Upon completion of this session, participants will:

• Understand the importance of planning lodge service events.
• Gain experience in planning lodge service events.
• Gain awareness of service events carried out by other lodges.
• Gain skills in improving the quality of lodge service events.

• Flipchart and easel or dry-erase board with markers.
• Masking tape.
• Copies of necessary handouts.

Prior to the arrival of the participants, put the following on your flipchart or the dry-erase board.

• Fundamentals For Successful Lodge Events.
• "How To’s" Of Service Projects.
• Your Name.
• Your Lodge Name and Location.

Who can tell me what these words mean?

Yes, we are the Brotherhood of Cheerful Service. For the next 50 minutes, we will be discussing the meaning of the third of these three important words --SERVICE. We will focus on the foundations necessary for planning events which deal with the cornerstone of our organization -- SERVICE.

The success of this session depends on your involvement. Please don’t be afraid to discuss and ask questions along the way. We are all here to learn. On the other hand, I have the responsibility to make sure that the session keeps moving; we are only given 50 minutes.

What does the word service imply?

(Trainer: Ask rhetorically and guide participants to follow along in the Order of the Arrow Guidebook.)

Who can give me an example of service?

(Trainer: Take list from participants and write on flipchart.)

Let’s take a few minutes to review what the Order of the Arrow Handbook has to tell us as Arrowmen about service and our role in fulfilling the Order’s purpose.

On page 7 of the Order of the Arrow Handbook, we are told that "We who bear the obligation of the Order of the Arrow, mindful of our high tradition, ponder that which is our purpose, and do pledge ourselves to cheerful service."

On page 10, we read: "... The Order’s function is to spread the spirit of brotherhood and cheerful service. "

Who could read for us, the list of ways in which we can serve our lodge? The list in found on page 44 of the Order of the Arrow Handbook.

• Camping promotion visits to posts, troops, and packs
• Publishing a "Where To Go Camping Booklet"
• Weekend camp improvement projects
• Sponsorship of Junior Leader Training programs
• Conducting Order of the Arrow elections to units
• Conducting campfires and calling-out ceremonies

• Logistics -- people may be working in many different areas
• Communication
• Scheduling -- it may be difficult to provide an accurate schedule for work projects
• Promotion!!

• 7 P’s !!

Let’s focus on non-scouting oriented service. Communication is essential. When scouts are involved in a project, they are very visible (the white sashes make them stand out even more). If any one part of the project doesn’t go exactly as planned, it will be noticed. Not only do you need to make sure that your fellow Arrowmen are happy, you need to be conscious of making any non-scouts recognize the importance of the project you are completing.

One very important way that your lodge can provide service is through the Service to America Program. The Boy Scouts of America has accepted President Clinton’s proposal to provide 200,000,000 hours of community service from January, 1998 to December 31, 2000. This means that each scout must provide 12 hours each year to his community. The Order of the Arrow has agreed to organize this great effort. How can your lodge carry out its responsibility?

Now is the time for you to take action. Allow me to pose for you a situation: You and your team are visiting a troop to promote summer camp and the Service to America Program. The troop is very excited to get started, but is unsure how to go about it. They ask you to help them to develop a service project. What are you going to do?

Before you begin, here are some considerations for you to keep in mind. You may wish to write them down: Who will you service? What will your focus be? How much time do you want to devote to the project? How will you encourage Arrowmen and non-Arrowmen to participate? Now, arrange yourselves into groups of 5-8 Arrowmen and develop your mock service event.

(Trainer: Give them 10 minutes to complete their plan. When they are done, ask 2 or 3 groups to share their plans)

Now that you have had the opportunity to help a unit plan a project for Service to America, lets share ideas that your lodges and troops have had for service events and projects. Many of our service experiences in the Order revolve around our camps and setting up ordeal weekends. Are there other ways that we can, or that your lodges have been able to fulfill our purpose of service? To get us started, let’s look at the form I just handed you from the Service To America Packet which each of your councils received. Are there any project ideas here that catch your eye?

In completing this session, we have laid the fundamentals necessary for planning a lodge service event which will make the lodge a successful organization. When an organization is successful, its members are inspired to remain active.

Thank you for your participation, and enjoy the remainder of the 2001 Conclave

Order of the Arrow Handbook