<p>just out of curiosity, sunnydayfun, is this an LDS (or largely LDS) troop? What you describe would be extremely unusual around here.</p>
<p>GTalum… My S is going to apply to work at either Philmont or OA trail crew as a Foreman next summer. He had an internship with SCA this summer and now he can also go to work for them with pay and a $5000.00 scholarship for college… gotta love scouting and all the opportunities it brings.</p>
<p>@Hunt-No it is not a LDS troop.</p>
<p>I guess it is ok to be an Eagle Scout. However, the experience seems to me to be now immensely cheapened by the lame “projects” they all end up doing – in our part of the country, they all raise $1,000 and landscape some part of the local park. Takes a day at most and then, badda bing, EAGLE SCOUT. Seriously, guys . . .</p>
<p>my S erected bleachers for the school soccer field.
The project cost $3700 donated by two individuals and some professional volunteer hours as well.
He had to drive 8 hours round trip to get the bleachers.
He then had to have help welding the bleachers for safety reasons.
Then it took two volunteer days to complete the project.
No rocket science involved and not that difficult.
The bleachers will be there for years.</p>
<p>PS - His effort inspired another group to build very nice dugouts for each team.</p>
<p>
Guess I’ll take the bait…</p>
<p>OK…so what do you expect them to do, save the world?</p>
<p>From my own experience, I’d agree that it would be great if Eagle projects were something more substantial than building a park bench, but what you don’t see is the planning and leadership that is supposed to go behind each project. The scouts are required to write up a detailed project plan, get that plan coordinated and approved, and then they are supposed to lead others in accomplishing the project.</p>
<p>The projects don’t need to be something overly difficult, they are just supposed to be some improvement (not maintenance) that helps a civic or non-profit institution and are supposed to be of a scale where the scouts can show leadership. Actually, the projects don’t even need to involve fundraising…I’ve seen projects where an organization has the resources to do the task but the scout actually makes sure the work gets done.</p>
<p>So are projects rocket science? No, but they aren’t trivial either…</p>
<p>As I think I said upthread, these projects take a lot more work than you might think. Organizing a group of boys to build a park bench is a very different thing from hiring professionals to build one. Sure, some of the projects are cheesy–that’s the fault of adults who approve cheesy projects.</p>
<p>kellybkk, my son had to talk to our town to come up with a project. They changed their mind after he started the first one, and said he could build a 300-foot long boardwalk in our local park. He had to come up with the design, get the town and Boy Scouts to approve it, come up with a materials list, order the stuff from a lumber yard, arrange for shipping at the proper time, and organize several workdays (including providing hamburgers, hot dogs, etc. for the boys and their families). The project took over 300 man-hours to complete. Not exactly a “walk in the park” (pun intended). After that, he had to submit a report on the project. Four years later, the boardwalk still looks great and is used by many people.</p>