About the Order of the Arrow:

For over 100 years, the Order of the Arrow (OA) has recognized Scouts and Scouters who exemplify the Scout Oath and Law daily. The OA is Scouting’s National Honor Society. As an integral part of Scouting America, the OA delivers peer-led advanced leadership experiences that help to build lifelong bonds through service and enrich each member’s Scouting journey. OA members are defined by the fellowship they share, service to others, commitment to personal growth, and self-driven initiative to make a difference in their community.

Vision:

To be why Scouts want to stay in Scouting.

Mission:

To achieve the mission of Scouting America through transformative fellowship that ignites limitless Scouting journeys.

Purpose:

As Scouting’s National Honor Society, we forge lifelong bonds among the leaders in Scouting and:

• Recognize those who exemplify the Scout Oath and Law in their daily lives and, through that recognition, cause others to act in the same way.

• Reinforce a life purpose of leadership in cheerful service to others.

• Create and deliver peer-led, adult-guided, advanced leadership experiences for Scouts and Scouters that positively impact their unit, community, and ultimately our nation.

• Be an integral part of Scouting America and encourage participation in all it offers through units, outdoor adventures, and national events to further the Scouting experience.

More Information about the Order of the Arrow can be found by visiting the About Section of our website. 

How the Order of the Arrow Benefits My Unit:

Over the years, we have heard from Unit Leaders who say the Order of the Arrow takes youth away from their unit. It is our goal to ensure this is not the case. It is important for an Arrowman to understand that their duty is to his or her unit first and foremost. After all, they are the ones who elected them to become members of the Order of the Arrow.

The Order of the Arrow provides leadership opportunities found nowhere else in Scouting, especially for older Scouts. Even with the most active unit programs, older youth tend to burn out and become less active in Scouting. The Order of the Arrow provides a unique method for them to grow and thrive at being a leader. 

In fact, the Order of the Arrow is one of the best tools for units to retain older youth. Scouts who are active in the Order of the Arrow, regardless of rank, typically remain active in Scouting longer and are more passionate about the program. These youth gather additional skills and resources to better their units. 

The Order of the Arrow also promotes Scout Camping. Units that have active Arrowmen tend to have a stronger camping program. 

The Order of the Arrow builds lasting friendships. While cheerful service and leadership skills are great products of the Order of the Arrow, it is the relationships that Arrowmen build with each other that make the organization so strong and, in turn, provide the most benefits to the unit. By having active Arrowmen, your unit now has an additional network of resources to deliver the Best Scouting Program. 

Membership Requirements:

Unit elections are permitted in Scouts BSA, Venturing, and Sea Scout units. The Order of the Arrow membership requirements are as follows:

• Be a registered member of Scouting America.

• Have experienced 15 nights of Scout camping while registered with a troop, crew, or ship within the two years immediately prior to the election. The 15 nights must include one, but no more than one, long-term camp consisting of at least five consecutive nights of overnight camping, approved and under the auspices and standards of Scouting America. Only five nights of the long-term camp may be credited toward the 15-night camping requirement; the balance of the camping (10 nights) must be overnight, weekend, or other short-term camps of, at most, three nights each. Ship nights may be counted as camping for Sea Scouts.

• At the time of their election, youth must be under the age of 21, and hold one of the following ranks corresponding to the type of unit in which they are being considered for election: Scouts BSA First Class rank, the Venturing Discovery rank, or the Sea Scout Ordinary rank or higher, and following approval by the Scoutmaster, Crew Advisor or Sea Scout Skipper, be elected by the youth members of their unit.

• Adults (age 21 or older) who meet the camping requirements may be selected following nomination to and approval by the lodge adult selection committee.

Unit Visitations and Unit Elections:

Each year, members of Scouts BSA Troops, Venturing Crews, and Sea Scout Ships are selected by their units to become members in Scouting’s National Honor Society, the Order of the Arrow (OA). Each Scouts BSA Troop, Venturing Crew, and Sea Scout Ship is strongly encouraged to hold an Order of the Arrow Unit Visitation each year.

Unit visitations provide the Lodge an opportunity to talk with your Scouts about the Order of the Arrow’s Program, Council Camping Opportunities, and recognize eligible members of the unit by electing them into the Order of the Arrow.

Unit Visitations and Unit Elections usually run from February to November of each scouting year 

Scouts BSA Troops, Venturing Crews, and Sea Scout Ships: 

• To schedule a Unit Visitation and/or Unit Election, use the link provided in your unit election scheduling request email(s). 

  • • • These emails are sent from no-reply-382@lodgemaster.oa-scouting.org about every 14 days as the request link is only valid for 14 days. 

• We are NO LONGER able to accept requests via email, verbal, or postal for Unit Visitation and/or Unit Election as ALL Requests, must now go through a Unit Portal provided by the National Order of the Arrow.

Please Note: All unit elections must be conducted by trained visitation teams. Units are not to conduct their own Order of the Arrow Unit Elections.

For More details on Unit Elections Click Here

Other Types of Requests a unit can make (year around):

• Cub Scout Packs - Can request a Unit Visitation by visiting the request a visit page found here and using the request link provided.

• Ceremonies (Example- Eagle Court of Honor) can be requested by visiting the request a visit page found here and using the request link provided.

Have More Questions:

If you have any questions about the Order of the Arrow, Unit Visitation, or Unit Election, please contact our Unit Relations Team Here