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Scout Tenderfoot 2nd Class 1st Class Star Life Eagle

Life Rank

These requirements are effective as of August, 2022. See previous requirements.

Continuing to develop leadership skills, the Life Scout rank is earned by fulfilling additional leadership positions, service hours, and merit badges. A Life Scout is expected to be a role model and leader in the troop, providing guidance to new scouts and helping the troop however possible. Being a good leader can only be learned by doing, and troop leadership positions allow the scout to make decisions, lead discussions, and encourage others.

Rank Requirements:

Be active in your troop for at least six months as a Star Scout.
As a Star Scout, demonstrate Scout spirit by living the Scout Oath and Scout Law. Tell how you have done your duty to God and how you have lived the Scout Oath and Scout Law in your everyday life.
Earn five more merit badges (so that you have 11 in all), including any three additional badges from the required list for Eagle. You may choose any of the 18 merit badges on the required list for Eagle to fulfill this requirement. See Eagle rank requirement 3 for this list on Eagle Requirements page.
Name of Merit Badge
___________________________________ (required for Eagle)
___________________________________ (required for Eagle)
___________________________________ (required for Eagle)
___________________________________
___________________________________
While a Star Scout, participate in six hours of service through one or more service project(s) approved by your Scoutmaster. At least three hours of this service must be conservation-related.

While a Star Scout, serve actively in your troop for six months in one or more of the following troop positions of responsibility (or carry out a Scoutmaster-approved leadership project to help the troop).

Scout troop: Patrol leader, assistant senior patrol leader, senior patrol leader, troop guide, Order of the Arrow troop representative, den chief, scribe, librarian, historian, quartermaster, bugler, junior assistant Scoutmaster, chaplain aide, instructor, webmaster, or outdoor ethics guide.

Venturing Crew: President, vice president, secretary, treasurer, den chief, historian, guide, quartermaster, chaplain aide, or outdoor ethics guide.

Sea Scout Ship: boatswain, boatswain's mate, purser, yeoman, crew leader, media specialist, specialist, den chief, or chaplain aide.

Lone Scout: Leadership responsibility in your school, religious organization, club, or elsewhere in your community.

While a Star Scout, use the Teaching EDGE method to teach another Scout (preferably younger than you) the skills from ONE of the following choices, so that the Scout is prepared to pass those requirements to their Scoutmaster's satisfaction.
1. Tenderfoot 4a and 4b (first aid)
2. Second Class 2b, 2c, and 2d (cooking/tools)
3. Second Class 3a and 3d (navigation)
4. First Class 3a, 3b, 3c, and 3d (tools)
5. First Class 4a and 4b (navigation)
6. Second Class 6a and 6b (first aid)
7. First Class 7a and 7b (first aid)
8. Three requirements from one of the required Eagle merit badges, as approved by your Scoutmaster
While a Star Scout, participate in a Scoutmaster conference.
Successfully complete your board of review for the Life rank.

More Scouting Information to Use:
Merit Badges - requirements and aids
Scout Activities - great scout activity ideas
Scout Awards - see what awards are available to scouts
Scout Ceremonies - some ceremony ideas
Scout Games - patrol or troop games
Scout Graces - fun meal graces
Scout Jokes - funny, gross, and silly jokes for scouts
Scout Projects - community projects for Scouts BSA patrols or troops
Scout Recipes - tasty food recipes for scout camping
Scout Skits - skits that scouts like to do
Scout Songs - songs for scouts
Scout Stories - stories that scouts will enjoy and understand
Scout Uniform - make sure you put all those badges and patches in the right spots
Scout Tests - online tests for scouts to test their knowledge
Scout Schedule - sample schedule to reach First Class rank in 12-18 months
Eagle Scout Schedule - sample schedule to reach Eagle Scout

Comments:

Feb 22, 2016 - Jane

My question: Can a scout have a scoutmaster conference before the rest of the requirements are signed off on for that rank? For example for life, requirements 1-6 must be signed off before a scoutmaster conference. Thank you.

Feb 22, 2016 - Scouter Paul

@Jane - The scoutmaster conference can happen any time after the scout earns his Star rank. There is no required order in which to complete the requirements for Life except that the board of review is last.

Nov 02, 2016 - Lawrence D Knight

Scout master conference is one of the easiest things, I try to have time with each scout to discuss where they are at on rank advancements every couple months, we discuss what they need to do to move forward and if they are struggling anywhere how can my assistant or I can do to help them. simple and effective.

Oct 17, 2017 - colin claxon

Star Scout is working on Life Rank in 2016, and completes the requirements in 2017, and is awarded Life May 2017. Does he have to have done it under the old rules or the new?
Colin

Oct 17, 2017 - Scouter Paul

@colin - The current requirements have been in place since Jan 2016, so he should have used the current requirements.

Sep 14, 2018 - ming fong

My son is trying to earn his life rank. He tells me that he needs a Star Scout to be at the teaching of the Edge method, #6 requirement because the Star Scout needs to sign off that he taught a younger scout. On the Boy Scouts' book, it says a leader needs to sign off? Who is considered a leader? And does a leader need to be at the teaching session?

Sep 14, 2018 - ming fong

Scouter Paul,

Good to know the Scoutmaster Conference can happen anytime after the last rank was earned. It has always been viewed as this is the 2nd last thing to do to earn the next rank. I thought the meeting was to ask the scout everything that has taken place. The Scout Master had said, make sure the scout is ready and remember what took place, when and where, etc... And when asked to repeat something that was required at that rank, like for example, tying knots, they needed to know.

Sep 14, 2018 - Scouter Paul

@ming - "Who is considered a leader" for signing off on advancements is up to the Scoutmaster. See Four Steps in Advancement where it says "The unit leader authorizes those who may test and pass the Scout on rank requirements. They might include his patrol leader, senior patrol leader, an assistant unit leader, another Scout, or the unit leader himself."

So, in your son's troop, maybe the scoutmaster has decided that other Star scouts can sign off.

And, if I was signing off such a requirement, I would certainly want to be present and observing when the requirement was done.

The link previously in this comment also addresses the retesting you mentioned in your 2nd comment - the scoutmaster conference is not appropriate for that.

Scout On!

Jun 30, 2020 - Duarte Bobone

For Requirement 6, it says While a Star Scout, use the Teaching EDGE method to teach another Scout (preferably younger than you) the skills from ONE of the following choices, so that the Scout is prepared to pass those requirements to their Scoutmaster's satisfaction. my question is how young does that scout have to be and does he or she have to be a certain rank

Jun 30, 2020 - Scouter Paul

@Duarte - There is no specific age requirement for the scout being taught. I would say they need to be a Scouts BSA member, not a Cub Scout. Since Tenderfoot, 2nd, and 1st requirements can all be worked on simultaneously, it does not matter what rank the scout is either.
I would expect the Star scout to teach a skill to someone that does not already know the skill, otherwise they wouldn't really be doing any teaching. For example, teaching another Star scout wouldn't be appropriate.

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