2012 National Order of the Arrow Conference

Tonight’s show will be fun, loud and entertaining

By Ned Lundquist

Celebrating a unique centennial, Tuesday’s show will celebrate 100 years of Eagle Scouts. Ethan Fowler, NESA@NOAC conference vice chief from Cowikee Lodge 224, says tonight’s NESA show will celebrate Eagle Scouts and Scouting.  “We all work toward goals in Scouting.  The Eagle represents the highest goal.” Ethan says that “Scouting can be the catalyst” for young people who set goals for themselves and which can lead to great achievements later in life.

While all Scouts must complete the same basic requirements to advance to the rank of Eagle, Scouts follow their own path to the top of the mountain on the trail to Eagle.  The journey does not end at the top of the mountain.  When they reach the top, they are able to see more mountains.  Fowler says guests at the show will see that the “Trail to Eagle” is not so much about a Scout receiving his Eagle Award, “but what one can do with the knowledge gained on that journey.” The show will showcase the spirit of the Eagle Scout, featuring speakers who will share their inspirational stories.  “Our guests at the NESA@NOAC show will see people who have set goals and accomplished a lot,” he says.

Many Eagles will be attending the NESA Anniversary Dinner on Friday which, Fowler says, will be a prestigious affair.  He adds that the NESA@NOAC show will be fun, loud, and entertaining experience for all NOAC 2012 guests.  “It’s going to be a great celebration of Eagle Scouts.”

At the National Council of Chiefs on Tuesday, the Order of the Arrow launched its fourth strategic plan, building on the prior plans that have emphasized the alignment of the Order’s priorities with those of the Boy Scouts of America. In response to these plans, both the national organization and lodges throughout the country have increasingly integrated their programs with their councils, strengthening both as well as enhancing service to the young people served.

As the Order looks towards 2013 and beyond, National Order of the Arrow Chairman Ray Capp charged a group of volunteers to develop a new strategic plan that fully aligns with the recently adopted strategic vision of the Boy Scouts of America.  This group, chaired by the vice chairman Glenn Ault, has spent the last year developing the Order’s approach to this vision.  He notes that this plan specifically creates a “model for our lodges, which helps to provide the tools for both the national organization and our lodges to help the national and local councils achieve their objectives.” The Order emphasized issues within the National Council’s plan that have the largest impact on the future success of our brotherhood.

Adopting the approach of the BSA’s brand new program “Journey to Excellence”, the Order’s plan develops milestones that lodges can use to assess their progress in achieving the objectives laid out in the plan. For example, under the “Impact and Participation” section, the Order presents a plan to develop metrics for measuring progress and outcomes of the Order in units, chapters, lodges, and sections. The Order will provide chapters and lodges with new, innovative, and reliable measurement tools. Strategies, reward systems, and resources are in place to help support lodges retain members. Among other goals, the plan also provides specific objectives to builds on the largely successful national events, such as the National Jamboree, high adventure activities, and all sorts of training opportunities, such as the National Leadership Seminar.

The Order encourages lodges to take this plan, together with the National Council’s Strategic Plan and a copy of their council’s current strategic plan, and come to know and understand them. Lodges should develop a process – in cooperation with the council – to write a plan in conjunction with the council’s plan in the near future. Ault notes, “We suspect that it will look much like this one, since the national Order of the Arrow committee has built their plan around the National Council’s plan – but it may be different in some respects, and that is as it should be, since the lodge’s plan should reflect the priorities of the council.”

For more information and to review the actual strategic plan, visit the website at www.oa-bsa.org