ACT 2025 was a smashing success! On March 8th, 2025, 145 members from the Section gathered for our annual training conference at the New Hampshire Fire Academy in Concord NH.
We kicked off the day with a group session from the 2025 Eastern Region Chief Elijah Aiken on the new Mission Vision and Purpose for the Order of the Arrow, before breaking out into our lodges to set contingent wide and individual goals for the day.
After our breakouts, we had our first of three training blocks, where participants got to pick between six sessions, each under a different theme. Our track themes were Lodge Officers, New Members, Life Beyond the OA, Membership Retention, Empowering Your Youth for Success, and Adviser Insights. A highlight from our first block was Pennacook Lodge Chief Adam Y.’s “Purpose of the OA” session, which received very high praise from attendees.
The second training block had awesome trainings, including “Captivating Your Audience” with the 2020 Northeast Region Chief Conor Power, “Time Management” with Jack A, and “Find Your Place” with Tantamous Lodge Chief Rad B. Each session provided valuable insights tailored to different leadership roles, helping participants build essential skills. Attendees left feeling more confident and prepared to apply what they learned in their own lodges.
In between our second and third training blocks, we paused for lunch and lodge portraits, giving everyone a chance to refuel and connect with fellow attendees. Lodge portraits and other photos from the event are available at e19.oa-scouting.org/act-photo-gallery/
Our third training block featured some impressive sessions to continue the momentum from the morning. Most notably, was Darryk Kelly’s “Applying Scouting in the Real World.” One participant said: “Darryk’s training really gave me insight into what scouting and the Order of the Arrow mean in the professional world, and how people will perceive you differently because you’re a scout.” On the adviser side, the third block included a panel of youth who talked with their facilitator Justin Crisafulli which was well enjoyed by many.
After our last training block, we closed out the event with an address from our Eastern Region Chief, Elijah Aiken, who shared valuable insights and words of encouragement for all attendees. Following his remarks, lodges gathered for a post-event breakout session, where they discussed key takeaways, set goals for the future, and collaborated on ways to implement what they had learned throughout the day. We also had the opportunity to congratulate Madockawanda Lodge for bringing the largest contingent to the event–bringing 11% of their lodge!–and our top three referrers who received $50, $40, and $30 credits to the section trading post respectively.
This final session ensured that each lodge left with a clear vision and renewed motivation to strengthen their programs back home.
We’d like to again thank everyone who came to the ACT Conference, and we hope to see everyone again at NEF! Registration is already live at e19.oa-scouting.org/nef