Eagle Project - Choosing Your Project
| Category: | Advancement |
|---|---|
| Notes: | For Life Scouts who are starting to think about an Eagle Scout service project, or as a troop minute so younger Scouts start noticing needs early. Project rules and the approval process are set by the current Eagle Scout Service Project Workbook, so point Scouts there for the details. Part of a series - see also eagle-project-leading-not-doing, eagle-project-when-it-falls-apart, and eagle-project-the-thank-you. |
Sooner or later, every Life Scout asks the same question: "What should my Eagle project be?"
A lot of Scouts start by looking for something quick. Something easy to plan, something that will get them across the finish line. I understand that. But I want to suggest a different way to think about it.
Don't start with what's easy. Start with what's needed.
Look around your community. Talk to the people who run your school, your place of worship, a park, a food pantry, a nature center, a senior center. Ask them, "What do you need that nobody has had time to do?" The best Eagle projects usually start with that question, not with a list of ideas from the internet.
Then think about what you care about. If you love the outdoors, maybe it's a trail or a habitat. If you love books, maybe it's a little library. If someone in your family was helped by an organization, maybe you give something back to them. You're going to spend months on this. Pick something that will still matter to you when it gets hard.
And remember, the project isn't really about the bench, the trail, or the garden. It's about you planning something real, leading people to get it done, and leaving your community better than you found it.
Find a real need. Then go meet it.