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Trail To Brotherhood Brotherhood Attainment. By: Brad Denbo. Goals / Objectives. This session will provide:. An overview of the Trail to Brotherhood from the perspective of both the individual Ordeal member and the lodge
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Trail To BrotherhoodBrotherhood Attainment By: Brad Denbo
Goals / Objectives This session will provide: • An overview of the Trail to Brotherhood from the perspective of both the individual Ordeal member and the lodge • An overview of program approaches the lodge can use to support the Trail to Brotherhood
“In the Ordeal, the Order of the Arrow accepts the new member; In the Brotherhood, the individual accepts the lodge and the ideals of the order.”
The Age Old Question: How will the lodge support, encourage, and help the new Arrowmen in this learning process?
Learning Stage • The time immediately after the Ordeal weekend, when the individual is trying to identify what the basic principles of the Order of the Arrow are.
Applying the Ideals Stage • The individual explores the application of the Order of the Arrow’s principles to his own life. • Marks the beginning of an Arrowman’s understanding that his efforts in his Scout unit are related to the Obligation and his membership in the Order. • The Individual begins to apply the lessons of the Ordeal to his responsibilities in his unit.
Decision Stage • The individual consciously chooses to accept the principles of the Order of the Arrow, the lessons of the Ordeal, and membership in the lodge as an important part of his life. • This stage includes the Brotherhood Ceremony. • The new Brotherhood member continues to develop his understanding of how experiences in his Scout unit are related to the principles of the Order and the Ordeal weekend experience.
Information Stage • The time after the Ordeal Ceremony when the lodge’s primary concern is ensuring that essential information about the Order, the lodge, and the Trail to Brotherhood is communicated to the new member.
“In Troop” Stage • The time when the Ordeal member may have minimal contact with the lodge; most of his time and energy is devoted to his troop. From the perspective of lodge leadership, this is the most unstructured and challenging time period in terms of maintaining communication and providing support and encouragement to the Ordeal member. The lodge must meet the difficult challenge of balancing the need to make Ordeal members feel welcome without introducing any inappropriate expectations.
The “Brotherhood Event” • Weekend / Day of the Brotherhood ceremony • The time defined by the length of the lodge program that includes the Brotherhood ceremony. While it includes the actual ceremony, it is not limited just to that; activities such as the Brotherhood Hike are also part of this stage.
“The mission of the lodge is to achieve the purpose of the Order of the Arrow as an integral part of the Boy Scouts of America in the council…”
“To recognize those Scouts and Scouters who best exemplify the Scout Oath and Law” and “to crystallize the Scout habit of helpfulness into a lifelong commitment to service.”
New member orientations Letters to new members Articles in lodge newletters (The Call of the Cahuilla) Discussion Sessions Extended Elangomat system The Brotherhood Hike Ideas
Consider the Following • Unique characteristics of our lodge • The resources available in the lodge for each stage in the time between Ordeal and Brotherhood ceremonies (minimum: 10 months) • The strengths and weaknesses of each of the ideas discussed earlier
Conclusion • Brotherhood membership provides the individual with the opportunity to consciously and clearly state that these ideals and the Order are important in the individuals life.
There are several stages that comprise the Trail to Brotherhood, with each stage having a different focus. These stages can be described from two complementary perspectives – individual Ordeal member or lodge leadership – and have different lengths and characteristics depending on the perspective used.
The most important thing that a lodge can do is to encourage individuals in the Trail to Brotherhood and help them learn more about the principles of the order. • There are various elements of the Order of the Arrow program that can be used to encourage individuals to become Brotherhood members. Some elements are more appropriate at a particular stage of the process; others can be used in several stages.