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 must benefit an organization other than the Boy Scouts of America.)

A project proposal must be approved by the organization benefiting from the effort, your unit leader and unit committee, and the council or district before you start. You must use the Eagle Scout Service Project Workbook

Picking A Project

Think about what you enjoy doing and where your skills lie. Choosing a project that aligns with your interests will make the process more enjoyable and meaningful.

Look around your community to identify areas that need improvement. Talk to community leaders, local organizations, and your scout leaders for ideas. Your project must be for a non-profit organization and do not have to be large by any means. Some good places to look include:

• Schools
• Churches
• Charities

Some common projects themes include:

• Landscaping and Beautification
• Basic Construction and Renovation
• Environmental Conservation and Educational Projects

Check out our new Project Finder Database with Real Projects in your local area that you can connect to:

Research

Before beginning planning your project or filling out the project workbook make sure to go and do you research for the project you want to build. See if previous scouts have done projects similar to that of yours. Look online at tutorials on accomplishing your project and determine if this is something feasible for you in terms of it not being too complex and being something you actually want to do.

For example, if you want to build a bench. There are many different methods to build a bench and each range in complexities and serve different purposes. Go on Youtube and search up different methods to build a bench, try to get a good sense of what materials you will need, how long it may take and what specific processes you may want to use.

Part 1

Start by downloading the Eagle Scout Project Workbook and filling out Part 1. This will be lengthy and is important to gettting all of the necessary approvals from the beneficiary, troop and district. Remember always speak to your troop's Eagle Mentor as this is just a general guide.

Project Description

When filling out this section you want to write in as much detail as possible. Start by outlining what your project is in as much specificty as possible. List out all the steps to actually build out your project if possible. In addition, ensure to outline how you will be taking leadership such as organizing scouts into teams to tackle specific tasks.

Here you want to also include diagrams and drawings to aid in the description and explanation of your project. For example, if you were building a bench, make a diagram of the benches dimensions, how each piece will come together, etc.

Giving Leadership

For this section, mention that you will separate scouts into teams that will tackle a task respective to that team's ability to complete that task. For example, if you are trying to make a patio, you need a general team of scouts to excavate the ground and an experienced team of specifically older scouts and adults to level the ground as it requires more precision. In addition, another good point to mention is that you will conduct a pre-shift meeting where you will outline the everyone's tasks and the cirumstances of the project.

Materials, Supplies, Tools

Typically for these sections just use the Budget Excel Spreadsheet and in the project workbook say "Refer to Excel Spreadsheet." You kill 2 birds with one stone. You want to make sure to clearly outline how much of each thing you need and where you will obtain them.

Materials are the primary components used to construct the project. They are the physical items that make up the structure or item you are building. Think "Things that will be physically left behind and a part of the final project."

Examples of Materials for a Bench Project:

• Pressure-treated lumber: 4x4 posts for legs, 2x4s for the frame, and 1x4s for the seating and backrest.
• Concrete mix: For securing the legs if the bench is to be installed in the ground.
• Galvanized screws or bolts: Various sizes for assembling the bench

Supplies are the consumable items needed to complete the project. They are typically used up during the course of the project and need to be replenished for future projects. In the bench example, supplies include

Examples of Supplies for a Bench Project:

• Wood stain or paint: For finishing the bench and protecting it from the elements.
• Sandpaper: For smoothing the wood surfaces before finishing.
• Food, Water and Trashbags

Tools are the instruments and equipment used to perform the tasks necessary to complete the project. Unlike supplies, tools are not consumed and can be used repeatedly.

Examples of Tools for a Bench Project:

• Saw: For cutting the lumber to the required sizes.
• Drill: For making holes and driving screws.
• Measuring tape: For ensuring accurate measurements.

Fundraising

There are a plethora of ways to fundraise for your Eagle Scout Project. Here's a list from Scouts Smart. Some forgotten things about fundraising:

• Lowe's and Home Depot often give discounts or materials for free to Eagle Scouts depending on the location. Go in person, in uniform and ask to speak to the manager and see what their options are. Another option is speaking to locally owned business and asking for donations.
• Ask your project beneficiary if they are able to help out in aspect such as donating materials.
• In some states, 501(c)(3) non-profits are sometimes exempt from sales taxes so make sure to present your beneficiary's certifiate prior to purchasing goods.

Safety

Begin by saying "The Guide to Safe Scouting will be followed in all aspects of my project." Also mention that onsite there will be a first aid kit and cell phone present at all times in case of emergency. If there are any tools that have restrictions to which scouts can use them make sure to address that. Then, mention all of the related injuries and illness that can occur on your project and explain how you are planning to mitigate this. Common ones include:

• Dehydration & Heat Stroke: Say you will always have water nearby, an air conditioning building for breaks and will provide canopies for shade outdoors.
• Injuries with tools: Say you will provide gloves, goggles, masks, etc.

Finally, make sure to mention that before each shift you will be going over all of the safety issues and the precuations all the volunteers must take. In addition, write down the location of the nearest Emergency Room and state that will be used in severe emergencies.

Approval

The final step is to receive approval from your project beneficary, troop, and district. If you have been in touch with your project beneficiary and troop through this whole process it shouldn't be hard to complete this step. Simply, prepare a short presentation on Powerpoint outlining your project and discuss all of the indivudal sections you filled out in the Project Workbook. In addition, you should print your 3 copies of your project workbook and any additional attatchment and organize them into a binder to hand out during your presentation so they can follow along.