For Your Consideration...

[madkins007]

This sprung from a crackerbarrel discussion with some older Scouts and a handful of Scouters from several programs.

 

The discussion had gotten around to one of the lodge officals talking about the role of adult OA members in the program. There seemed to be an odd dichotomy- some adults got involved to the point that they interfered with the youth aspect of the program or its leadership, and a bunch of others got involved not at all.

 

Something someone had said earlier, about Cub ceremonies, clicked and we had a brainstorm.... what if there was an organized adult OA member program?

 

We called them Bowmen, to differentiate them from Arrowmen. They also are dedicated to brotherhood and cheerful service and promoting Scouting, but they focus on Cub units.

 

They would perform wonderous ceremonies for rank awards at pack meetings and act as a pool of expert instructors, guest speakers, etc. for Cub packs.

 

They would get to create and wear regalia for the ceremonies, they get to design and enact cool 'skits' explaining the meaning of the awards, etc.- all with the theme of the tribe of Webelos and Chief Akela.

 

 

 

I can see this as a win-win situation. More adults join because they have something fun and useful to do, more money and interest in OA activities, better support for Cubs and Cub leaders (which, ideally, means more Boy Scouts coming in), etc.

 

 

 

What do other people think?

[jamescook407]

The only problem that I see is that I have only seen youth do ceremonies. I do not think that it is wrong for an adult to do a ceremony, but I think that the ceremony is a role that the youth should play, and therefore giving more emphasis to the cub scouts that the Order of the Arrow is something cool, and that youth are a part of, and not something for "the old guys". I personaly feel that if you want to see more cub scouts move into scouting, and into the Order of the Arrow, then you should use the youth to bridge that gap and not the adults.