Steps to Follow to Begin Working on Your Eagle Rank - Once Life Scout: (Updated June 2024)
Double-check the Scouting website for the latest updates and changes to requirements or paperwork.
Eagle Scouts: Merit Beyond the Badge
One hundred years after Arthur Eldred of New York earned this nation’s first Eagle Scout Award, new, independent research demonstrates the significant, positive impact Eagle Scouts have on society every day. Since it was first awarded in 1912, more than 2 million young men have achieved Scouting America’s highest rank. The study conducted by Baylor University, Merit Beyond the Badges, found that Eagle Scouts are more likely than men who have never been in Scouting to:
Have higher levels of planning and preparation skills, be goal-oriented, and network with others
Be in a leadership position at their place of employment or local community
Report having closer relationships with family and friends
Volunteer for religious and nonreligious organizations
Donate money to charitable groups
Work with others to improve their neighborhoods
This independent research was funded by the Templeton Foundation and conducted by Baylor University in 2010. Scouting America has linked to it with the permission of Baylor University Institute for Studies of Religion, Program on Prosocial Behavior. This study only includes findings on men who are Eagle Scouts as women were not eligible to earn Eagle Scout at the time this study was conducted.