OA service ideas

[Mike F]

The Lodge I serve has fallen into strange times and it appears to me without significant cheerful service, we're not achieving the brotherhood.

 

At present, all of our Ordeals are conducted as separate events with usually only the minimum elangomats also doing service. We have two annual Lodge events - one is a PowWow (with no Ordeal and no other service) and one is a Fellowship (also no Ordeal, half-day service project for members), but this is so poorly attended it has at times been cancelled.

 

In short, almost all of our real service is being conducted by Ordeal candidates and without the benefit of seeing fellow Arrowmen working nearby. This results in a kind of forced-labor feeling and misses out on the benefit of fellowship with other members at the end of the day on Saturday. Most new Ordeal members cant wait for the weekend to be over and never want to have anything at all to do with the OA except for wearing the lodge flap, of course.

 

Back in my youth in another Lodge, we knew our local Scout Camp depended on our service and we had good results keeping members involved.

 

I'm interested to know if this is a local phenomenon, or are other Lodges experiencing the same problems.

 

One minor exception to OA service is that we do a fairly good job of supporting Pack AoL ceremonies, but this only involves a small number of committed members. I dont count OA election teams as service, since that activity is self-serving.

 

Any ideas on some meaningful service opportunities you have seen work in recent years with your Lodge?

 

Thanks!

 

Mike

 

[shortridge]

I would say the biggest change you need is merging your inductions weekends with your service/fellowship weekends. That ought to make a huge difference. You're absolutely right, service without brotherhood is just seen as drudge work.

[Eagle92]

My lodge was also having some membership problems. We have 5 major lodge activities: 1 workday at a small council camp, 3 Ordeals at the primary council camp, and our Fall Fellowship. Workdays and Ordeals have been mostly work with little fellowship, while the Fall Fellowship was all fun and no work.

 

Now what my lodge has done is to change the Ordeal schedule so that everyone starts workign a little earlier so that we can end work earlier. Candidate shower and get dress in their uniform and go to the ceremony before dinner. before dinner is new member orientation, then chapter meetings/camp wide game. Then patch auction then movie in one area, and powwow in another. really improved out numbers. Also came out with a special First Year Arrowmen Award. We get a few who accomplish it,and in my expereicne those who get i tusually hang around. Last year the 5 folks who got it from my chapter became achapter officers/ the assoc. adv. This year we had 7 folks get it, 3 are chapter officers, one is the lodge's SCOUTREACH advier, and one works summer camp. check out www.croatan.org .

 

[John-in-KC]

Our induction weekends have teams doing both Ordeal and the Brotherhood. Lots of adults are out doing a host of work as well, from camp cookery to the various general contractors who donate time and earth-moving equipment.

 

The work team leaders also take time to explain why the work matters to the Camp and the Council.

[emb021]

You didn't mention what kind of work was going on.

 

Well, let me give you a little background on how my Lodge handled this over the years.

 

When I went thru my Ordeal, Ordeal was conducted after summer camp was finished. Ordeal consisted of us shutting down summer camp, which meant moving the tents into storage, moving the tent platforms (large, heavy wooden platforms) and cement block to shelters. This was done in July in the the hot Florida sun. It sucked. Most lodge events at the time were all work and little or no fun. (you have to have a balance, and even doing an 'all fellowship' weekend is a welcome break when all your other weekends have a lot of work being done). At the time ALL lodge events were work events, the lodge was treated like a 'forced labor group' and we had poor attendence and all that went with it. It took a lot of work by dedicated adults and certain youth to turn that around.

 

Then we shifted and had the Ordeal be done before camp, as part of setting up for summer camp. So this meant setting out platforms and putting up tents. A lot of work, but actually more work then shutdown. The previous Ordeal period now became a Service Day of the lodge.

 

Then it was decided that the candidates were just doing scut work. Nothing meaningful. So then next change was that the lodge membership would setup camp and the candidates would instead be engaged in various service work at camp. The idea being is they could return to camp and say 'I helped do that as part of my ordeal'.

