YP Training and the Lodge

[John-in-KC 311]

My Scouter Brothers and Sisters in the Arrow:

 

Have you taken the online YP training from MyScouting in the past couple months? If not, you may want to do so. It explicitly covers the situation of non-Arrowman parents attending an Ordeal ceremony.

 

Bottom Line: Explicitly says yes. From my read, no wiggle room.

[scoutldr 726]

Haven't parents always had that right? What's the controversy?

 

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[shortridge 184]

There's never been wiggle room, from my point of view. The inductions guides and such are very explicit.

[John-in-KC 311]

In the Lodge I'm currently in, all the information was available, but attendance was discouraged.

 

In my youth Lodge (1970 or so) all the information was available, but attendance was strongly discouraged.(This message has been edited by John-in-KC)

[fleetfootedfox 10]

Yeah, I think they don't want a bunch of parents standing around snapping photos and waving at their boys during what's supposed to be a solemn ceremony. I got tapped out same time as my son, which was cool, but if I hadn't I would've waited.

[dg98adams 18]

Scouter,

I also got tapped out with my son, and we took a group of 5 other Scouts from our Troop to the ordeal.

 

Other than the opening activity, I did not see my son until the end.

 

I did get put into a group with one of the scouts from our troop for the ordeal, but I got assigned a task to assist another Scout (inventory of Camp Pool & Waterfront building).

 

In fact, there were 2 groups during the ceremony at the end, and he was not in mine. I did get to sit in on the "council drum" during his ceremony. This was a huge honor (to me) to assist with the drum during his ceremony.

[emb021 16]

Well, attendence should be discouraged. But if the parents (or other concerned adults) feel they need to watch the ceremony, they may do so. That has been the policy for, I think, at least 20 some years or more.

 

 

The issue is that the OA ceremonies are to be private (not secret). They should NOT be turned into the equivalent of a high school graduation where you have mom & dad and grandparents and siblings and assorted family members there.

 

The purpose of allowing parents to attend is NOT to be there to 'share the experience' with their son, as in a graduation ceremony, but to alleviate any concerns of improper behavior or the like.

 

[Eagle92 110]

Well the challenge I am goign to encoutner is that momma wants to see her son do the Pre-ordeal Ceremony. Dad isn't a problem, he's a Vigil, but he doesn't want to upset momma. So I get to play bad guy Seriously though I am discouraging her b/c 1) she is oneof the active unti leaders, and therefore may get nominated in the near future, and 2) don want to set the precedent of havign parents attend. OA in my neck of the woods already has a probelm b/c of stuff read ont he internet.

[fleetfootedfox 10]

I do not think there has ever been a policy that parents could absolutely not attend.

 

dg98adams, your lodge and/or chapter must do things much different than mine, because ours kept the troop members together for the ordeal and ceremony.

[shortridge 184]

There are nearly as many ways to organize an Ordeal as there are lodges.

 

I personally think there's something to splitting up units and chapters. It takes the candidate out of his or her comfort zone, and introduces them to other Arrowmen they might not have known otherwise. Yes, I know one of the Order's goals is to strengthen the troop or team, but you can get some really great ideas from folks on the other side of the council.

 

That especially would apply to parents and sons going through it simultaneously. Let each have their own individual experience, IMHO.

 

With regard to the idea of discouraging non-member parents from attending... I believe the intent of the no-secrets provision was to assuage potential concerns of parents about the inductions process - certainly not to create a visitors' gallery of proud relatives. Especially since her husband is a Vigil member, she should have no concerns about the process. That's just voyeurism.

 

I do think you have to walk a fine line in having that chat. One person's "discouraging" can be another person's "forbidding," and from there you can quickly get a call to the SE raising holy heck about all the secrets.

[fleetfootedfox 10]

I am not sure that most people viewing the ceremonies are necessarily going to have the same appreciation for the experience as people who went through the ordeal first. It is like Wood Badge. What is the big deal about a couple little beads? The big deal is what they represent, all the hard work and good memories.

[nrp1488 9]

We usually let the parents know if their son will be tapped out, it's usually done at camporee. That lets Mom in on something and lets her vent some of her excitement. Of course they're told not to let junior know even though it's optional whether the Scoutmaster reveals the results of the election or not. As an active Scouter, I was there when my three sons (no I'm not Fred MacMurray) were tapped out but they were on their own for the Ordeals. I always hoped I'd get in someday and I finally made it.