Each participant should have received an email from the NOAC 2018 app asking you to create your account and download the app onto your smartphone. The app will be your central place for information and updates during the conference along with access to the conference wide game. Each attendee’s personal schedule from NOAERS is available in the app, along with the full NOAC schedule, maps, and lots of other information about the conference.

If you are having problems accessing the app, please email noac-app@oa-bsa.org for support and someone on the technology team will be happy to help. Please note that if someone has newly been added it may take up to 24 hours for their invitation to go out. Please also note that some attendees received an email from the Contingent and Staff Services team that their email address was in use for more than one attendee. In order to use the app, a unique email address is required, so these attendees should follow the instructions they received and input an ‘App Email’ into NOAERS. After this is corrected, they should receive their invitation within 24 hours.

Download the NOAC App!

The post NOAC App appeared first on NOAC 2018.

For the first time, the Order of the Arrow is conducting a memorabilia auction at NOAC 2018. 100% of the proceeds will go to the National Order of the Arrow Endowment which enables us to deliver more program to more kids! The Endowment will have live auctions, nightly silent auctions, and also two rounds of eBay auctions. To check out the current auctions on eBay, go here. Many generous donations of patches and artifacts have been received.

The Endowment team is asking that each lodge donate its 2018 NOAC flap set and any other memorabilia it can collect from its members. Also, Arrowmen are asked to also donate items that they have collected for the auction too.

Funds raised from the auction will support the Order of the Arrow’s programs including the service grants, innovation grants, and support for the OA High Adventure programs. Individual donors will receive a letter memorializing, appreciating, and recognizing their donation.

Auction items can be delivered to the Auction Office located in the Fletchall Room in the tower of the Indiana Memorial Union once onsite at NOAC 2018.

The post NOAC Patch Memorabilia Auction appeared first on NOAC 2018.

New exhibits and activities will debut at this year’s Goodman Edson Observatory (GEO). The GEO’s staff is very excited to share these new discoveries and offer new activities to conference guests!

When the OA’s founder, E. Urner Goodman, retired, he was recognized as the Honorary National Chief of the Order of the Arrow. He was presented a unique fawn skin leather that will be on display for the first time in more than two decades. Every conference guest and staff member will want to be sure to see it at the GEO.

Breaking barriers of history in the 1930’s, Emerson James is the presumptive first African American Vigil Honor member. The Order of the Arrow recently acquired several of Emerson’s personal items that reflect his Scouting and OA experiences, including his Vigil Honor sash and patch vest with early Chicago segregated Scout patches included. These items and more will be part of his exhibit in the GEO.

Conference guests will have the opportunity to visit a new exhibit called “In Memorium.” This exhibit is a place to remember our brothers who have passed and their impacts on our lives. Guests can write names and memories in books which will be set up for that purpose.

Come and watch a painting come to life at the GEO. Josh Hunt, the Order’s Artist in Residence, will be painting and interacting with GEO guests throughout the duration of the conference. The painting, which is entitled Onward and Upward, will serve as a source of inspiration for GEO guests. Stop by to see Josh’s progress!

Finally, be sure to stop by and get your photo taken in one of our photo booths. The booths will be equipped with special backdrops and you can send the photos to yourself via text or email. Also, bring a leather belt, Nalgene water bottle, or other brandable item with you to the GEO so that you can get the new and exclusive GEO brand.

The post New to the Goodman Edson Observatory appeared first on NOAC 2018.

Attendees at NOAC will have the chance to participate in the Arrowmen Press Corps, covering their time at the conference through writing stories, photography, and videography. Arrowmen wishing to participate will be able to attend an orientation at NOAC, held at 2:00 pm on Tuesday, July 31, in Teter F160. They will receive tips and tricks on how to make their pieces the best they can be. Finally, they’ll be given recommendations for cool events that they can attend and report about at the conference.

Stories submitted by the APC members may be included in the conference wide communications, and Arrowmen will be encouraged to submit their stories, photos, and videos for their home lodge and council publications once they return home.

