What is OA (Order of the Arrow)?

What is the Order of the Arrow

For over 100 years, the Order of the Arrow (OA) has recognized Scouts and Scouters who best exemplify the Scout Oath and Law in their daily lives.  This recognition provides encouragement for others to live these ideals as well.  Arrowmen are known for maintaining camping traditions and spirit, promoting year-round and long term resident camping, and providing cheerful service to others.  OA service, activities, adventures, and training for youth and adults are models of quality leadership development and programming that enrich and help to extend Scouting to America's youth.

Mission

The mission of the Order of the Arrow is to fulfill its purpose as an integral part of the Boy Scouts of America through positive youth leadership under the guidance of selected capable adults.

Purpose

As Scouting’s National Honor Society, our purpose is to:

• Recognize those who best exemplify the Scout Oath and Law in their daily lives and through that recognition cause others to conduct themselves in a way that warrants similar recognition.

• Promote camping, responsible outdoor adventure, and environmental stewardship as essential components of every Scout’s experience, in the unit, year-round, and in summer camp.

• Develop leaders with the willingness, character, spirit and ability to advance the activities of their units, our Brotherhood, Scouting, and ultimately our nation.

• Crystallize the Scout habit of helpfulness into a life purpose of leadership in cheerful service to others.

OA Membership Requirements

Source:  National OA - Membership Requirements

As of February 1, 2019, unit elections are permitted in Scouts BSA, Venturing, and Sea Scout units. The Order of the Arrow membership requirements are as follows:

• Be a registered member of the Boy Scouts of America.

• Have experienced 15 nights of Scout camping while registered with a troop, crew, or ship within the two years immediately prior to the election. The 15 nights must include one, but no more than one, long-term camp consisting of at least five consecutive nights of overnight camping, approved and under the auspices and standards of the Boy Scouts of America. Only five nights of the long-term camp may be credited toward the 15-night camping requirement; the balance of the camping (10 nights) must be overnight, weekend, or other short-term camps of, at most, three nights each. Ship nights may be counted as camping for Sea Scouts.

• At the time of their election, youth must be under the age of 21, and hold one of the following ranks corresponding to the type unit in which they are being considered for election: Scouts BSA First Class rank, the Venturing Discovery rank, or the Sea Scout Ordinary rank or higher, and following approval by the Scoutmaster, Crew Advisor or Sea Scout Skipper, be elected by the youth members of their unit.

• Adults (age 21 or older) who meet the camping requirements may be selected following nomination to and approval by the lodge adult selection

Our Organization and Charters

Chapter

This is our chapter, Allogagan

Generally there is one chapter created in each district of the council. Each chapter has its own officers and advisers, the officers being elected by the youth OA members within the chapter, and the advisers being appointed by the Scout executive often with the consultation of the lodge adviser and district executive(s).

Chapters provide the ability to have meetings closer to home and meetings and events can be scheduled to coincide with the district events. The chapter is central to providing quality unit visits for camping promotion, and unit elections.

Lodges

We are a part of Jaccos Towne Lodge.

At the local level, lodges exist to serve BSA councils and individual units. The key leaders in the lodge are the youth lodge chief, volunteer adult lodge adviser, and staff adviser. The lodge chief presides over the Lodge Executive Committee, which is responsible for executing the annual program of the lodge.

While each lodge is different, many lodges have one or more vice chiefs, a secretary, and a treasurer, as well as committee chairmen responsible for various aspects of the lodge’s program.

A map of all OA lodges can be viewed here.

Section

We are part of Section E-1 for Indiana.

The section may lead training seminars, promote national programs of emphasis, and provide resources to local lodges.  The section chief presides over the Council of Chiefs, attended by delegates of each member lodge.

Regions

We are a part of the Eastern Region.

The Order of the Arrow, like the Boy Scouts of America, is organized into four geographical regions: Central, Northeast, Southern, and Western. Each region is led by a youth region chief, a volunteer region chairman, and a region staff adviser.

National

All OA Arrowmen roll up to The National Order of the Arrow

At the national level, the Order of the Arrow is governed by the national Order of the Arrow committee. The national committee sets policy, directs the national program of the OA, and broadly manages the organization above the local lodge level.