By Gabriel Martinez
When looking towards the future of the Order of the Arrow, we look to the Cub Scouts. As Arrowmen commonly hear at meetings, training events and other happenings, Scouting's “boys in blue” represent the future generation of Arrowmen. In Section NE-4B, the conclave and section leadership team has worked over the past several years to incorporate a "cubclave" program, which functions as a mini-conclave experience for the local Cub Scouts.
Cubclave has been around for some time now and over the last two years the program has nearly tripled in attendance. Cubclave chairman Dawlton Nelson notes that this program is “a chance for Cub Scouts to get introduced to Arrowmen and have a great time doing so. It is a great recruiting tool for us further down the road.” Therefore, section leadership has utilized this aspect of conclave to excite Cub Scouts about the Scouting program. Throughout the Saturday of the conclave, Cub Scouts engage in various activities such as making bottle rockets, shooting archery and BB guns and hearing from representatives from the wildlife commission.
The event has become a hallmark of the section, having presented it at the Northeast Region Gathering of Leaders (the region’s Section Officers’ Seminar). Past NE-4B Section Chief Tanner Lashinsky, who had a major role in forming the cubclave program, also trains on how the OA can better serve Cub Scouts across the region and nation.
NE-4B Section Chief Jonathon Chester is very passionate about this program. "We really stress that the Cub Scouts are the future of the OA. We stress to them that these events are headed by the youth brothers, and that they can be these same youth one day," he said.
Chester went on to mention that the joint event has proven successful, and that the next cubclave will be bigger than ever. He said "I want to see consistency and momentum growing… maybe down the road we can move this into the regional level to reach more youth.
For more resources the Northeast Region has created to strengthen the relationship between the OA and the Cub Scout program, please visit northeast.oa-bsa.org.
