Following preliminary release at the 2000 NOAC, a newly revamped OA Troop/Team Representative Support Pak is now available for download directly from the National Order of the Arrow Web Site.

Included in the Support Pak are job descriptions, program information, and resources that OA Troop and Team Representatives can use to help them implement the position in their units. New items to the Support Pak since the 2000 NOAC edition include some successful programming ideas from lodges across the country and an additional appendix containing information about camping resources available for free on the Internet.

In addition to the Support Pak, other OA Troop/Team Representative program support materials will be released in the coming year, including one aimed specifically at Scoutmasters and Varsity Coaches. Further updates to the program and this document will be available on the National Web Site as they are released. Earlier this year, the 2001 Resource Book, highlighting the OA Troop/Team Representative program and creative ideas for implementing new programs, was distributed to all lodges upon completion of the recharter process.

According to Danny Ritchie, OA Troop/Team Representative program coordinator for Egwa Tawa Dee #129, Atlanta Area Council, "The lodge succeeds with the troop, and the troop succeeds with the lodge. The Troop Representative brings these together, and the boy becomes the success."

The OA Troop/Team Representative program was started in 1999 as a national Order of the Arrow program. It has now been adopted by the Boy Scouts of America as a leadership position, and as such, it fulfills the leadership requirement for Boy Scout rank advancement. As each Arrowman learns during his Order of the Arrow Ordeal, service to his unit is of primary importance; the Unit Representative Program allows him serve his unit while also serving his lodge.

The Unit Representative's primary responsibilities are to organize service opportunities within the unit; to coordinate unit involvement with the Order of the Arrow, including Unit Elections, Camp Promotions, and Inductions; and to request lodge and chapter resources to help meet unit programming needs. In this sense, the position is of service to the unit, to the lodge, and to the council. For more information on the position, see the Troop/Team Representative Information page on the National Web Site or contact your local council.

2000 National Chief Carey Mignerey says, "With the Troop/Team Representative as a liaison between the Order of the Arrow and the troop or team, the mission of the Order... will be advanced. The camp promotions process will be smoother, leading to greater numbers of Scouts at summer camp. The position creates a vehicle to strengthen the ties between the OA and the individual BSA troop or team, helping to retain older Scouts. Additionally, with the organization of service projects, Boy Scouts and Varsity Scouts will be seen actively helping others in their communities."

Revised 04/18/01