As we reflect on Hispanic Heritage Month, the Order of the Arrow is excited to celebrate and honor the importance that Hispanic American Arrowmen hold within our organization and community! Here are some testimonials from some of these Scouts.
Testimonials
Life Scout and Brotherhood Member Nina C.
"This wouldn’t be possible without the friends and activities Scouting has offered me. The most inconvenienced I have ever been because of my identity in scouts has been a key meeting held on a cultural holiday. Luckily this is an insignificant inconvenience with no harmful intent."
Keeping in mind different cultural holidays while planning Scouting events to ensure all Scouts are able to participate.
“While scouts may be less knowledgeable on people of color than other youth organizations I have participated in; that knowledge gap is consistently being minimized by efforts on the part of nationals. This is the treatment I am used to living in a diverse region: the San Francisco Bay Area. For example, the Citizenship in Society merit badge and the active work towards minimizing cultural appropriation in the Order of the Arrow. Additionally, there has been more localized effort like the acknowledgment of cultural history months and affinity spaces.”
Eagle Scout and Brotherhood Member Tara A.
“Coming to NOAC 2022, I saw more diversity within the OA than I could have imagined, and I attended the American Indian open forum, which helped me gain clarity on my responsibilities as a person of color in the OA…Being a person of color in the OA has given me the voice to speak for those who haven't yet been given the opportunity to be part of the OA."
Lodge Vice Chief of Social Media & Communications and Brotherhood Member Alex O.
“The OA has provided new opportunities for me to serve and to lead. At the National Leadership Seminar, I learned new leadership tools that helped me to redefine my vision of success.”