The induction ceremony, called the Ordeal, is the first step toward full membership in the Order. During the experience, candidates maintain silence, receive small amounts of food, work on camp improvement projects, and sleep apart from other campers. The entire experience is designed to teach significant values. All candidates for membership must complete the Ordeal.
As of January 1, 2023, candidates will have 18 months from the date of election to complete their Ordeal.
Attending your ordeal will be a great experience for you. You may have heard a lot of things about the Ordeal, but it is really a ceremony – not a camp as you are used to having. The Ordeal is a time for you to make some commitments and decisions that will make you ready to become a member of the Order of the Arrow. Plan on leaving all the usual things that occupy your mind and time at home.
Unless otherwise announced, plan on arriving at the Ordeal campsite on Friday night between 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. You will be finished on Sunday around 9:00 a.m., so please plan on being picked-up no later than 9:00 a.m. Also, eat dinner before arriving, as there will be no meals served on Friday night.
You will need to bring the following items with you:
- BSA Medical Form (parts A and B)
- Sleeping bag, sleeping pad, and ground cloth
- Pocketknife
- Canteen or water bottle
- Old work clothes & gloves that you do not mind getting dirty
- Full class ‘A’ uniform
- Poncho
- Warm jacket
- Hat
- Personal hygiene articles and required medications
You will not need a tent, food, or cooking gear. Also, do NOT bring any electronic gadgets (i.e., walkie-talkies, radios, Walkmans, iPods, electronic games, cellphones, etc…)
At your ordeal, you will be organized into a patrol-sized group of candidates with an experienced arrowman as your guide. We call him or her an Elangomat – it means friend. Your ordeal will begin Friday evening when you attend a campfire that will remind you of some of the commitments that you need to think about.
Again, don’t worry about your ordeal. There is nothing to be afraid of, in spite of what others may have said. It will be one of the great experiences in your scouting life – one that you will remember for a long time.