Building The Team
Conclaves cannot be put together by 2 or 3 people. It takes a coherent team of youth leaders under the age of 21, with the assistance of capable advisers, to make a conclave program run. For this reason, sections develop a large team in preparation for conclave.
Host Lodge Coordinator
Many sections choose the location of their conclave on a rotation, to ensure that each lodge gets the opportunity to host conclave at a council camp. It is typical that a coordinator or chairperson is appointed by the host lodge, with consultation with the section leadership, and this coordinator oversees all logistics at the host location. Think of this person as the manager of a hotel. In this scenario, the hotel is the host location, and the guests are lodge contingents from around the section. The host lodge coordinator typically works very closely with the section leadership, and the entire Council of Chiefs, to make sure that the conclave logistics are proceeding as needed.
Conclave Vice Chiefs
The most common way that sections build this leadership is to recruit a variety of conclave vice chiefs (CVCs) to oversee specific aspects of conclave. You may choose to appoint CVCs to oversee any particular aspect, including but not limited to:
- Training
- Shows
- Activities
- Special Events
- Trading Post
- Communications
When deciding on the CVCs for the upcoming conclave, think about the aspects of your conclave that you want to have, and be prepared with solid role descriptions for each CVC, prior to offering anyone any role.
Advisers
One of the most crucial groups in the success of a conclave are advisers. Advisers often have experienced multiple conclaves, and may have even served as a CVC or section officer in their youth. It is vital that advisers are part of the conclave planning process, and many section advisers assign a specific adviser for each CVC to work with, so that all youth leadership is supported.
Recruiting The Team
When selecting members of your team, think of the following:
- Is this someone who works hard?
- Is this someone who will come up with creative ideas?
- Can this person communicate effectively?
- Do I see this person taking my role eventually?
These basic questions you ask yourself will help you build a team of top-notch CVCs and their advisers. Another aspect to keep in mind is to include members from all of the lodges in your section, this will help the entire section buy into a conclave.
Resources For Getting Started
Field Operations Handbook
This handbook provides details on OA national and regional organization, section rules, section conclave guidelines, and section training.
Organization Chart Template
A fillable document for a visual representation of a conclave organization.
Council Of Chiefs Roster Template
The fillable template provides contact information for the Council of Chiefs.
Conclave Vice Chief Position Descriptions
The document provides sample descriptions for some potential conference vice chief positions the section leadership may choose to include.