Who decides if we have unit elections?

[Eamonn]

Eagle309

I like to think we have a really good Lodge.

I'll admit that I'm a little biased. I'm very close to the Scouts who have held office in the Lodge and the section for the past few years.

I'm happy to hear that your Lodge is offering a training for the OA rep.

Sadly I've always seen that position as being a Micky Mouse patch wearing position. So my hope is that with training I will be proved wrong.

I didn't get to go up to Summer Camp this year. I normally get up for a few of the parents nights when the Tap Out /Call Out ceremony is going on. I watch as proud parents click away with all sorts of cameras.

Last year OJ was involved in the unit elections. He was Administrative Vice Chief and took care of the unit elections in our District.

I don't think the elections really put anyone out. (Other than me. -I paid for the gas he used!!) He contacted each unit and asked for a invitation, the unit informed him when and where would be good for them.

The Lodge has four weekend meetings a year and a banquet. The meetings are well publicized, in fact most have been on the same weekend for a very long time.

Each individual Scout decides when he wants to go up and take his ordeal within the time allowed. I think there is a time limit of a year, but don't quote me!

Nearly all the OA members go up to the weekends as individuals. It isn't a Troop activity. Of course a lot go up with Scouts from the Troop they are in.

As everyone knows when the weekends are, most Troops avoid planning activities on them weekends.

While not everything in the OA is perfect, I do think it does a great job of holding the interest of the older Scouts.

I know that is the case of my son. Of course he now has the wonderful world of Sea Scouting!!

It's great that you have a committee that cares so much, but they might do well to take the Committee Training and there are times when the SM has to tell them to mind their own beeswax.

Eamonn.

[LodgeChief]

To answer the question, it is ultimately the Scoutmaster's decision as to whether or not the troop has OA elections. I highly recommend that you let the boys decide though, kinda get their input on it. Like many people have already said, if the boys do not want to do it, they're not going to. The OA is Scouting's National Honor Society and from what I have seen in my council, the program is diminishing more and more within the troops. If you have interested boys that want to do some OA functions and possibly bring back good information about the Lodge, then by God, SEND THEM!!! I cannot stress this enough. I know plenty of people within the council that would love to get the OA experience but, their Scoutmasters do not want to have any elections and some just flat out refuse to talk about. What I have found that sometimes motivates the Scouts within the unit about the OA is to invite the Lodge Chief to your meeting to talk about the OA. They should have a pretty exciting presentation if they do it right. As a Lodge Chief, I go to meetings and program previews within the council all of the time. It has a great impact. From being on Summer Camp staff and talking to some of the leaders that had just gone through their Ordeal said that the OA had a very positive impact on their life and the lives of their boys and that it rejuvenated and revived the troop. That made me feel very good inside. The OA is a program that promotes training of our future leaders, offers positions of great responsibilty to our young leaders now, and provides some recognition to the boys who sometimes can use this positive attention. The boys need this program more than ever now. It's that next big step that some of the older boys in your units may need. I'm talking about those who have done the leadership positions such as SPL and been on the same old campouts. This will put the spirit back into your boys who will then put it back into their units. This is not limited to those previously mentioned and is wonderful for all those eligible. The only thing that the Leaders need to do to accomplish all of these awesome things is to provide the opportunity.

[Allogagan]

From my exp as a Chapter Chief the SM decides when to have the unit elections (either by the Chapter of the area or at a camp by the lodge representives there) and also, maybe with the help of other members of the OA and the committe, who is ready to go up for the election. I never had to go thru a Troop's EC to hold an election for a Troop only contact I had was with the SM.