Crossover & Arrow of Light for Packs and Troops

Cub Scout Packs and Scouts BSA Troops need to understand the differences between a Crossover ceremony and an Arrow Of Light ceremony. Not all Webelos Cub Scouts achieve the Arrow Of Light award, But when they are old enough they all crossover to a Troop. Choosing a ceremony can be a daunting task. There are some basic principles to keep in mind when selecting which ceremony would be best. Remember that a Cub Scout deserves their moment on stage for parents to take lots of pictures. This is a major change in a scout's life and good documentation of that moment should always be encouraged. Traditions are grand but not ones that are predictable and boring. Making the ceremony meaningful but not over lengthy will also help. Don't forget your resources. The Troop can help out with the ceremony and even the Order of the Arrow (OA) can help.

LINKS:
🌐 Webelos-to-Scout Ceremonies: https://troopresources.scouting.org/w...
📃 Official OA, Webelos to Scouts BSA & Arrow of Light Ceremonies (PDF): https://oa-bsa.org/uploads/inductions...
🎬 Recruitment Team:    • Your Recruitment Team  
🎬 Crossovers by the Order of the Arrow:    • Crossovers & Arrow Of Light Ceremonies by ...  
🎬 Scout Facing or Backstage:    • New Leaders – Understanding Scout Facing o...  
🩳 Crossover & Arrow of Light for Packs and Troops Short:    • Crossover & Arrow of Light for Packs and T...  
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⚠️ Warning: In a recent poll here on the channel, over 60% of Troops rely too heavily on crossovers for new members. What will be the fate of a Troop if the “feeder” Pack, folds? All units need to actively recruit from more than one source.

🔑 Show Notes:
This is important information that Packs and Troops need to understand. Crews should understand the process. Troop leaders, please review the process of the ceremonies as this is not just a Cub Scout thing. What is the difference between a Cross-Over and the Arrow of Light ceremony? Not every cub scout achieves the AOL award. All cub scouts (Weblows) age out and should Cross-Over to a Troop. Arrow of Light ceremony (14.4 million on Google Serch) and Crossover ceremony (10.2 million on Google Serch). So I’m not going to go into any great detail on them, but here are some things to consider.
Timing of the ceremony – Each scout should have their moment on stage or the bridge. Parents need that opportunity the take pictures and videos of the Scout. Finding the balance of meaningful moments and long speeches. Try to remember your audience of younger cub scouts and older grandparents that can't make it through a 90-minute ceremony.
Traditions or is it just the way we do it? – Be careful not to fall into the trap of “that’s the way we do it”. Some tradition is a good thing. Mixing it up with new ceremonies will breathe new life into your pack. Remember that the audience will see this event serval times before their youth participate in it.
Mixed Ceremonies – This can be confusing to everyone without a page-numbered script, and that includes your audience. Keep your ceremonies brief and to the point. Read through the scripts carefully and think about the audience.
Use your resources – The Troop will often have older youth in the OA. The OA has ceremonies for crossover. The Troop may invite the Pack to camp out with them and do the crossover at the campfire. Parents crossover too! There are ceremonies for that as well. Positions for scout-facing and backstage.

⏱ Time Stamp & Video Jump List:
0:00 Crossover & Arrow of Light for Packs and Troops
0:47 Crossover and ALO Ceremonies
1:59 Finding a Ceremony
2:31 Timing of the Ceremony
3:45 Traditions
4:23 Mixed Ceremonies
5:21 Troop Resources
6:31 OA Ceremonies Team
6:53 Troop Ceremony
8:15 Memories of Ceremonies

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