National Leadership Seminar & Developing Youth Leadership Seminar – March 2023

The National Leadership Seminar (NLS) is a weekend training program focusing on leadership development. Run by the Region Chief and his Advisers, it provides an in-depth look at leadership skills and techniques. An NLS discusses how these skills can be applied in your role in the OA and in other aspects of your life. The National Leadership Seminar is a weekend conference on the skills and attributes of leadership. It is intended primarily to enhance the leadership skills of the Order of the Arrow’s key youth and adult members as they seek to improve their services to the Boy Scouts of America and the greater community. The weekend format is designed to complement the longer, more detailed Wood Badge and National Youth Leader Training (NYLT) Programs. Near the end of the seminar, participants make a contract with themselves to apply the skills studied in the seminar on projects in their lodge, council, and community.

The Developing Youth Leadership Conference (DYLC) focuses on the tools every adult needs to mentor and develop our outstanding youth leaders. It is built on the concepts our members learn at the National Leadership Seminar, and it uses the NLS terminology as participants learn new tools and techniques of how to mentor and develop our outstanding youth leaders. Prior attendance at a NLS is encouraged, but it is not required for the DYLC. Adults who are unsure whether NLS or DYLC might be best for them should talk to their lodge adviser for guidance or e-mail gateway-training@oa-bsa.org. This is the most unique and rewarding adviser training offered in years. Consider encouraging another adviser in your lodge to come with you and make it even more special. As a suggestion, lodge advisers might consider bringing a couple of their key chapter advisers with them as well. Come join us for a conference that might just be life changing for you, your family and the Order.