| gone2gofish
I completely disagree with you. I myself am an eagle scout and do not agree that Eagle Scouts should be scrutinized, rather than be looked at as one step above the rest.
You complain that some younger scouts have built benches. I myself made benches. Yet, I do NOT feel that I shorted my duties at all. I developed the idea (after researching different styles of benches) and typed up the report and estimated the cost, I then planned and organized a fund-raiser to pay for the project and contacted 5 different lumber companies to find if they would offer any sort of assistance. After fund-raising and obtaining the materials a friend and I pre-cut all the wood in my garage. I then got a number of scouts and adults in my troop to assist in the construction. One morning in March everyone got together and i divided the scouts into two seperate teams. I taught them both how to construct the benches (3 each) and throughout the day went back and forth helping and encouraging my volunteers. Afterwards I created a program to add all hours (I kept track in a log all along) and typed up the concluding report after writing several thank you letters.
I did all of that with no parental involvement. You can "build benches" and still put a lot of work in. I put in over 50 hours of my time for my project (not exxagerated).
Ultimately, what other EC presents an award that is the result of over 5 years (at least) of dedication that involves leadership, service, dedication, integrity, and teamwork. An Eagle Scout does not need to be scrutinized...any Scout that has gotten through their Board of Review and been charged has earned the rank that they wear. Respect your brothers, they deserve it. |