Eagle Scout Project Workbook Tips

 Consider the following when mentoring scouts working on their Eagle Scout Service project. The council Eagle Scout Coordinators offer these tips for completing the Eagle Scout Service Project Workbook some of which you may not have known before.

1. Did you know BSA has a refillable Eagle Scout Project Workbook? It can be printed out to write down the project plans. When done it can then be typed and saved on a computer, then emailed to the Eagle Scout Coordinators to be approved. The only paper that needs to be done separately is the signature page for the approval of the Eagle Scout project. When it comes time to write up the report the scout can return to the one on the computer and complete the report with the help of the copy that the scout has been writing on to make notes while doing the project. 
2. Did you know that the District and Eagle Scout Coordinators read ALL of the project workbook before an Eagle Scout Rank Board of Review? When the workbook is typed everyone can read and clearly understand how the Eagle candidate developed the plan for their project. They can also read how they showed leadership skills while directing their project.
3. Did you know that every Eagle Scout Project that comes to the Crossroads of the West Council for approval will also be submitted for consideration to be a District, Council or National Eagle Scout Project of the Year? 
4. Did you know when a report is requested by teachers, employers, etc. the report is expected to be typed with complete sentences, spell checked and punctuation corrected? The same expectations apply to Eagle Project workbooks.
5. Did you know when repeating the phrase: On My Honor I will do my best means that we try to do our best in everything that is expected of us? This includes filling out the project workbook.
6. Did you know the Eagle Rank in Scouting BSA is the crowning gem of what the scout has learned to help them to be an outstanding citizen of our communities? Scouting has always been a program that helps our youth to be ready to become a responsible adult. 

How Can You Keep Scouts Involved?

Who keeps Scouts involved?

We found some great ideas from Google under Troop Retention. 

Rule of Thumb: 

    If your troop can retain a new scout for 3 years, that scout will be much more likely to stay involved until they turn 18 or become an Eagle Scout.

Retention of scouts is most effective if the troop leaders, senior scouts and their families work together. Each of these groups have responsibilities in accomplishing this goal.

Adult Leaders

1. Encourage every new scout to reach Tenderfoot rank within the first 3 months.
2. Plan at least 1 fun "outside" event every few months where scouts can invite their non-scouting friends. You might even recruit a few scouts as well.
3. Follow up with parents of new scouts to make sure they feel involved, appreciated and kept in the loop.

Senior Scouts 

1. Make an effort to help the younger scouts feel included and respected in all troop meetings.
2. Help the younger scouts foster meaningful friendships by pairing them with their friends when possible.
3. Have the older scouts explain the WHY behind every scout lesson taught.

A key point to remember:

    Senior scouts should be aware of how their interactions with the younger scouts will impact the future of their troop.

Are You Prepared For Change?

Some things in scouting never change, for example: The Mission of Scouting, The Scout Oath or Promise and The Scout Law. This is the Scouting foundation. This is what draws the youth and their parents toward the program. There are things that do change, for example Merit Badges, the advancements, the uniform, how we track the progress of the youth and even trainings of the adult leaders. The scouts in early 1900’s are much different then the scouts we are working with now. 

Because of these changes it is important for all leaders to learn what is happening and the part they play in that change. By updating your training, you will be aware of these changes and there will not be a lapse in time because we did not know of them. The training manuals keep up to date. 

When you come to Leader Specific Training you will be in the know of how your responsibilities help the scouts and support the other leaders who are helping in your unit. 

We invite you to come to the Old Ephraim District Leader Specific Training will be October 9, 2021, it will be from 8am to 12 pm at the Logan Scout Service Center. You can register online. The cost is $5 a person

Download flyer >>

How Can You Tell a Service Project From an Eagle Project

 

A service project is when little planning is done. Everyone shows up with tools and serves in raking a lawn, cleaning up roadways or shoveling snow. We then stay until the service project it completed.

An Eagle Scout service project is when a scout selects a project in their community, plans out what needs to be done, develops the project in stages to complete, then works their plan with the volunteers. The scout will lead out by showing leadership skills he has learned while they have progressed in their ranks of scouting. The Guide to Advancement 2021 say: “Note that Eagle projects do not have a minimum time requirement, but call for planning and development, and leadership of others, and must be preapproved by the council...” (page 22, under 4.2.3.3. Service Projects)

This is what Eagle Scout Ethan Anderson said while working his Eagle Scout Project in Bryan on Scouting: (August 25, 2021)

“I think it’s a requirement because it puts to use all the skills you learn throughout the different ranks and merit badges you earn in Scouts,” he says. “It allows you to demonstrate your mastery of those skills, and it also allows you to give back to your community.”

