Tendeuchen Chapter
Troop and Team
Representatives

The Order of the Arrow Troop Representative serves as the primary contact person between the members in the OA in your Troop and the OA Chapter and Lodge. It is an official leadership position that can be counted towards rank advancement. The OA Troop Representative:

• Serves as a communication link between the lodge or chapter and the troop
• Encourages year round and resident camping in the troop, and participation of older Scouts in high adventure programs
• Encourages Scouts to actively participate in community service projects
• Assists with leadership skills training in the troop
• Encourages Arrowmen in the troop to be active participants in the lodge and/or chapter activities and to seal their membership in the Order by becoming Brotherhood members
• Is appointed by the Senior Patrol Leader and reports to the Assistant Senior Patrol Leader

Having an active OA Representative can help your Troop by:

• Serving as link between the Order of the Arrow and the troop, making the unit election and camp promotion processes smoother
• Strengthening the ties between the OA and your troop, which can help with the retention of older Scouts
• Coordinating the OA calendar with that of your troop, preventing OA members from having to choose between OA functions and unit events
• Organizing service projects, providing greater opportunity for community service hours that are required for rank advancement, and allowing Boy Scouts to be seen actively helping others in their communities
• Meeting experienced Arrowmen from other units who may be able to share their knowledge to augment your troop program

Resources

Need help as an OA Representative in your Troop or Team? A guide that provides some useful information is available here in Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) format.

Below is some additional, more detailed information about the OA Representative. It is also available here in MS Word (.doc) format or here in Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) format.

What Is the OA Troop/Team Representative?

The Troop/Team Representative program was begun in 1999, and is a program of the Order of the Arrow that has been officially adopted by the Boy Scouts of America. The OA Representative is now an official leadership position within the troop or team, and boys can earn time towards their leadership rank requirements, just as with Den Chief, Troop Scribe, or any of the other leadership positions.

How Does your Unit Benefit from the OA Troop/Team Representative Program?

• With the Troop/Team Representative as a liaison between the Order of the Arrow and the troop or team, the camp promotions process will be smoother, leading to greater numbers of Scouts at summer camp.
• It creates a vehicle to strengthen the ties between the OA and the individual BSA troop or team. This will help with the retention of older Scouts.
• The coordination of the OA calendar with that of the troop or team will prevent OA members from having to choose between OA functions and unit events.
• With the organization of service projects, there will be greater opportunity for community service hours that are required for rank advancement, and Boy Scouts and Varsity Scouts will be seen actively helping others in their communities.
• Experienced Arrowmen from other units who may be able to share their knowledge can be sought out by the OA Representative to augment the troop program.
• It creates more opportunities for leadership in the troop or team for both youth and adults, effectively increasing membership retention.

What Are the Responsibilities of the Troop/Team Representative?

There are numerous possibilities for the job description of the OA Representative. The beauty is that it is flexible enough to allow your unit to fine-tune the exact responsibilities. However, the most basic tasks of the Representative will be to coordinate service opportunities within the unit, to coordinate unit involvement with the Order of the Arrow, including Unit Elections, Camp Promotions, and Inductions, and request lodge and chapter resources to help meet unit needs.

Who Can Serve as a Troop/Team Representative?

Anyone in the unit who is under the age of 18 can serve as the OA Representative for the unit, provided he is a dues-paid member of the Order of the Arrow. He should be appointed by the Senior Patrol Leader or Varsity Team Captain, and will be a member of the Patrol Leaders' Council and attend lodge and chapter meetings.

Will There Be an Adviser for the Troop/Team Representative?

As with all positions in the Order of the Arrow, the OA Representative should have an adult as his Adviser. This adult needs to be 21 years of age or older, a dues-paid member of the Order of the Arrow, and be appointed by the Scoutmaster. This adult is usually an Assistant Scoutmaster or a Committee Member.

Does This Position Count for Rank Advancement?

Scouts may use the Order of the Arrow Troop/Team Representative position to meet the leadership position requirements for the Star, Life, and Eagle ranks. As BSA publications are revised and updated, they will include this new position.

OA Troop Representative Job Description:

An Order of the Arrow Troop Representative is a youth liaison serving between the local OA lodge or chapter and his troop. In his troop, he serves as a communication and programmatic link to the Arrowman and adult leaders and Scouts who are not presently members of the Order. He does this in a fashion that strengthens the mission of the lodge and purpose of the Order. By setting a good example, he enhances the image of the Order as a service arm to his troop.

OA Troop Representative Duties:

• Serves as a communication link between the lodge or chapter and the troop
• Encourages year round and resident camping in the troop
• Encourages older Scout participation in high adventure programs
• Encourages Scouts to actively participate in community service projects
• Assists with leadership skills training in the troop
• Encourages Arrowmen to assume leadership positions in the troop
• Encourages Arrowmen in the troop to be active participants in the lodge and/or chapter activities and to seal their membership in the Order by becoming Brotherhood members
• Sets a good example
• Enthusiastically wears the Scout uniform correctly
• Lives by the Scout Oath, Scout Law and OA Obligation
• Shows Scout spirit
• Reports to the Assistant Senior Patrol Leader

OA Troop Representative Qualifications:

• Under 18 years old
• Appointed by SPL with SM approval
• OA member in good standing

Still have questions?

Please feel free to contact the Tendeuchen Chapter Advisor, Aaron Wyckoff, at (614) 406-8080 or by e-mail at spoons214@yahoo.com.

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This page is maintained by Aaron Wyckoff. Last updated January 3, 2009.