You may have heard of Project Magellan at your section conclave, in a report at your LEC meeting, or from the Order of the Arrow's Instagram page, but what is it actually?
When all is said and done, Project Magellan is the OA's way of stepping into their second century as an organization. As the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) implemented its new structure, consisting of 16 National Service Territories (NST), Project Magellan was the OA's method for realignment. To learn more about the NST organization, and to see what NST you are a part of, visit this link.
In December of 2020 the task force started work, and in August of 2021, presented their prototype to lodge and section leaders at the National Council of Chiefs. After collecting feedback from local leaders, the National Order of the Arrow Committee adopted the current organizational plan. The most notable change is the recombination of regions to the “Gateway Region” and the “Eastern Region.” The plan took effect on Dec. 28, 2021.
How does it affect me?
Since the beginning, Project Magellan worked with the vision to maximize youth leadership opportunities. From the top-down, things will look more and more familiar. Instead of having six national officers, there will only be four: two region chiefs, one national chief, and one national vice chief. With the loss of two national-level youth positions, there will be a greater emphasis on youth leadership roles in the National Order of the Arrow Committee, and no youth positions will be lost on the section or lodge levels.
On the section level, each section will be renamed under the new regions (“E” for sections in the Eastern Region and “G” for sections in the Gateway Region). A full list of new section names and maps can be found here. Although there are some exceptions, in general, sections West of the Mississippi River will fall under the Gateway Region and sections East of the Mississippi River will fall under the Eastern Region. The current phase of Project Magellan has the structure of the OA in this two region system. This will remain the same at least until the plan is reviewed and reassessed in 18 to 24 months.
On the Lodge and Chapter level, operations should remain the same. As the central structure of the OA, the 1:1 ratio of council to lodge still applies, as well as the youth lead with adult advising leadership structure at all levels. Any changes to operations on this level will be released in updated versions of National Operations Guides. To see what new section your lodge is a part of, go to this list.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
A list of FAQs can be found here on the Project Magellan website.
In addition, more information about Project Magellan, Changes in the OA’s Structure, and the OA’s Second Century Articles can be found at the button below.
Remember: lift your thoughts like sparks.