That’s why young people can’t begin work on the Eagle project until they are a Life Scout — because the skills learned in Scouting are cumulative. By the time they reach Life, the young person can see the Eagle project as the ultimate symbol of their Scouting journey. 

“I think if you choose a project carefully and thoughtfully, the Eagle project can be the epitome of ‘Do a Good Turn Daily'” Ethan says.

August Training Info

 

As scout leaders it is important to be up to date with new scout resources! Did you know there is a new 2021 Guide to Advancement! There are some changes we need to know about. We encourage leaders to become familiar with this new guidebook.

 School teachers and scout leaders are very much alike! Teachers are required to recertify every 3-4 years because new teaching aids and materials are being made available. Scouting is very much the same way! Did you know some Cub Scout requirements will be no longer available for the cubs to earn after this year.

 Because of these changes its important to update training so all scouts receive the very best programs from our units. Being trained and retrained helps everyone to know of these changes that take place.

Training for all scout positions can be found online and Old Ephraim district's next face to face training will be Saturday, October 9, 2021 at the Scout Service Center in Logan.

Successful Scout-O-Rama

 

Our Old Ephraim district Scout-O-Rama held at the Cache County fairgrounds on June 11^th & 12^th  turned out to be a great success for the units that came.  We did not have very many folks off the street come and see our Scout booths but the Scouts and Cubs had a memorable weekend.  We counted eight troops, one ship crew, and several Cub packs that were part of their associated troops that attended.  Our evening campfire program was excellent under the direction of Paul Harris and master of ceremonies was his son.  The booths Saturday morning were creative and very interactive.  The boys from all the units there took the time to participate at each booth making it a fun morning for all.  We awarded several prizes for the best booths and our Ship crew took first prize.  A big thanks goes out to our unit leaders in making this event a priority on their activities calendars.  

2021 Old Ephraim District Scout-o-rama

 

We are excited to have our first Old Ephraim District Scout-O-Rama on June 11-12, 2021 at the Cache County Fairgrounds.  We hope all of our units will mark that date on their planning calendars and come and have a great weekend of Scouting.  

We will have a traditional campfire program Friday evening with a cracker barrel so be prepared with your favorite skits and run-ons.  Saturday will be a fun filled morning of booths, activities, and displays.  Our Cub Scouts are welcome to the Saturday events.  The Cache County Fairgrounds stipulates no campfires, only propane stoves for cooking will be allowed so plan accordingly.   The cost of the event will be $8 for Scouts and their leaders; $5 for Cubs and their leaders.  For any questions contact the Scout office at 435-764-8059 or John Brenchley  435-757-5738. Be sure to check back for more details as the date gets closer.

2021 Klondike a Success! (In spite of the wind)

 

The 2021 Old Ephraim Klondike Derby was a huge success in spite of the bitter, cold arctic
wind that blew most of the day on Saturday. A total of 13 troops, including two girl troops, participated in this year's derby. Nearly 100 youth participated (99 to be exact) and nearly 50 adult leaders were there as well.

Almost all of the troops camped Friday night, mostly in snow trenches, but there were a few snow caves and tents as well. Fortunately the wind didn't blow as much in the camping area and it snowed a little all night long so everyone was able to sleep warm and cozy. 

Activities on Saturday included searching for a person (which looked a lot like a bag of candy) after an avalanche, lighting fires with just two boards, a cotton ball, some petroleum jelly and a few ashes, and putting together a personal first aid kit. The ROTC unit from Utah State University helped man many of the stations and even demonstrated a flame thrower. For more great photos of the entire event you can click here. There is also a 13 minute video of the activities on Saturday (a snippet of the video is at the end of this blog). The photos and the video were all recorded and shared by Michael Gordon.

Of course, the days events were capped off by the traditional Klondike sled race. The course this year was much longer than the past so troops weren't required to have a rider on the sled, but they still appeared exhausted by the end of the course. Kudos to everyone that was there for surviving the wind all day!

