Order of the Arrow

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Candidate Guide

Congratulations! You have been elected as a candidate for the Order of the Arrow. The OA, as it’s called, is the National Honor Society of the Boy Scouts of America. It was organized in 1915 to recognize and honor Scouts who stand out. The purposes of the OA are to recognize those campers who best exemplify the Scout Oath and Law in their daily lives, to develop and maintain camping traditions and spirit, to promote Scout camping, and to crystallize the Scout habit of helpfulness into a life purpose of leadership in cheerful service to others.

Now that you have been nominated by your unit, you must attend the Ordeal of the Order. A list of things to bring to the Ordeal will be sent to you. The responsibilities of the candidate at the Ordeal are:
  • The Candidate spends a night alone as a sign of courage and self-reliance. It is also a time for self-reflection and to consider the events taking place.
  • The Candidate keeps complete silence. This gives him the opportunity to pay stricter attention to unspoken thoughts, searching out past deficiencies, and resolving on a life of fuller service in the future.
  • The Candidate spends the daylight hours of the Ordeal in meaningful labor. This proves the candidate's willingness to serve others cheerfully.
  • The Candidate also eats sparingly, thus proving the ability to subordinate the appetites of the body to the high purpose of the spirit.
Taken together, the four elements of the Ordeal are a meaningful and inspiring experience for the candidate. They provide a total participation of the mind and spirit. The Ordeal is not soon forgotten by the new member.

Required Items

  • Class A uniform
  • Class B uniform that can get dirty
  • Medical forms A and B
  • Tent for Saturday night (Your own or to share with a buddy from your unit, YPT-compliant)
  • Sleeping bag
  • Ground cloth/plastic tarp
  • Cold weather gear
  • Shower kit
  • Work boots/gloves
  • Water bottle
  • Flashlight
  • Prescription medicine (in original container)

Recommended Items

  • Thin Air or Foam pad
  • Day pack or regular backpack (may be easier to carry your sleeping bag and ground cloth on Friday night)
  • Sun protection
  • Notebook, pencil/pen
  • Money for trading post

Banned Items

  • Food or snacks
  • Matches or lighters
  • Hatchets, axes, tools
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About Us

For over 100 years, the Order of the Arrow (OA) has recognized Scouts and Scouters who best exemplify the Scout Oath and Law in their daily lives. This recognition provides encouragement for others to live these ideals as well. Arrowmen are known for maintaining camping traditions and spirit, promoting year-round and long term resident camping, and providing cheerful service to others. OA service, activities, adventures, and training for youth and adults are models of quality leadership development and programming that enrich and help to extend Scouting to America's youth.

The Mission and Purpose of the Order of the Arrow

The Order of the Arrow was founded in 1915 to serve a useful purpose: to cause the Scout Oath and Law to spring into action in all parts of the nation. To this day, the Order is dedicated to this high purpose.

History of the Order

The Order of the Arrow has a rich history spanning 100 years, from its beginnings at a Boy Scout summer camp to its present role as a part of the Scouting program.

Organization & Structure

The Order of the Arrow has over 150,000 members nationwide. Although the Order of the Arrow is a thing of the spirit, there are several layers of organization, each with its own role.

Membership Requirements and the Inductions Process

Learn about the requirements to become an Arrowman, the induction process, and the levels of memberships within the Order.

Leadership

The Order of the Arrow is led by youth leadership (national chief, national vice chief), the national Order of the Arrow chairman, the OA director and the OA specialist. In addition the national Order of the Arrow committee provides direction for the yearly program.

National Endowment

The national OA endowment was formed more than 30 years ago as a means for the Order to fund scholarships and special programs.

Frequently Asked Questions

The Order of the Arrow, or OA, is Scouting’s National Honor Society.
The purpose of the Order of the Arrow is fourfold:
  • To recognize those Scout campers who best exemplify the Scout Oath and Law in their daily lives.
  • To develop and maintain camping traditions and spirit.
  • To promote Scout camping.
  • To crystallize the Scout habit of helpfulness into a life purpose of leadership in cheerful service to others.
Japeechen is the name of our lodge, which is also known by its national lodge number, #341. As scouts are organized into Units, so the OA is broken up into Lodges. The Order of the Arrow uses Indian Lore to enhance the attractiveness of its program. In the Cherokee language “Japeechen” means “people by the sea” referring to our council, "Jersey Shore" where the lodge was founded.
The Order of the Arrow (OA) was founded by Dr. E. Urner Goodman and Carroll A. Edson in 1915 at the Treasure Island Camp of the Philadelphia Council, Boy Scouts of America. It became an official program experiment in 1922 and was approved as part of the Scouting program in 1934. In 1948 the OA, recognized as the BSA’s national brotherhood of honor campers, became an official part of the national camping program of the Boy Scouts of America.
Being inducted into the OA is a huge honor given to you by your troop. However, it is not an award. You were selected because being in the OA will help you give back to your troop. Remember, Arrowmen are not elected for what they have done, but for what they are expected to do.
The Ordeal Honor, signified by the red arrow on your sash, is the first level in the OA. It is the starting point, but is not the finish line. After you have participated in our lodge for at least 6 months and have learned more about the idea of Cheerful Service to others, you can become a Brotherhood Honor member. Brotherhood is signified by a new sash with two red bars surrounding the arrow. In our lodge, you can become Brotherhood at a Lodge Ordeal or Fellowship.
Our lodge also has a special award called the Japeechen award, which is given by the lodge Chief or Adviser to recognize when a member has made an extra effort on behalf of the lodge and has set an example to others. Any lodge member can receive this award.
Additional recognitions given to Arrowmen for their unselfish service to others include the Vigil Honor, the Founder’s Award, and the Distinguished Service Award. You can find out more about these awards in your OA Handbook.
Outside of a Scout’s initial induction weekend, we do credit 8 community service hours per additional Induction Weekend / Pow Wow they attend (unless their specific position at the event required more than 8 hours of service time). As lodge members attend lodge events or lodge-wide projects, our Membership Committee tracks the hours involved. It is up to each scout’s local N.H.S. chapter’s guidelines on what hours are accepted.

Scheduling Your Election/Visitation

Unit elections and visitations have recently been revamped to run through our database known as Lodgemaster. The unit leader of each unit should receive an email at the beginning of the election sesaon. If you have not received this email or your unit leader has not mentioned such an email, but still want to hold unit elections, please email the Vice Chief of Administration at vca@japeechen341.org.

Lodge Officers

Position Name Email
Lodge Chief   chief@japeechen341.org
Vice Chief of Admin   vca@japeechen341.org
Vice Chief of Program Kieran L. vcp@japeechen341.org
Treasurer Michael V. treasurer@japeechen341.org
Secretary Aidan M. secretary@japeechen341.org
Northern Chapter Chief Caitlyn D. north@japeechen341.org
Southern Chapter Chief Aidan M. south@japeechen341.org
Lodge Adviser Anna DeLanoy adviser@japeechen341.org
Associate Lodge Adviser   associate@japeechen341.org
Webmaster   webmaster@japeechen341.org
Lodge Staff Adviser Frank Bopp Frank.Bopp@scouting.org
Supreme Chief of the Fire Jim Gillick James.Gillick@scouting.org
 
 
 

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Calendar

  • Fall Ordeal 2023
    September 15, 2023 to September 17