If you want to preserve memories of NOAC, bring others together, or just try a taste of journalism, then the Arrowmen Press Corps is for you.

The post Join the Arrowmen Press Corps at NOAC appeared first on NOAC 2018.

YETI has partnered with the Boy Scouts of America and the Order of the Arrow to offer custom Scouting Ramblers®. Go here to pick a design of your choice and pay tribute to Scouting’s National Honor Society.

The post Order Your OA Rambler Today appeared first on NOAC 2018.

Stay connected during #NOAC2018

Follow our social media accounts for around the clock updates and fun during NOAC!
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/oanoac/
Twitter: @oanoac
Youtube: NOAC 2018
Snapchat: @oanoac
Instagram: @oanoac

Make sure to share your experience! Use the hashtags #NOAC2018 and #DecideYourDestiny for a chance to be featured throughout the week!

The post NOAC Social Media Channels appeared first on NOAC 2018.

15,000 Arrowmen attended the National Order of the Arrow Conference in the summer of 2015. Over 85 percent of them took in all the sights and sounds, enjoyed the program and had the experience of a lifetime. Almost 2,000 of those Arrowmen at the conference, however, were the ones who brought the sights and sounds to life, who conducted the program and who created the experience. They were the NOAC staff.

Serving on staff for a national event is one of the most rewarding things one can do in Scouting. Many Arrowmen who have served on the staff of a national event find it to be a life-changing experience. Anthony Decatur, who served on the host lodge service corps, said that he desired to serve on staff at NOAC because he “wanted to see how things worked behind the scenes and make it a better experience for everyone there.” Not only did he get to see what happens behind the scenes at NOAC, but he learned what it takes to be a staff member. Decatur noted that staff members have to be cheerful in their service, quick to act, and of course, always prepared. From his experience, Anthony said that he “learned a lot of leadership skills” and “learned to work under pressure.”

After staffing a national event, Arrowmen don’t just leave having learned lifelong skills, but also having met new friends from near and far. Grant Krull, an Arrowman from Shawnee Lodge in St. Louis, MO, volunteered for Adventure Central at NOAC with a few Arrowmen from Kansas City. What astounded Grant was both how similar and different he was from his fellow staffers. He noted, “We have the Missouri roots, but just a trip across Missouri and you get different backgrounds.” However, Grant didn’t notice this trend in only his area. With every other staffer he met, he noticed that “People come from all over, and they are all individuals, but we are all still a part of the same organization.” This commonality led to him and many other staffers making very strong friendships with one another. Mitchell Pierpont, who served on the museum staff at both the 2012 and 2015 conferences, said, “You can see some of these friends years down the road and it will be like no time has passed.” Pierpont also reflected, “These events are really like a giant family reunion.” When you arrive, and have to serve diligently with Arrowmen from around the country, you leave having bonded over a job well done.

While these three Arrowmen told us about their time at NOAC, these very same experiences—and more—can be had by serving on staff at any national event. Despite the long days and the new problems each one will bring, your memories from serving on staff will be an unforgettable and immensely rewarding experience for years to come.

The post What to Expect While Serving on Staff appeared first on NOAC 2018.

With NOAC 2018 almost here, we want to be sure your arrival as staff is as smooth as possible. Below is some information that will explain what to expect in regards to this. 

At least seven days before your arrival as staff members you will receive an email customized to you with all your arrival information. It will include check-in location, housing location, parking location, maps for the associated, check-in hours of operations, and the shuttle they are scheduled on from the airport if applicable. We will also send an email 24 hours before you arrive with similar information as a reminder. 

In addition, before you arrive be sure to have a printed copy of your medical form to turn in, have paid all outstanding fees on NOAERS, and have completed Youth Protection Training on or after February 2, 2018 if you are over 18 at any point during the conference.  

The post Staff Arrival Process appeared first on NOAC 2018.