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Photo Credit: Boy Scouts of America Flickr

Since our founding at Treasure Island Scout Reservation, the Order of the Arrow has been a part of the summer camp experience for Scouts across the nation. However, the plethora of camps integrate the OA into their program in in many different ways.

At Camp T. Brady Saunders of the Heart of Virginia Scout Reservation, the Order of the Arrow maintains a strong presence. After all, it is home to the second-oldest lodge in the nation, Nawakwa Lodge, which has been in existence for 96 years. Inside the dining hall, large wooden sculptures of feathers hang along the walls, with one from each lodge in the section having been carved at the last conclave it hosted. There are also numerous buildings built by the lodge, leaving widespread reminders of the cheerful service that Arrowmen have given to the camp. The Order continues to serve the camp every summer, using Arrowmen on staff to give troops the opportunity to conduct an election. Elections are available all week for troops, but each week the lodge’s program peaks on Wednesday with the Brotherhood Ceremony and an ice cream social.

Similarly, Camp Ottari - home to Tutelo Lodge - also has an OA day on Wednesdays. In addition to the activities that Camp Brady Saunders hosts, Tutelo Lodge also does a service project during their free time on Wednesdays. It has great participation so far, with their largest call out ever this past summer. Camp Chief and Section SR-7A Secretary Carter Elliott IV loves the role of OA in camp. “Having the OA incorporated into camp means that we can educate younger Scouts about what the OA does for every reservation. It gives them a glimpse into the work that we do. This also serves as an advertisement to get people interested in the OA,” said Carter.

Unlike Camps Brady Saunders and Ottari with their unique “OA Day”, the Order’s program at Camp Shenandoah, hosted by the lodge of the same name, is referred to as “OA Everyday.” Monday, they have their ice cream social and a game known as the “Medicine Bowl.” Tuesday and Wednesday are when the Brotherhood challenges and Brotherhood Ceremonies are conducted, and then to live out cheerful service, the camp hosts a service project on Thursdays. Similarly to Camp T. Brady Saunders and Camp Ottari, the call-out is conducted on Friday night.

Throughout the state of Virginia, lodges make the Order of the Arrow a part of camp program with ceremonies and service projects, just like the honor campers at Treasure Island did in the first days of the Order. Now, 100 years later, the OA continues to develop Scouts into the leaders of tomorrow by showing them the adventure and the journey that is the Order of the Arrow.

Each summer, the Order of the Arrow hosts its very own high adventure programs at Philmont Scout Ranch, Florida Sea Base, Northern Tier and the Summit Bechtel Reserve. Each program offers unique service opportunities, along with exciting and challenging outdoor experiences. These programs go above and beyond the normal offerings at the high adventure bases, being longer in duration and coming at a substantially lower cost. However, with the current requirement to be at least 14 or 16 years old, depending on the program, and the physical demands of the programs, this opportunity is not available to many of our members.

The opportunity for high adventure and service still exists outside of the Order of the Arrow High Adventure (OAHA) program. Many lodges and sections across the country organize their own high adventure and service programs that extend the experience to those who are unable to attend OAHA. These programs offer the chance to conduct service in participants’ local area, and often include high adventure activities at their local camp. Many of these programs incorporate elements of the OAHA program, while increasing accessibility to high adventure opportunities at the local level.

There are dozens of examples of these programs across the country, one of those being the Goshen Order of the Arrow Trail Crew (GOAT) led by Amangamek-Wipit Lodge, based in Washington D.C. This two-week program offers the opportunity to learn many valuable outdoor skills such as Leave No Trace ethics, search and rescue (SAR) and backcountry risk management. Additionally, Arrowmen get the opportunity to use their new skills backpacking on the Lenhok’sin Trail at Goshen Scout Reservation.

Much like GOAT’s inspiration, the Philmont OA Trail Crew, the program is not just about work. During the first week, the Arrowmen get to experience Goshen Scout Reservation’s Challenging Outdoor Personal Experience (COPE) course, and they also have the opportunity to create their own unique high adventure experience in and around the reservation.

Since this program first started in 2002, it has provided outstanding experiences for members of the National Capital Area Council, and has served as a perfect example of what Order of the Arrow High Adventure is about. Ask your lodge officers if your council has its own high adventure trek or other such programs. To learn more about OAHA, make sure to visit http://adventure.oa-bsa.org/.

In order to ensure growth and advancement, lodges must be able to produce leaders with a firm grasp of leadership techniques as well as a desire to enhance participation in high-profile events. Doing this requires money, as cash is needed to fund trips to leadership training events as well as to major events such as NOAC. Sasquesahanough Lodge addressed this issue by tying in proceeds from patch sales to its scholarship fund, thereby alleviating the costs associated with leadership events and NOAC through awarded scholarships.

The idea started with the resurrection of an old capital campaign patch that was previously used to raise money. The majority of the patch has remained the same, but the center of the patch now shows both of the council’s main camps, a move designed to not only change up the patch, but to show council unity in light of a merger that is still fresh in the minds of some of the lodge’s members.

Some of the old patches still exist, but according to Lodge Chief Justin Schneider, “We are selling it as a new patch, and the proceeds will go to the scholarship fund.” Schneider went on to say that the lodge is going to award two $350 scholarships for high adventure trips, $500 for adult training in Philmont, and $600 in funds for National Youth Leadership Training (NYLT) attendees, all provided that the troops of the applicants have earned the OA Unit of Excellence Award. To top it off, the lodge awarded twelve $100 scholarships to youth members attending NOAC this past summer.

This program is designed to provide assistance for Scouts looking to get the most out of Scouting. The lessons learned at NOAC and through training programs are lessons that prepare them for the future. Properly trained and motivated Scouts are what gives a lodge its drive, and it is necessary for a lodge to continue to have trained, motivated Scouts at the helm; otherwise, it cannot continue to grow. Sasquesahanough Lodge’s program ties in money accrued from patch sales, a highly lucrative venture in Scouting, to its scholarship fund in hopes that its membership will take advantage of what Scouting has to offer.