How membership works
- 1Be an active camper and cheerful servant — the OA recognizes exactly this.
- 2Get elected — fellow unit members vote for candidates based on camping and service.
- 3Complete the Ordeal — the induction into Ordeal membership.
- 4Advance in the OA — Brotherhood (after a period), and rarely the Vigil Honor.
- 5Serve — camping promotion, service projects, and leadership through your lodge and chapter.
What the OA is
- Three membership levels — Ordeal (new members), Brotherhood (a deeper commitment after a period), and the rare Vigil Honor for distinguished service.
- Organized into lodges and chapters tied to councils and districts.
- Its purposes — recognize those who live the ideals, promote camping, develop leadership, and render cheerful service. Members wear the OA sash (never at the same time as the merit badge sash).
Notes
- Standard youth protection applies to OA events, elections, and the Ordeal.
- Election is peer-based and fair — members are chosen by their peers for genuine camping and service, not politics.
- Serve cheerfully — the OA's whole identity is cheerful service, not status.
Going deeper
- Brotherhood of Cheerful Service. The OA's identity in three words — recognized for service, and committed to more of it.
- Elected by your peers. OA membership is unusual: your fellow scouts elect you, based on your camping and service — not an application.
- Ordeal, Brotherhood, Vigil. Most members are Ordeal or Brotherhood; the Vigil Honor is rare and distinguished.
Official source
Order of the Arrow — Scouting America →The OA overview is paraphrased. Founding, membership levels, and structure should be confirmed against the official OA resources; OA ceremony and ritual text is closely held and is never reproduced here.