Summer Camp and OA

[rjcluvvt]

I started a thread in the OA section of the forums with some response. I figured there would be a bigger audience in here. From your experiences at summer camp does your lodge or the OA make an appearance at your camp? Do they only have an ice cream social or does the OA try to do something everyday? Is there anything that you'd like to see the OA do?

[scoutldr]

Ice cream social night and Arrowmen are asked to wear their sashes at evening colors and dinner. Not sure the OA Lodge actually has anything to do with it, though.

[jr56]

I would like to see the lodge do the tapout ceremony and the Ordeal at camp. Having the young scouts see the Ordeal being done in my opinion makes the OA more special, and encourages younger scouts to want to be a part of it.

[scoutldr]

Unless things have changed, I don't think young scouts are supposed to "see the Ordeal being done"...non-members are not invited, except for parents who have a right to observe.

 

I disagree with doing such things during summer camp. Mixing the two events dilutes them, in my opinion.

[kenk]

At the beginning of the week our lodge made arrangements with each troop to have a lodge member come sit around the evening campfire with the troop, tell a story, talk about OA, and answer any questions. It came off real well with our troop last summer (my first year in Boy Scouts).

[SWScouter]

Camp Raymond, of Grand Canyon Council in AZ has an OA night. Basically, if you wear your OA sash to the dinner assembly, you get called to the chow line before the rest of the campers. I'm still trying to decide if that's a good thing or not

 

The camp also has OA reps available for unit elections and there is a call out ceremony during the week.

 

SWScouter

[local1400]

All the lodge did when I worked at Camp was call-out (back then we still tapped 'em out) at Friday's closing campfire. Brothers were asked to wear their sashes to dinner and so on on Friday night only. Ordeals were done in Spring and Fall--the usual camp opening and closing chores plus improvements. It always rained.

[Gonzo1]

I agree with Scoutldr that the two should not be mixed. There isn't enough time for the ordeal anyway.

 

Tap out ceremony could be done though.

 

 

 

[eagle90]

What better place to do a tap out ceremony and ordeal for an honor camping society than AT CAMP? The Camp I atended as a youth and for many years as a leader, we had the tap out ceremonmy on Monday night along the beachfront, with the Indians coming across the lake in canoes carrying torches with the moonlight and stars int he background. It always was a highlight of the week. The ordeal was done on Tuesday.

The non members could watch the tap out and see the ordeal candidates working around camp, but did not see any of the other ceremonies. The camp we attend now does a calling out at the closing campfire and does their ordeal at fellowship weekends.

[local1400]

Eagle90-- I am sure that was an impressive sight with the canoes and all but personally I think an Ordeal done during the Scout camp week may detract from the summer camp experience for some. Some Eagle required merit badges, nature type, are best earned at camp and in fact are sometimes hard to earn elsewhere. The cheerful service to the camp in plain sight of the other campers however, is a wonderful vision. (Or the sight of manual labor may scare them-smiley face here if I could just make them work).

[John-in-KC]

Our Council "OA Reservation" has 3 Boy Scout sessions. At each of these, we offer the Ordeal and the Brotherhood.

 

Activities begin Wednesday night at campfire, with a tap-out. Activities continue through Friday morning with OA 101 for new members.

 

Our youth do Brotherhood ceremony Thursday after supper, followed by Ordeal ceremony. Very intimate opportunities compared to the production lines of spring and fall inductions.

[eaglescout07]

OA is part of my council's camp all summer. During the week we have a call-out, then the canidates complete their ordeal right there in camp. Its nice having it during our week at camp because it brings an interest to non-members.

[Vicki]

GSLAC's largest summer camp, S-F, has elections on Thursday morning - all Arrowmen wear their sashes and a lodge officer comes to each campsite to supervise the election. All those eligible roll up their sleeping bag and a groundcloth just in case. Thursday evening is the callout ceremony (also family night so family members get to find out if their son was called out). The candidates are led away by Arrowmen in silence, taken back to their campsite to get their gear, and taken to the OA campfire. From there to the overnight. Back to the central firepit in the morning and dismissed to their campsites.

 

The actual Ordeal is done at the Fall and Spring OA Reunions.

 

Vicki

[Eagle69]

All during the 60's when I was a Scout, Tap Out and Ordeals were done during Summer Camp. Wednesday night was parents night and Tap Out, Thursday was Ordeal, Thursday night was Ordeal and Brotherhood ceremonies. As a camper and a staffer I don't recall ever hearing saying it caused a problem. If it did we handled it on an individual basis. When I came back in Scouting as an adult 30 years ago I thought the whole OA bit had been watered down and it had lost a lot of the mystique/reverence that it used to have. If you tapped them out at camp they were there and got the Ordeal done at the same time, now you have to have two different weekends scheduled.

[Scouter&mom]

Our OA Lodge has done call out on Wed night following Vespers. Families visiting for family night were invited to attend. We have members with flaming arrows arrive by canoe from across the lake as the beginnning of ceremony too. Lodge hosted Ice Cream social for those called out after ceremony. Big hit here in the hot steamy south. Ordeal is done on a weekend in late fall. (Mid Nov last year) That way football is almost over and it is cooling off enough that cheerful service may be done without the risk of heat stroke.

 

This year they are going to have call out on Sunday night (first night of camp). I am not sure why, unless they had too many complaints from parents of boys not called out that ceremony went too late, since they don't start until after dark (9PM).