A big thanks to Paul Harris and his volunteers, the USU ROTC cadets and of course all of the scouts and their leaders for making this event a big success.  Also thanks to the US Forest Service for allowing us to hold the event at Sunrise Campground and thanks to UDOT for allowing us to use the Bear Lake Overlook parking area and restroom. We will see everyone again next year!

Meet Troop 1

 Scouts BSA Troop 1 in Logan is the oldest Troop west of the Mississippi.  For our 2021 summer camp we will be at Camp Tifie June 14-19th and of course we will have other campouts, hikes, and service projects.  Typically we plan an annual high-adventure trip two years in advance, and hold fundraisers to help defray costs.  Some of our past trips include treks at Philmont, canoe trips in the Boundary Waters, camping exchanges with a Troop in England, hiking the Uinta crest, float trip through Desolation Canyon, rappelling at City of the Rocks, and exploring Canyonlands.  

We have had at least one Eagle Scout completion every year since 1984 (127 total).  Our Scoutmaster has four Assistant Scoutmasters plus an active Troop Committee with nine committee members.  We serve Scouts of all denominations. We use the patrol method designed by the founder of Scouting, Lord Baden-Powell.

To join in the fun with Troop 1, contact Committee Chair Andy Hofmeister, 435-770-8180 or purplevwpeople@gmail.com.  For a great experience for younger boys in Cub Pack 1, contact Committee Chair Jackie Hendrickson 801-854-8463 or beareverest@gmail.com.

The District Membership Committee is Ready to Serve You!

 

The district membership committee is busy helping units in all phases of Scouting retain and grow their membership. At this writing, the committee has three members.  Kim Hawkes, who lives in North Logan, is serving as our New Unit Organizer; Opal Jenks, who lives in Perry, is serving as our Webelos-to-Scouts BSA Transition Chair; and Darwin Sorensen, who lives in North Logan, is the Committee Chair. We are hoping to add a New Cub Scout Event Coordinator and a Scouts-to-Venturing Transition Chair in the near future. A district membership plan for 2021 has been prepared. The plan will be modified as new committee members are added and they prepare plans for their work and as the needs of units are recognized throughout the year.  Our year-round objectives include: populate pins for BeAScout.org, make sales calls for prospective chartered organizations, help new units organize, recruit leaders, and assure that families find units. We want to grow new Cub Scout Packs by 4 and add 276 new youth to the district enrollment this year. We will also encourage having a New Member Coordinator in each unit's committee. These are ambitious goals and we will be very grateful for every Scout leader and every youth who helps recruit members and leaders. We are delighted that Cub Scout Pack 30, in Preston, has chartered and will be the first new pack in our district in 2021.

We will be  building and employing a district Save-a-Scout taskforce to contact dropped Scouting families over the next several weeks.  If you would like to help with this effort, please contact Darwin Sorensen at 435-760-4148 or darjo3@comcast.net.

We hope that all adult leaders in our district, both at the unit and district levels, were able to access and learn from the Crossroads of the West Council's Membership Webinar that was held the evening of January 27th.  If you would like to view or review this information-rich and helpful webinar, it can be accessed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9e1C3NUErxg&feature=youtu.be.

Thanks for helping Scouting Grow!

Klondike Derby 2021!

The tradition continues! Old Ephraim district is sponsoring the annual Klondike Derby. It will be held February 19-20, 2021 at Sunrise Campground up Logan Canyon just before you descend to Bear Lake.

There will be plenty of activities to test your Scouting skills with a particular focus on fire building and first aid. Attendees may find it helpful to bring their Scout Handbook and download the American Red Cross First Aid app (Click on buttons below to download).

The fun starts with a cracker barrel at 8 pm Friday night. The activities start Saturday morning with a flag ceremony at 8:30 am and ends with the Klondike race at noon. 

Parking will be tight so please avoid bringing trailers if you can. Be sure every one is dressed and prepared for the cold. Remember to clean up after yourself and leave your camp area clean by hauling out all of your trash and following Leave No Trace practices including taking appropriate care of your ashes. Please use the restrooms at the Bear Lake overlook. 

There will be a fee of $5/person to cover the cost of the patch and supplies. A downloadable flyer is available and contact information is available at https://www.utahscouts.org/OEKlondike. You can register your unit online now.

Update: There are 19 stations planned. Anyone who can come up on Saturday to help with those stations would be appreciated and will receive a free patch.