Eagle Scout Board of Review, Projects, and Merit Badges
Many of you have been asking about the challenge of nearly-Eagle scouts who are facing impending 18th birthdays. Below are directions from our Council Advancement Team. I have also attached a document just released by the BSA relating to virtual EBORs.
Please note under Item 1 below the reference to contacting Dave Arola ([email protected]) if one of your scouts faces the 18 years 3 month threshold.
As we all know, we are currently in a state of extreme flux with new directives come from Federal, State, Local, and Council/BSA almost daily. We are committed to doing our best with all our scouts. If you follow the guidelines below your near-Eagles should be well taken care of.
If you have any further questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me.
Yours in Scouting,
Jim Bollback
District Executive
direct: 612-261-2344 | cell: 910-603-0040
Northern Star Scouting at Base Camp
6202 Bloomington Road | Fort Snelling MN 55111
customer service: 612-261-2300
www.northernstar.org | facebook | Jim’s Profile
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Timing Challenges for Eagle Boards of Review: For any packets reviewed and distributed by Council, please prioritize Boards of Review by age. If you expect exceeding the 18 years and 3 months age limit to complete, then the Scout must send an email communicating the reason for the delay to Dave Arola ([email protected]) for Council approval. After the age of 18 years and 6 months, the Scout must ask permission from the National Office for permission to have a Board of Review. That request should also be sent directly to Dave Arola. Youth that are not in jeopardy of exceeding any age deadline may be put on hold for the near future as the current pandemic response continues
Video Conferencing for Boards of Review: Videoconferencing to conduct Eagle Boards of Review has been approved by Northern Star Council. All members of the Board must be visible to the Scout at all times, and all individuals in the room with the Scout (if any) must be visible on camera.
Eagle Project Concept/Proposal Review: If an electronic review/approval process does not currently exist within the units that you are servicing, please make every effort to implement procedures in the very near future to facilitate timely review and approval. Be mindful that Scouts of a younger age have time to complete projects at a later date, and that the environment in our communities is not currently friendly to the intent of the project and for demonstrating leadership. Please be aware of specific requirements and that all Youth Protection guidelines are followed with all electronic communications.
Merit Badges/Rank Requirements: As always, Scout Leaders and Merit Badge Counselors are the individuals tasked with ensuring that requirements are met with the integrity and intention of the Scout Oath and Law. We will continue to review options and are open to ‘out of the box’ solutions to deal with meeting advancement requirements for merit badges and ranks. While some requirements may easily lend themselves to fairly straightforward approval in an online or virtual process, others may be more of a challenge. Reducing barriers and keeping youth engaged is critical and we encourage units and Merit Badge Counselors to continue working with Scouts electronically, while also meeting the requirements of the badge. Note: When communicating directly with Scouts, Adult leaders, and Counselors always copy at least one additional adult on the communication. If merit badge work is being conducted online, there must be two-deep leadership present to adhere to Youth Protection guidelines.