Arrowmen from all around the Region gathered in the Pacific Northwest for a
weekend full of top-tier training, coffee, and donuts on the first weekend of October.
Camp Kuratli, just outside of Portland, OR, served as the location for one of the last
National Leadership Seminars (NLS) of the year. The weekend was filled with state of
the art leadership training that is comparable to any training in the business world.

At NLS, Arrowmen learned how to properly assess various situations they may
face as a leader, how to properly go about solving problems, and how to come up with
competent, comprehensive solutions depending on the situation. They also learned
the importance of trust, the foundation of leadership, through sessions like the Game
of Life. All of this is achieved by using hands-on activities throughout the weekend to
build both teamwork and morale. One of the great hidden benefits of NLS is the
opportunity to share ideas with fellow Scouts from outside your area and strengthen
your own program. Participants are grouped into “tables” — groups of Arrowmen who
go through the seminar together and build lasting friendships.

Participants were empowered to go back to their home Lodges and Units to
share their newfound leadership tools, knowledge, and ideas on everything from
meeting ideas to the operational structure of the Order of the Arrow.
Special guest Forrest Gertin, 2017 National Chief, was at the Seminar and
treated participants to an inspiring keynote address and taught of the training
sessions. The staff, a collection of Section Chiefs from Los Angeles to Wyoming, were
lead by Manué Lopez, the Western Region Chief.

For information on upcoming National Leadership Seminars, look online at
http://www.western.oa-bsa.org/program/training/nls/. See you there!