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The OA has lost a lot of meaning in my neck of the woods. And now that everybody who wants in gets in. None of my Scouts are interested. In the past 6 years, only 1 person wanted in, and he was pushed by his dad who was an Arrowman in his youth. He did the Ordeal, and went to a meeting, and it was so bad he never went again. As for 2 of my sons, despite telling the OA election team they were not interested in joining the OA and remove their names from the ballot, their names remained and they did get elected. But never did their Ordeal. The reason they told me was that the OA is no longer a true honor society like it was in my day. There was a Call out where several Scouts my boys and I knew got elected and eventually became Arrowman, All of us knew one of them was a serious problem, especially camping, and wondered how he got elected. When they asked their friends in that Scout's troop how he got elected, they were told everyone gets in, its no big deal. What really hurt me was that when I was the chapter advisor, and we were rebuilding out chapter and lodge's AIA program, my oldest helped me with the drum and drumsticks. he heard my stories, and couldn't wait to get in. But by the time he became eligible,  talking to his friends who were in said it was no big deal and he lost all interest.

There is no different training for Cub Scout leaders. Lions/Tigers/Wolves/Bears den leader is the same as Webelos/AOL. And for a Cub Scout to earn AOL, they only have to participate in one outdoor activity. They don't even have to camp anymore. That's not enough practice to bridge up to a troop who camps monthly. So the scouts are doing a lot of the transition after they join a troop.

With respect, I would start with the 4th grade Webelos. I was around in the old 3 year Cub Scout program, when you had 9-12 months to earn both Webelos and AOL and cross over. One year was not enough time to prepare for the differences in programs. When the 18-24 month program came out in the 1990s, it was based upon research, and the training of the time emphasized the differences between the two programs and how Webelos needed to start transition in 4th grade. When the training got updated circa 2009, that information was not emphasized as much as the older training.  IMHO separating all the DL trainings into 3 different courses, was a mistake as folks will take 1 training, and assume Tigers, Wolves and Bears, and Webelos are all the same. Then going online where there is no human interaction AND folks can just play the training and do other stuff further exacerbates the issue.

In his soul, every young man longs to know he is worthy... that he has "the right stuff".  And he seeks this approval from other men whom he admires.  (It is a profound evil that some men use this trait against a youth.) Unfortunately, all men are fallible.  One day, the young man is mature enough to realize his approval of himself is what he ultimately needs.  He is his own measurer, and harshest critic, because only he and his God know the whole, true story of himself.  (And that realization will hopefully lead him on to a deeper truth.) The sooner I can help a youth to realize this, the healthier and happier that young man, and therefore, our society, will be. Even without the trappings of Native American lore, the messages and symbols of the Order of the Arrow have deep meaning.  My perception is that, even more than in former times, that meaning is missed by most. I remember when the OA was (generally) for those Scouts who were the finest examples of Scouting.  Today, everyone eligible with nights camped and rank gets in... (with a very few exceptions). We use the OA program at our unit level to recognize our Scouts.  Even under the current rules, over the past seven years, there were two who were not elected from our Troop on their first go.  They took it hard, but when I counseled them, they understood.  For both, thankfully, it was a wake up call, and they changed their behavior for the better.  This is the (current) way. Under the former way, Scouts were more dedicated to the unit, and performed better, if they wanted the recognition of the Arrow.  When their efforts were rewarded, it inspired others to perform better, as well.  Placing more of a limit on admission meant that there was, in effect, competition. If you remove all standards, and everyone gets the trophy, the trophy becomes meaningless, and competition (or change of your behavior and performance in order to be selected) dies.

@AwakeEnergyScouter, I appreciate your thoughtful reply. At that age, there wasn't anything that made me want to retreat from girls. In fact, my developing brain was probably pushing me toward them. Scouting gave me an opportunity to turn that part of my brain off for the weekend and enabled me to better absorb my troop experience. I didn't have to worry about body odor, acne, getting my hair just right, or "peacocking" (strutting around with my feathers out to ward off competing males). I don't think I was any less prepared for my adult life because I had been interacting with female peers in school since I was 5. The BSA just gave me a temporary reprieve from the pressures of puberty and allowed me to enjoy being 12.