Brotherhood

[mcdshistorian]

We have a scout who has done ordeal over a year ago, and now going for Brotherhood.  He has Learning disabilities and memorization is an issue. So his recall of the song and such by his self would be rough.  How can we help him do his ceremony  without being singled out and help him with this issue?  Our Pow wow is this month, so time is an issue as well.  Thanks.

[mrkstvns]

I don't mean to be flippant, but if he's in a group setting, nobody will notice if he lip syncs or hums...

[Double Eagle]

Nobody grades any singing voice...so let it rip.  Don't blame me for my voice, god gave it to me.  They spirit of the song is much more important than getting every word right, even pronunciation of WWW with the oath.  This shouldn't be a problem within any lodge.  For anyone pointing fingers, ask them to recite any ceremony word for word.  This scout would a great elangomat for others with a situation like his.  Arrowmen come in every type and no mold. and no OA police please.

[SR540Beaver]

You make allowances where allowances are called for just like rank advancement in a troop.  We had a young man with cerebral palsy confined to a wheelchair who earned the Vigil Honor.  What kind of work did he do that got noticed and got him nominated?  His father pushed his chair to the beginning of the serving line at the dining hall where he held the box of hand wipes for people to clean their hands.  Every meal at every event, without fail.  Outstanding service depends on one's abilities.  If a young man who has memory issues wants to seal his Brotherhood, by all means encourage him.

[Jlplemon]

I made brotherhood in the summer of 2006, and, at least in my lodge, Tukarica Lodge #366, we weren't expected to memorize the song or recite it on our own, but as a group of brothers, so where one of us faltered the others could help and share the burden. Anyone at the Brotherhood Ceremony that makes fun of him shouldn't have been tapped/called out, as they are not following the scout laws, A Scout is Kind, and can't be trusted to help a fellow arrowman, which is part of becoming a part of the Brotherhood.

Besides how many are arrowmen actual remember the exact pronunciation of WWW or the Word, of those I know, including arrowmen who have completed brotherhood and vigil, the only ones who know it are the ones that preform the Ordeal Ceremony.

Edited September 14, 2019 by Jlplemon
Punctuation

[RememberSchiff]

@Jlplemon welcome to scouter.com

[John-in-KC]

@Jlplemon, welcome as well.  There’s a professional at Council who is the OA staff adviser. Talk to him. 🙂

[Oldscout448]

On 9/3/2019 at 3:36 PM, Double Eagle said:

Nobody grades any singing voice...so let it rip.  Don't blame me for my voice, god gave it to me.  They spirit of the song is much more important than getting every word right, even pronunciation of WWW with the oath.  This shouldn't be a problem within any lodge.  For anyone pointing fingers, ask them to recite any ceremony word for word.  This scout would a great elangomat for others with a situation like his.  Arrowmen come in every type and no mold. and no OA police please.

I have a few guys who would take that challenge.  Any part, any ceremony.    

That said, they would never ever want to hold anyone back if he truly could not memorize the song or the obligation.   We had a similar situation a few years ago, and the only thing we required was the admonition and its meaning.   The rest is just window dressing.  Nice but not essential.

[HelpfulTracks]

If you still have concerns after reading these fine replies, just pull the Adviser aside and let him know.

We are the Brotherhood of Cheerful Service not the Brotherhood of Fantastic Voices. I am infinitely more concerned about attitude, work ethic and character than the ability to carry a tune or remember every word.

Of course I can’t carry a tune in a bucket and my memory is horrible and somehow I made it through Brotherhood and was honored with Vigil. So don’t sweat this and don’t let the youth sweat it either.