Advancement

The Boy Scouts of America believes that a boy should receive recognition of his achievements. The requirements for the ranks of Tenderfoot through First Class prepare boys to take full advantage of all that Scouting has to offer. Advancement sets a pattern of setting positive goals and reaching them throughout life. Star, Life and Eagle requirements focus on service to others and developing leadership skills.  There is no set time frame for rank advancement, and each Scout moves at one’s own pace. Some ranks do have time requirements, however, and Scouts should familiarize themselves with those requirements to ensure that they can complete all of the required elements of advancement within the allowed time frame. All requirements for Eagle Scout must be completed prior to a Scout’s 18th birthday.

The process of rank advancement includes:

• Review of all itemized requirements for rank outlined in the Scout Handbook.
• Completion of each of the required elements for rank and having each confirmed by an adult leader or senior Scout.
• Having each requirement checked off, as completed and confirmed, by the Scoutmaster or an Assistant Scoutmaster.
• Scheduling a meeting with the Scoutmaster for a Scoutmaster’s Conference during which the completed requirements will be reviewed and the Scout will have an opportunity to discuss his activity in the Troop and his understanding and practice of the ideals of Scouting. The conference will enable the Scout to determine if he is ready to go before the Board of Review.
• Scheduling a Board of Review during which the Scout will meet with three or more Committee members. The purpose of the Board of Review is not to retest a Scout, but to ensure that he has completed all of the requirements, to determine the quality of his troop experience, and to encourage him to advance toward the next rank. The Board of Review will also include a discussion of ways in which the Scout sees himself living up to the Scout Oath and Law in his everyday life.
• Recognition of achievement is provided immediately upon successful completion of the steps outlined above. The rank Advancement coordinator will then submit the necessary paperwork to Council and the Scout will receive his rank emblem at the next Court of Honor, a formal ceremony giving recognition of a Scout’s achievements before family, friends, and members of the public.

The Troop and Council keep records of all advancement; but it is the Scout’s responsibility, as well, to keep records of advancement and completion of all requirements leading to advancement. Having a complete record is essential for all Scouts, especially those with a goal of reaching Eagle. An accurate and complete logging of accomplishments in the Boy Scout Handbook is part of the record keeping process, but Scouts should also organize documentation for merit badges and other special awards. A binder with card-collection pocket sheets is a good means of organizing this information. A custom log book for tracking special requirements is a good way to organize some of the information that will be required for special awards and completion of requirements that fall outside of the Handbook logging capabilities. The book can be divided into sections for each applicable activity and should include a place to log the date of completion, the nature of the activity, and a signature line for an adult leader or Senior Scout. A review of special awards in the “Boy Scout Requirements” book can help you organize the Activity Log Book.

Please review the Brewster Troop 1 Advancement Policy.