The Eagle Scout Service Project

What this page is

Section 9.0.2 of the Guide to Advancement, drawn as a procedure. Every item cites the topic it came from.

The requirement itself is short:

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.

Everything else on this page is the Guide explaining what those words mean and who gets to decide.

Four approvals, and all of them before you start

The proposal must be approved by the beneficiary, the unit leader, the unit committee, and the council or district, and all four must come before any work begins. That includes fundraising. A Scout who has started early has normally to choose a different project, though the Guide allows leniency where the circumstances are compelling and the lesson can be learned without real detriment.

The reviewer is looking for five things, and only five: that the project gives enough opportunity to meet the requirement, that it appears feasible, that safety will be addressed, that there are action steps for further planning, and that the Scout is on the right track with a reasonable chance of a positive experience. A proposal that meets those five tests is approved.

What a candidate is entitled to

9.0.2.1 is unusual in the Guide: it is written as a list of rights rather than a list of duties. A candidate may have an adult present as an observer whenever the proposal is being discussed with someone reviewing it. A rejection must be explained in writing if the Scout or a parent asks, with a copy to the council advancement chair. And there is a route to a second opinion where the candidate believes the rejection was wrong.

What a project may not be

It may not benefit Scouting America, its councils, districts, units or camps, though the unit's own chartered organization is explicitly a good candidate. It may not be commercial, and it may not be an effort that primarily raises money, even for a worthy charity. Routine labour is not normally appropriate, but the real test is scale and impact: routine labour on a scale that demands planning, development and leadership may well have enough of both.

The coach does not approve anything

The project coach is the subject matter expert and the single most useful person in the process, and their authority is carefully bounded. Coaches do not approve project plans, cannot dictate changes, and cannot withdraw an approval somebody else granted. Working with one is ultimately the Scout's decision.

The four misconceptions

The Guide names them at 9.0.2.12, and all four turn up in real units: that somebody may set a minimum number of hours, that two candidates may share a project, that a project must have lasting value, and that the council reviews the detailed plan. None of those is true.

How to read the graph

The spine runs top to bottom in the order the Guide sets. Nested items are part of the item above them. Dashed lines apply only in the case written on the arrow, and the three questions above the plan decide which of those you see.