How Procedural Secrecy Threatens the Elangomat-led Ordeal and the OA As We Know It
The recent proposal to revisethe Induction was handled in ways that depart sharply from longstanding OA practice:
- At NCOC, Scripts were numbered and collected after the walkthrough.
- Recordings were prohibited.
- Attendees were told revisions were coming, discouraging critique because the proposal was “not final”.
- Youth leaders were advised that questioning the proposal was inappropriate.
These steps illustrate a level of control inconsistent with the OA’s principles of youth leadership, mentorship, and shared stewardship. It is unScoutlike. A violation of the long-standing rule against secrecy in the BSA. And arguably a violation of the barriers to abuse.
The Ordeal — defined by the core tests of solitude, service, fasting, and silence — is a transformative experience preserved for generations by Elangomats. By limiting discussion and control, this proposal effectively replaces the Elangomat-led Ordeal with a structured, supervised process, stripping away the challenge and personal growth that define it.
The procedural facts speak clearly: the lack of transparency has prevented the actual input of youth. The claim that this is desired by the youth is contradicted by the fact that only a few have seen it, and even they were not permitted to study it in detail. It is this secretive process which allowed such an all-encompassing change to get this far. It threatens not just a ceremony, but the very character of the OA.
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