Troop 149 Leadership Project Guidelines

Troop 149 Leadership Project Guidelines

What is a Leadership Project?

For the ranks of Star and Life, you must either serve in a position of responsibility or undertake an approved leadership project. Since our troop is fairly large, not everyone who needs to fulfill this requirement will be able to be in a leadership position at the same time. Therefore, we encourage you to consider an appropriate Leadership Project instead.

Leadership Projects take the place of either 4 months (Star) or 6 months (Life) of serving in a leadership position. Therefore, it should be a substantial project, with good opportunities for you to develop and demonstrate leadership. A Life Leadership Project should be more in-depth than a Star one.

The Leadership Project is different than a Service Project for these ranks. A Service Project looks outward from the troop– in involves service to the community. A Leadership Project is typically something that helps the troop function better.

How do I pick a Leadership Project?

In coming up with ideas for a Leadership Project, think about what would benefit the troop, as well as what would be of interest to you. Use your imagination and don’t be afraid to think big! Leadership Projects approved for Scouts in the past have included:

  • Being in charge of planning and setting up complicated trips (like Wilderness Survival), including planning training, recruiting instructors, developing criteria for rewards, etc.
  • Researching and leading the troop through the process of selecting troop hats.
  • Fixing, expanding on, improving, etc., areas like the Scout Shed, the Scout Closet, or other Scout property.

How do I get my Project approved?

All Leadership Projects should be discussed first with the Scoutmaster, who will give you feedback and help you define the project you are proposing. After this, you need to write up a Project Proposal (preferably using the computer), which will discuss these points:

  • Your name and the rank the Project is for.
  • An overview of what you will do for the Project. This includes the questions of What you will do; Why it will benefit the troop; What supplies you will need and Who will provide them; Who will do what during the project; Where you will do it; When you plan to do it; and How things will be accomplished.
  • Specifically address how you will provide leadership during this project.

You will present this Proposal to the Troop Committee, and they will review the Project, and either approve it or make recommendations for changes necessary for approval. Once the Project is approved, you may begin it. 

A Leadership Project Report must be submitted to the Troop Committee immediately after completion of any leadership project. You will be expected to discuss your project, your leadership role, and what you learned doing the project at your next Scoutmaster’s Conference and Board of Review.