Constructive Exchanges

Constructive thoughts, documents and web sites will be posted on this page as they are identified.  Normal discussion will continued to exist on the Yahoo Groups CorpsOfDiscovery web site." with "Normal discussion will continue to exist on the Corps of Discovery Facebook Group [link:  facebook.com/groups/16213695514/] and Page [link:  facebook.com/vcorpsofdiscovery/notifications/] and old conversations are archived at Yahoo Groups CorpsOfDiscovery.

Asking permision to start a Corps of Discovery

Ron Murphy asks:  "Is it customary to go to the SE and "ask" permission?
I was thinking about using/starting the COD in my District, instead of a VOA.  What do you think about that?"

Joe Garrett provides a helpful response:

"You do not need anyone's permission to start a Corps of Discovery.  Simply start inducting members with a charge to go out and provide service to Venturing, Scouting, and community.  Some outposts require some level of service activity before formal induction, but that is a local call.  The idea is just to highlight the importance of service.

I would NOT use CoD in place of VOA.  They are different organizations with completely different goals.  I could see where all active members of VOA would be eligible for membership in CoD by virtue of service to Venturing, but the converse is not true.  We have been pretty clear that we do not want these two concepts to ever compete with each other for mindshare within the Scouting community."

Ready to make a Difference?

All over the world, Scouts are running projects that help people.  They solve conflicts in school by preventing bullying, lead peer education programs, help the poor and the hungry, create solutions to environmental problems, and run countless other service projects.  Messengers of Peace is the initiative that brings all of this work together.

Every Scout who runs a service project is a Messenger of Peace.  Together, we create a network of Messengers of Peace all over the world.  Do you want to learn more about being a Messenger of Peace?  Visit www.scout.org.

What the heck is that flap?

Louie Hoffmann states, "Let's throw something out on the table and beat it up until it makes sense.  OA members probably do not appreciate CoD members wearing any kind of a pocket flap that too closely resembles an OA flap.  On closer look, we have Native Americans, forest and stream on the CoD flap and that is usually OA flap territory.  The initial question directed at any CoD member from any OA member (odds are it will be an adult OA member) not aware of the significance of the CoD flap is "what the heck is that?".  Our response should be......???  (10 words or less!)."

Joe Garrett provides a helpful response:

"Order of the Arrow is an Honor Society whose purpose is to promote camping in Boy Scouting.  It's theme is based in American Indian culture, and its ceremonies involved dressing up as natives.

Corps of Discovery is a Service Society whose purpose is to provide service to Venturing, Scouting, and our communities.  It's theme Servant Leadership and is based on the Lewis and Clark Expedition.  The moment depicted on the current pocket flap is when Sacagawea recognized her brother, Cameawhait upon her return to Western Montana.  She had been kidnapped by a rival tribe as a young girl and was returning to her home territory for the first time, and as a member of the Corps of Discovery.  The reason this moment is so important is because the Corps was in danger of failing at that moment, as they needed horses and directions in order to cross the Bitterroot Mountains into Idaho and Eastern Washington State before winter.

The first pocket flap was a depiction of Meriwether Lewis and William Clark at the white bluffs of the Missouri Breaks at the moment they (thought they) could see the Continental Divide.  It turned out they were seeing the Bearpaw Mountains and were a week or so away from the Rockies.

The next pocket flap, which has not been designed, might show the leaders of the Corps voting on whether to spend the winter on the Washington State side of the Columbia River or to cross over to Oregon to winter near the present site of Astoria.  Everyone in the Corps got a vote, including Sacagawea and York, Clark's slave.  This was almost certainly the first time in American history that a woman and a black man got to vote in a major decision.  The Corps voted to move to the southern shore of the Columbia and wintered at Fort Clatsop, a small log compound which they built themselves.

Now, for the ten words:  Corps of Discovery is a Service Society based on one of the greatest adventures in American history (17 words).  Order of the Arrow is an Honor Society based loosely on American Indian culture."

Corps of Discovery Chapters?

Louie Hoffmann, Crew 405, asked, "What are the pros and cons of starting a 'chapter' of CoD members to aid in it's growth and ultimately the growth of Venturing?"

Joe Garrett suggested, "If you want to have an 'organization' around the Corps of Discovery, maybe that should be the Venturing Officers Association, rather than yet another monthly meeting.  The CoD and the VOA both have similar aims.  The VOA, though, is an organization, while, in my view at least, the CoD is more of a 'society' (meaning few meetings, no dues, and no elections)."

National Recognition?

Louie Hoffmann, Crew 405, asked, "How do we get National to officially recognize the Corps of Discovery?"

Michael Brown provides a historical perspective:

"I recommend people educate themselves on the history of the various scout honor societies that arouse in the early years, out of which the OA became the official one.

In ALL cases, the various groups got local approval (i.e.  council).  They provided themselves in many council.  Only those that had done so were given experimental status along with the OA.  (There were about a half dozen so designated).  This was done after several years of slow grow of these programs.  And after several years of experimentation, the OA was given official status.

If you want the same for the CoD, you need to do the same.  PROVE its worth.  Get it approved in many councils.  SHOW it has a value.  And it will have a better chance of becoming an official program.  If people are sitting on their *sses waiting for official approval, it won't happen."