like diagrams, scale models, anything Scouts can do to show us his overall plan.
For purposes of approving the Project Proposal, we are concerned with the larger picture, best described as: The Scout knows he will need certain types of tools to complete his project, but he should not have taken the time to work up the exact tool list, or the numbers of each tool or supply he will need. That process will occur when he begins to work on the "Final Plan" stage of the workbook.
The Action Steps section might include such things as an approximate number of days and workers the Scout thinks it will take to complete his project. The actual Work Day Plan will be worked out as he completes the "Final Plan" stage of the workbook.
We also wish to be sure that each of our Many Waters Scouts has a unit-based Eagle Coach that he will be working with, in order to complete the "Final Plan" and possibly attain "Fundraising Approval" before beginning the work.
Eagle Coaching: As stated earlier, if there is no one whom the Scout can work within the unit (we ask that neither the Scoutmaster nor the parents act as the coach), please talk to your Area Contact, who will act as Eagle Coach or find someone who lives close to the unit to do so. Eagle Coaches should be helping the Scout from "Life to Eagle," meaning not just through the project, but checking up on merit badge completion and with the Eagle application process as well. More on the job of Eagle Coach is online in PowerPoint format.
Special Needs Scouts
Information on Special Needs designations is available on the council’s "Life to Eagle" page.
The advantage? If a Scout has a physical disability, works with an Individual Education Plan (IEP) or has other help (school-based 504 plan, etc.) at school, and feels he may not be able to complete all the tasks to become Eagle by age 18, this designation will give him all the time he needs in his quest to become an Eagle Scout.
This designation does not change the requirements. The Scout must accomplish all the same things, including completing an Eagle Scout Service Project, but may take as much time as necessary.
Scouts who have been designated Special Needs by Northern Star Council and have had the "Alternate Merit Badge Worksheet" approved, could present it along with the workbook, but it is not a requirement for approval of the Project Proposal.