The letter printed below will be sent to all Troop Leaders in the Westmoreland-Fayette Council announcing a new and exciting way in which units which promote the program and ideals of the Order of the Arrow can be recognized.
Dear Troop Leaders,
Thank you for your service to the youth of the Boy Scouts of America. The Order of Arrow, as Scouting’s National Honor Society, is committed to serving and supporting the Scouting program on all levels. The national Order of the Arrow committee is focusing on a concerted effort to create tools and develop resources for local-area Scout leaders. In order for the Order of the Arrow to provide the best support to units, we have created the Order of the Arrow Unit of Excellence recognition program.
This program incentivizes your unit to participate in local Order of the Arrow events, hold annual elections for those Scouts who are eligible for OA membership, and implement the OA Troop Representative Program. Our hope is that units that complete these criteria will benefit from the support programs that the Order of the Arrow has implemented to strengthen unit-delivered program. Units who qualify for OA Unit of Excellence recognition will be presented with a ribbon to be displayed on your unit flagpole. In addition, your unit’s Troop Representative, Troop Representative Adviser, and Scoutmaster are eligible for awards associated with their roles in supporting the achievement of your troop’s OA Unit of Excellence status.
As new members are elected into the Order of the Arrow from units, they experience leadership development opportunities that build upon the lessons learned in their units about living a life of character and leading by example. Lodge events are designed to improve upon the experience of OA members so that they can bring back greater value to the Scouts in their unit.
The OA Troop Representative program offers a youth in your unit the chance to develop leadership and communication skills as an officer of the troop and bring greater connectivity between your OA lodge and the youth of your unit. In order to effectively implement the OA Troop Representative program, you should also appoint an adult leader to serve as an OA Troop Representative Adviser. The OA Troop Representative Adviser is a new, official BSA adult position of responsibility that has been created in conjunction with this award, and formally establishes the role for an adult to guide and mentor the youth Troop Representative.
Once these positions have been set up in your troop, they should get in contact with our OA Troop Representative committee right away (contact information is available in the T-Bird Times.) Not only is this important for participation in the award, it is also vital for making sure that your unit receives a proper OA unit election ceremony in the upcoming year.
If you have any questions about the Order of the Arrow or the programs your unit can participate in, please contact contact me by phone at 724-454-1359 or e-mail: LodgeAdviser@OA6.org.
Thank you again for your service to Scouting and I hope you will participate in the OA Unit of Excellence program.
Dan Wright
Lodge Adviser,
Wagion Lodge #6