2016 event will help lodges prepare for the Order’s second century
By Gerald Fraas
As the Order marks its first century, a new training event will help lodges and chapters prepare for the future. The 2016 national program of emphasis, “NEXT: A New Century”, seeks to inspire and train lodge leaders from across the nation. “It’ll provide [lodge leaders] motivation to make their lodge programs as innovative as possible,” said Clint Takeshita, a member of the planning committee for “NEXT: A New Century.”
The event will include innovative training cells taught by knowledgeable and experienced Arrowmen. Each lodge is encouraged to send three youth and two adults. The three youth should include the lodge chief and the two adults should include the lodge adviser. The lodge can allocate the remaining spots at its discretion.
Takeshita said lodge officials should be deliberate in selecting participants. “We’re looking for, from a youth perspective, the change agent or the up and coming leader,” he said. “So when they come back from this, with new ideas and concepts in mind, they’ll be able to put them into action.”
National Leadership Seminar and NEXT: A New Century have different purposes. NLS focuses on the role of the individual, addressing basic leadership skills and their direct application. By contrast, NEXT: A New Century will have a focus on the role of the lodge and how to improve the operations of the lodge or chapter.