 

The next change was to move Ordeal to the Spring time (cooler, etc). Now everyone was doing meaningful service at camp. Camp would still get setup at our 'summer fellowship'.

 

You need to have a balance between service and fellowship. There is nothing wrong with one weekend being all fun. But at other weekends, make sure there is time for both work and fun. For candidates, try to make sure they are doing worthwile work, not scut work.

 

[shortridge]

I'd agree with that assessment - camp setup and takedown IS just "scut work." It's not meaningful, lasting service, and the candidates know that. It may be meaningful to the camp staffs, who don't have to do it themselves, but it's nothing you can point to and be proud of years later.

[John-in-KC]

Unfortunately, when your nightly bed-down is 600, it takes some hard scut work to prepare the camp for the season.

 

Would you have Councils extend staff contracts by a week and pay youth staff to do it? Where does that money come from?

 

Bingo. CAMP FEES.

 

Youth members, who can currently vote, need to understand a simple fact: Money has to come from somewhere, or be converted to sweat equity.

[shortridge]

Touche - I certainly see your point.

 

However, it's not an impossible task to set up camp even for such a sizeable contingent, and it shouldn't take an entire extra week. A day or three ought to do it, if the staff and gear are organized and the equipment is in good condition.

 

The camp I used to work for had 360+ people per week. Every tent, tarp, cot, picnic table, fire bucket, bulletin board, latrine broom, stove, propane tank and full chuck box (in the glorious days before the dining hall) was checked out and set up by the staff during staff week.

 

That week also included the necessary time for staff orientation, training, program area set-up, lesson plan-writing, instructional practice, swim checks and all the other fun stuff. One year, when we wanted to have some extra staff week time, about four of us volunteered for a few days, working sunup to about 8 p.m., moved 90 percent of the gear into position at each campsite, which saved a ton of time.

 

At the other council camp, which has 575 spots, the lodge's June inductions/service/fellowship weekend always had the Ordeal candidates setting up tents. I heard from friends who were on staff there that they spent a not-inconsiderable amount of time during staff week adjusting the campsite arrangements. And seeing as how it takes at least four fairly strong people to move a platform tent, that takes a chunk of your senior/older/larger staffers out of commission. So there are logistical downsides to it, too.(This message has been edited by shortridge)

[SctDad]

Here is one thing that our loadge is considering doing. We know of a few people in our area that are newly wheel chair bound and they are using substandard, makeshift ramps that are not safe. So we are going to build them a quality, Sturdy ramp that will be what they need.

 

We also have a work day at one of the local camps that is used for day camps.

 

 

[emb021]

Please note, our Lodge STILL did camp setup and take down (these were our Spring Fellowship and Service Day events).

 

Nothing was said of the Lodge not doing this work.

 

What changed (amoung others) was we stopped using this as Ordeal events.

 

 

[Mike F]

Great input!

Thanks!!

 

Mike

[ASM915]

Our Lodge holds Ordeal at he end of May and again in mid August. The candidates help position the tent platforms and help with other camp projects. The camp ranger goes out to the sites before Ordeal and marks the platform sites with spray paint. After Spring Ordeal, during camp staff week, the staff put up the tents, and also take them down before Fall Ordeal.

 

I agree with emb. I would rather see the candidates involved with projects that will be around for generations to come, reforesting an area of camp, helping put in new ceremony sites, maybe helping put a new pavilion, etc. Something that they can show their grandchildren when they get to go to camp. I really like some of the things that Eagle92's Lodge is doing. Maybe if the rest of us had our Lodges do similar things, we might keep some of our Ordeal members involved.

[SctDad]

The Fall Fellowship that Eagle92 Talks about is the one that I went to this year. I had a great time, despite the wet and COLD weather. Just reminded me of my ordeal.

 

Our Lodge is one that has several activities along with trying to send people to MOAC. I think it is great for the youth to see stuff like this.