Ceremonial Issue

[MichaelOA]

Well, for my chapter's ceremony team, we went through about 5 people on one of the main parts, we finally got someone who sorta pulled through for us during our ordeal, but he is 19 years old, the rest of us are around 14, 15 so 19 years old is kind of a huge gap. We have multiple people now who are very excited about the O.A. one of them really stands out from the rest, and the adults, and all the youths except our 19 year old have given some thought into letting one of these new boys doing it.

 

Some main factors for wanting this is the fact, if he is 19 in around a year or so he is going to have to leave the ceremony team, and we have to hurry someone else and get them ready. We practice every week for about 4-5 months first Ordeal went perfect minus our 19 year old, since he joined a couple weeks before. Another reason, he has a life (O.o) at age 19 you don't have time for all the rehearsals, and possibly going to the actual ceremony. He has a job that requires a lot of his time, and college so to push this on him seems like it would just be to much anyway, and it doesn't seem like something we can rely on to much, and be confident that he WILL be at the rehearsals often, and especially that he WILL be at the actual ceremonies.

 

If anyone has any tips please, I would appreciate it.

 

Yowlumne #303 - Southern Sierra Council

[Dizzy ona cliff]

You never know when you may need a sub, and your older guys are a rare asset. Does one have the ability to do multiple parts well? Can the schedule be organized in advance so that one can take the part when the other is not free?

[John-in-KC]

If you reject help and assistance the word will get around. You'll be known as a clique. Is that what Cheerful Service is about? I think not.

 

Let me say something bluntly, and not quite shout it at you: He's a youth, thus voting, member of the Order of the Arrow. Do not dare to exclude him. Do you clearly understand that?

 

OK, so he cannot necessarily make all the practices. Welcome to adult life. I can safely bet you a dinner at the Golden Ox that sometime during your college years you will have two simultaneous final exams by the academic schedule. You work around the schedule to get the job done.

 

Are you the C-team chair? If not, it's not your call. You may point out the issue to your chair. I'd prefer he be the one to discuss it with the C-team adviser.

 

There are lots of options, and they apply for all ceremonies...

 

- Give him a copy of the ceremony book. Ask him to start memorizing his lines against all the roles.

 

- Look at other activities around the ceremonial ring and in the C-teams life within the Lodge. Who is your stage manager? Do you use a drummer (can he drum?)? Does the C-team chair make every one of the LEC meetings without fail (would he serve as a backup?).

 

- C-team collectively needs to be a group of team players. Ask when he's generally not busy. Schedule some extra time (I've not met a team yet that doesn't need extra practice, including NOAC champions!) to support his schedule.

 

- Ask him to be a team player and show up for some critical rehearsals.

 

ICS.

[MichaelOA]

You seem to have the wrong idea about this, I am not trying to exclude him from the group, but with him having a job, college, and other things he needs to keep track of he CANT put in as much time as we need. I'm also trying to look for what is best for him, and the ceremony team. He never seemed to have any 'flare' for the ceremony team, it's not that we are trying to exclude him, but maybe think of a way to move him to a backup or a less immediate part, that doesn't require as much attendance, it isn't good for the group, or the people attending the ceremony, if one member is absent, or doesn't know their part.

 

What is a C-team chair?(This message has been edited by MichaelOA)

[John-in-KC]

Michael,

 

The C-Team Chair is the Chairman of the Ceremonies Team. In my Lodge C-Team is one of the operating committees under the Vice-Chief for Program.

 

Next, the conversation you want to have with him belongs to one of two people: Whoever is responsible for the actions and conduct of the C-Team, or whoever advises the Ceremonies Team. If you are not one of those folk, this conversation is not yours to have.