Topics
Leadership in Troop / Team
The home unit is of the utmost importance in a Scout's experiece and growth. All Arrowmen, youth and advisers, know this and encourage their fellows to continue to serve the youth of their home unit, and to enhance the program that has benifited them. As Scouts who have been selected by their peers as Honored Campers, Leaders, and mentors, the Arrowmen of your unit can be called upon to assist the unit and individual scouts as needed to assist and implement the unit's program.
It is significant that there is only one office emblem for an OA youth position, that of OA Troop / Team Representative which is actually a unit leadership position. This reflects the committment that membership in the Order of the Arrow is in service to, and not a replacement for, the Troop / Team program.
One of the greatest advantages that active membership in the OA provides is interaction with Scouts from other units. Your Scouts will share experiences, activities, opportunities, and skills with a large number of other active and high achieving Scouts. They can in turn bring these new ideas and enthusiasm back to your unit.
Being active in the OA is often a means of retaining your older, experienced Scouts in your unit. The new challenges complement their greater abilities and experience and refresh their interest in assisting younger Scouts in achieving those aspects of Scouting that fill their hearts with fun and enthusiasm.
An often forgotten aspect of the OA is that a Scout is a youth member until age 21. It is not uncommon for active OA members to remain active in their unit as Assistant Scoutmasters or Assistant Team Coaches. In this way your most experienced Scouts remain part of the troop program and continue to inspire and lead their younger fellow Scouts.
The position of OA Troop / Team Representative is unit leadership position that is acceptable for the requirements for the Star, Life, and Eagle ranks. Its main purpose it to insure that those aspects of the OA program that interact with the troop are accomplished. This includes electsion, notification of OA events, and OA supported district and council events such as Camporee's, Scout-O-Rama's, Klondike Derbies, and Winter Camp Awareness training.
Leadership in Village and Lodge Offices
Leadership training is one of the most important aspects of Scouting. Within the OA there are a wide variety of leadership positions for your active Arrowmen to develop those skills that they can bring back to your unit.
At the Village level there are elected positions of leadership, and appointed chairmenship positions. Similar to the troop offices, these positions allow the young men to work with their peers in planning and carrying out significant events and responsibilities. Under the guidance of adult advisers and experienced Arrowmen, the youth learn and practice a wide varity of leadership skills.
A Scout who has participated or led the planning and implementation of a district Camporee or other training event will bring a wealth of skills and abilities to his troop position.
The Lodge offices are similar to the Village offices. Since the committment of time and effort is greater, our lodge requests that all Lodge officers get the approval of their Scoutmaster / Team Coach, and if under 18, of their parent or guardian, to ensure that their desire to serve will not overwhelm their ability and that they have the time to commit.
In all cases the many leadership positions allow a young man to rise in responsibility as his ability and skill allow him to undertake deeper and more rewarding successes. This summer the OA's ArrowCorp 5 event will be a youth planned and implemented Good Turn for the National Park Service that involves 5 events and over 5,000 youth, adults, and forest service personel. This is an extream example of the level of challenge that the Arrowmen are offered and which they undertake.
Leadership Training
All Arrowmen are encouraged by their peers, and the OA Advisers to undertake the district and council Junior Leader Training and Brownsea Training. These well established programs are a great source of valuable knowledge and memorable experiences.
Each year our lodge puts on a Lodge Leadership Development course for all Lodge and Village officers and chairmen, though it is open to all Arrowmen. This is an nationally approved program which continues to provide leadership training, with an emphisis on the practical aspects of the OA offices. As is normal within the OA, the training is planned and implmented by the youth, and the instructors are youth Arrowmen.
Each year we have two other major training events within the OA. The first is our Lodge's yearly AchieFest where part of the program is training in a variety of issues selected by the youth, and planned by the youth. The second is the Section Conclave, where the Arrowmen of the eight local Scout Councils gather. This is similar to the University of Scouting, in that the Arrowmen can choose from large variety of classes and receive training in a variety of topics that fit their interest and needs.
National training is also available, and strongly encouraged for active Arrowmen. The National Leadership Seminar is given by the Western Region, and it returns to our local area every other year. The National Order of the Arrow Conclave (NOAC) is another bi-annual week long gathering, but on a national scale. Half of the time of the NOAC is dedicated to training and development of leadership.