Originally published in the November-December 2018 issue of “Advancement News,” an official publication from the BSA’s National Advancement Program Team.
Occasionally we hear of Eagle Scout boards of review that have been turned into something they were never intended to be.
For example, some have said that the board of review is like a job interview. Nothing could be further from the truth.
The Scouts have already “earned the position” of Eagle Scout by completing the requirements. They are not interviewing for the position.
All too often, the “job interview” analogy is used to justify a number of additional requirements that aren’t appropriate.
Expecting the Scout to appear in “business attire,” grilling them on their qualifications, asking inappropriate questions intended to cause stress and anxiety may all seem justified as making the Scout better prepared for experience in the “real world.”
However, the Scout is already in the “real world” of Scouting. The board of review is not about preparing the Scout for something but rather about celebrating their accomplishments.
While part of the board’s responsibility is to ensure that requirements have been met, it is not their responsibility to determine if those requirements met the board’s personal standards.
Other youth leaders and adults who previously reviewed the Scout determined that the requirements were met when they signed off on the requirement, or merit badge, etc. It is not up to the board to decide that the standards used by those leaders were or were not sufficient.
By the time Scouts have reached the Eagle Scout board of review, they have already demonstrated their knowledge and skills, many times over. This candidate is by all intents and purposes an Eagle Scout when arriving at the board of review. Only in the most egregious cases where it was clear that the Scout could not possibly have properly completed a requirement would the board be warranted in determining that the Scout should not be advanced.
Therefore, make the Scout’s Eagle board of review a celebration of their achievement. Make it something to be proud to share with others, not something to be feared.
It is not a job interview; it is a celebration of a job well done.
