Membership
More than 180,000 youths and adults are members of the Order of the
Arrow, approximately one-eighth of the total number of those registered in
Boy Scouting. Since youth members are elected by their local unit, and
since most of the members of their unit are generally not members of the
Order of the Arrow, the OA is said to be the largest membership
organization whose members are selected primarily by non-members. In
contrast to Boy Scouting, where youth members are under 18 and adult
members are those 18 and over, OA youth members include all persons under
21 years of age while those 21 and over are considered adult members.
The OA is a program of the Boy Scouting division; youth members are
elected only from Boy Scout troops and Varsity Scout teams. To be eligible
for election, a Scout must be at least First Class rank, have fulfilled
specified camping requirements, have the approval of his Scoutmaster or
Varsity Coach and must be elected by the youth members of the troop or
team. Most lodges or chapters support an election team to help hold the OA
elections; it is charged to inform the unit of the service and duty
required of Arrowmen.
Adults who had not previously joined the Order as a youth member may
become members by being nominated by the unit, district or council
committee and then approved by the lodge adult selection committee. Adults
must meet the same criteria as youth except the rank requirement.
After being elected or nominated, candidates may participate in a
call-out ceremony that may be performed at summer camp, a camporee, a
call-out weekend or at a troop or team meeting. Candidates then
participate in a weekend-long Ordeal induction ceremony. The Ordeal is
intended to emphasize service and self-sacrifice; candidates maintain
complete silence, sleep alone overnight, receive small amounts of food and
will perform camp work projects. Candidates will then be welcomed as
Ordeal members in a formal induction ceremony.
Ordeal members may seal their membership and become full members after
ten months by demonstrating their knowledge of the traditions and
obligations of the OA. They then participate in an induction ceremony and
become Brotherhood members.
The Vigil Honor may be conferred upon Arrowmen who have completed a
minimum of two years as a Brotherhood member and perform exceptional
service above through leadership, exemplary efforts, or dedication.
Selection is annual and is limited to one person for every 50 members of
the lodge
Organization
The Order of the Arrow places great emphasis on being a youth-led
organization. Only youth under age 21 are voting members and are eligible
to hold elective offices. Professional and volunteer adults are appointed
in non-voting advisory positions at each level.
The basic unit of the OA is the lodge, which is chartered to a local
council. The lodge chief is the elected leader; a volunteer adult is
appointed as the adviser and the council's Scout executive is the lead
professional. The lodge chief is responsible for the program and general
operation of the lodge. There may be additional youth officers such as one
or more vice chiefs, a secretary, and a treasurer. Most lodges have
standing committees responsible for ceremonies, service projects,
publications, unit elections, camp promotions, and dance teams composed of
youth members.
Most lodges divided into chapters, usually corresponding to districts
within the council. The chapter is lead by the elected youth chapter
chief; a volunteer adult is appointed as the adviser and the district
executive the lead professional.
Lodges grouped into sections that are then grouped into areas and then
regions with corresponding leadership. Area chiefs, region chiefs and the
National chief are selected during an annual meeting. At the National
level, the OA is headed by the National Order of the Arrow Committee, a
subcommittee of the National Boy Scout Committee, of which the National
chief, National vice-chief, and the four region chiefs are voting members.
The Greater St. Louis Area Council has two lodges as the result of a
merger and the Greater New York Councils operate one lodge in each of the
five boroughs. Two councils do not have lodges, but use their own honor
society: Pony Express Council in Missouri with the Tribe of Mic-O-Say and
Long Beach Area Council in California with the Tribe of Tahquitz.
Symbols
