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ABOUT THE ORDER OF THE ARROW
Official Mission Statement
To be recognized as Scouting's National Honor Society and an integral part of every council. Our service, activities,
adventures, and training for youth and adults, are models of quality leadership development and programming that enrich,
support, and help extend Scouting to America's youth.
Overview of the Order
The Order of the Arrow is a program created over 80 years ago, a program that is not much younger than the Boy Scouts
of America. The Order of the Arrow (OA) was created to promote unselfish service to others, train our youth to be
better leaders, and to help Scouting reach out to America's youth. The OA is actually run by the youth, not the
adults. The adults simply serve as advisors to the youth, to help guide them into making good decisions while not
making the actual decisions. This is just one of the many ways that the Order helps our youth to become better
leaders for tomorrow.
As you can see from the official mission statement, the OA also strives for unselfish service. Each year, there
are several opportunities for service work. Whether it may be at the unit level, the chapter level, lodge level,
sectional level, regional level, or even the national level, the OA provides many opportunities for service to others.
The lodge that your troop falls under is called Anpetu-we Lodge. Its number is 100. If you are interested in
getting involved with the OA, then here's some important information for you to keep in mind:
You can't just join. You have to be voted in by your peers. If you are a youth, an election will be held for your
troop at your summer camp. You have to be elected by at least half of the youth members present. This is not a
popularity contest, a decision about whether or not you are worthy of joining Scouting's National Honor Society.
If you are an adult, your troop's committee can vote on you. The same rules apply.
A side bar to the OA's main program is the American Indian. As an active member of the OA, you can create an
Indian outfit to wear. You can then participate in ceremonies and dances that the chapters or the lodge puts on.
This has a lot of significance and is also a lot of fun!
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