The role of a mentor or coach guides the scout through the Eagle advancement process.
Transcript:
While scouts going through the Eagle process have always had mentors, in recent years this has become more of a formalized procedure.
In essence an Eagle mentor is there to shepherd the scout through the process. He or she is not there to take over the project, but to keep the scout pointed in the right direction.
In general it is not recommended for a parent to be an Eagle mentor, although in full transparency I was the mentor for both my boys who are now Eagle Scouts.
Part of the reason for this is because there is a special relationship between family members, where there is a level of authority and respect that is not given to a parent, but comes as part of the package to someone outside the family unit.
When a parent outlines steps and tasks to be taken the child can get the impression the parent is nagging them, and not give the situation the weight that an external person can.
As I have mentored a fair amount of boys through the Eagle process. I will say the process for me at least has been a moving target since my oldest became Eagle in 2015. Changes at a council and national level as well make rules and procedures more fluid than I like.
Not to discredit anyone in my local council area, but as things change they have been a little lax in getting the word out, so the best you can do is guide as you know, and have them confirm with the Council Eagle committee.
In general though there are three sections of the Eagle Scout workbook, one of which needs to be approved locally prior to beginning a project.
As an Eagle mentor however this job starts before the form is filled out, discussing the project ideas, and raising concerns prior to picking a project. For example, if a scout chooses to do something for the local school, we speak on how this may take additional time in approval because of the local bureaucracy.
Having been involved as a mentor or just Scoutmaster for a fair number of projects, you learn where the problem areas are in your local community, and you share this knowledge with the Scout, to help them prepare appropriately.
One of the most important parts of being a mentor is helping guide project management type tasks in the way scouts think about organizing the work that needs to be done. Having little experience in running a project, it’s easy to only think linearly. I need to write it up, fundraise, get supplies, have work days and complete the project. But while at high level this is true, there are some nuances that save time on a project if you think about it more granularly.
For example, there are planning and organization tasks that can be done prior to specific fundraising events, and arranging people and materials to maximize the building process.
Guiding scouts to organize the tasks appropriately, pointing them to community resources and keeping them on track helps the scout succeed in his or her Eagle goals. But, this is what works for us.
Take what you like and leave the rest, and as we say in Woodbadge, feedback is a gift, leave yours below in the comments, with the hope we can all learn together.
I’m Scoutmaster Dave, and this all about being an Eagle mentor.
