Dear section advisers,
Thank you for your willingness to join us at the 2015 National Order of the Arrow Planning Meeting! The event, to be held December 27-30th, 2015 at the Marriott Solana in Westlake, TX, will be filled with unique previews of up-and-coming Order of the Arrow programs, idea and resource exchanges, productive conversations and presentations, and much more. We’d like to share with you a few notes as you prepare for the planning meeting experience of the century:
ARRIVAL INFORMATION
Once you land at the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport on December 27th, grab your bags and head to Terminal C, baggage claim C31, where a uniformed representative will meet you and provide your transportation to the Marriott Solana Hotel. You can check in and receive your room credentials with the Order of the Arrow staff set up in the lobby of the hotel.
PROGRAM INFORMATION
The meeting will begin promptly at 5:00pm. with a fellowship reception followed by dinner. Be sure to look sharp in your field uniform with OA sash for both events. Dinner will be followed by a presentation that asks an important question: Why NEXT? This information will be vital to your section chiefs as they work throughout the rest of the meeting to plan the 2016 program of emphasis — NEXT: A New Century.
From there, section chiefs will proceed directly into the national chief and vice chief election. Section advisers and national committee members will take part in a discussion and presentation on the Journey to Excellence program.
The next morning will include two special presentations for section chiefs and the National Order of the Arrow Committee meeting. A photo session will follow, during which individual photos of planning meeting attendees will be taken.
In the afternoon, the 2016 officers will be installed, and a planning meeting-wide general session on NEXT will be held. Your section chiefs will receive their program committee assignments for NEXT and will breakout into committee meetings. From there, section advisers will take part in a special overview of an initiative seeking to replace the Lodge Assistance Program. This is the same initiative that was presented to you at your region’s section officer seminar this fall. We ask that you bring the same great ideas, critiques and questions that you had in those discussions to this overview.
On Tuesday, December 29th, section advisers will participate in yet another program preview of the new Developing Youth Leadership training. This program is aimed at providing advisers in the Order of the Arrow with the tools that they need to foster lifelong leadership skills in the youth that they advise.
Of course, the planning meeting is not 100% strictly business. You will have the chance to enjoy fellowship with other planning meeting attendees, as well as see firsthand the exciting things happening in the Order of the Arrow.
On December 30th, continental breakfast will be served and we each will depart our separate ways, ready to take on our second century.
As we approach the start of the 2015 NPM, we ask that you carefully review this information, as well as the information sent to you a few weeks ago, to be fully prepared for the experience. Questions can be directed to the national Order of the Arrow director, Matt Dukeman, at matthew.dukeman@scouting.org, or to either of us.
We look forward to planning the Order’s future with you in just a few short days!
With excitement for the road ahead,
| Alex Call 2015 National Chief 2015chief@oa-bsa.org @OANationalChief |
Donnie Stephens 2015 National Vice Chief 2015vicechief@oa-bsa.org @OANationalVC |