Order of the Arrow Boy Scouts of America Creating an effective OA Representative Program

Order of the Arrow Boy Scouts of America OA Troop Representative Background Created in 1999 Was created to establish an official leadership position in the troop Was the first time in the history of the BSA that OA had a formal role in the units.

Order of the Arrow Boy Scouts of America Reasons for the OA Rep Program Increase communication flow in the OA all the way to the troop level from the lodge and chapter. Allow a representative from the troop to address the troop formally about upcoming OA events Increase OA participation by allowing a member of a troop to take a more active role in OA

Order of the Arrow Boy Scouts of America General Communication Structures There are 2 general communication structures in the OA They are really suited by the size of the chapter It is important to understand how your flow of communication works. These are by no means the correct ways, but basic ideas that have worked for others

Order of the Arrow Boy Scouts of America 1st General Communication Structure of the OA Lodge Chapter Officers OA Troop Representative Chairmen LiaisonTroop Rep 1TroopTroop Rep 2TroopLiaisonTroop Rep 3TroopTroop Rep 4TroopLiaisonTroop Rep 5TroopTroop Rep 6Troop

Order of the Arrow Boy Scouts of America 2nd General Communication Structure of the OA Lodge Chapter Officers OA Troop Representative Chairmen Troop Rep 1 Troop Troop Rep 2 Troop Troop Rep 3 Troop Troop Rep 4 Troop

Order of the Arrow Boy Scouts of America Challenges implementing the program Unit Buy-in Recruitment Commitment Communication Awareness

Order of the Arrow Boy Scouts of America Unit Buy- in issues Some scoutmasters dont see the need for the program This makes it difficult to implement the program Often it will leave those troops out of the communication loop for OA events This in turn causes lower attendance

Order of the Arrow Boy Scouts of America Unit Buy- In Solutions Attempt to visit the unit or the scoutmaster to talk about OA representation Reach out to members of the troop that you may see at events When camp promotions are done, have the promoter talk to the Scoutmaster about OA Rep

Order of the Arrow Boy Scouts of America Recruitment - issues Not the most exciting position to hold Often not recognized much during troop or OA events Requires communication to the troops more than once

Order of the Arrow Boy Scouts of America Recruitment - Solutions Create a rewards program and recognize the OA reps at Chapter events Utilize chairmen at a CEM to help call OA reps and troops Have to OA Rep chairmen visit troops that are more difficult when it comes to electing an OA Rep

Order of the Arrow Boy Scouts of America Awareness - issues Some scoutmasters are not aware of the position and therefore do not use the position in their troop Members of the troop who dont have a lot of active OA members may not know what the position is or that it even exists

Order of the Arrow Boy Scouts of America Awareness – Solutions Use camp promotion as a time to run OA rep by the troops that are problematic in attaining an OA Rep Discuss OA Rep at round table events Announce OA Rep and what it is at chapter meetings Ties back to recognition program

Order of the Arrow Boy Scouts of America Communication – Issues Phone calls are time consuming Utilization of all available resources

Order of the Arrow Boy Scouts of America Communication – Solutions Utilize multiple people on the OA rep job if needed (ie: committee) Create lists in order to send out monthly to the OA reps (does not replace phone calls) Create a webpage that OA Reps can visit to get information quickly

Order of the Arrow Boy Scouts of America Commitment – issues Commitment commonly declines as the year goes on Just because the Lodge requirements for 100% OA rep chairmen is in January doesnt mean that OA rep is done How frequent?

Order of the Arrow Boy Scouts of America Commitment Solutions Just because the Lodge requirements for 100% OA rep chairmen is in January doesnt mean that OA rep is done Create goals throughout the year that allows the communication flow to continue OA Reps should be contacted at least 3 weeks before the event, this gives them plenty of time to communicate to their troop

Order of the Arrow Boy Scouts of America Forms of Communication Utilizing them to your benefit

Order of the Arrow Boy Scouts of America Phone Calls Best communication medium for OA Rep Utilize as many people as needed to make OA Rep successful Remember to keep them professional, you are representing the OA

Order of the Arrow Boy Scouts of America s A quick way to send out a reminder to the OA Reps Make sure to keep them professional, address them in a manner that is respectful and grammatically correct. You are representing the OA in all of your s so please keep this in mind when communicating through and phone calls

Order of the Arrow Boy Scouts of America Web pages A very effective way to promote events and notify troop reps of upcoming event by posting them on a website Also allows you to give a central location for looking up information This also allows other members of your chapter to look up this information as well

Order of the Arrow Boy Scouts of America Web Pages – examples hp hp

Order of the Arrow Boy Scouts of America Lodge Website

Order of the Arrow Boy Scouts of America Social Networking Facebook, MySpace, Twitter Creating a group for your chapter is a great way to get the word out about events. This also can help inform OA reps about upcoming events that they need to start promoting

Order of the Arrow Boy Scouts of America Keeping accurate records Accurate records are essential We require that you send in your list of OA reps on December 1st and January 1 st to prove that you have 50% and 100% of your OA reps respectively The OA rep system on the Shawnee Google Apps is a great way to keep track Also using an Excel sheet will help keep track as well.

Order of the Arrow Boy Scouts of America Resources Other Chapters National OA Website

Order of the Arrow Boy Scouts of America The End