Arrow of Light Bridging Ceremony

This Ceremony is meant for AoL scouts.

troop neckerchiefs
green shoulder loops
campfire
lashed bridge
candle for each AoL scout
wooden target arrows
Arrow of Light candleholder

This ceremony works well at a spring campout, with the Scouts supervising the construction of a bridge from poles and rope. Cub Scout flags are positioned at one end of the bridge and Scouts BSA flags, Scouts, and Scoutmaster at the other end.

AoL Den Leader: Scout [AoL Scout name], please come forward and bring your parents.
(Repeat for each scout)

AoL Den Leader: These scouts have outgrown our Pack. They have earned their Arrow of Light rank and now need more challenge and more adventure than we can provide. They are ready to move forward into the Scouts BSA program. I would like to congratulate them on their achievements and wish them well on the other side of the bridge.

(Cubmaster steps forward.)
Cubmaster: Stop! These scouts may not yet leave our Pack.
I, Akela, declare that they have achieved the greatest of all Cub Scout honors and must be recognized for their accomplishments. These scouts have honored Akela and their parents and families. The road to the Arrow of Light is not an easy one and this accomplishment is not to be taken lightly.
These scouts have shown their courage to continue and see a task through to the end. In this end, there is a new beginning. The beginning of new leadership for tomorrow. We gather here tonight to honor these scouts and we are humbled by their accomplishment. They show us that by following the proper trail and facing the challenges it presents us, we can all reach our destination.

AoL Den Leader: Great Akela, please tell us of the trail these scouts followed to achieve the Arrow Of Light.

Akela: (Briefly lists Arrow of Light requirements, then presents each scout with a candle.)
Scouts, please light your candles.
(the scouts light candles and place them on the Arrow of Light sign placed between the Cub Scout flags.)

Akela: Scouts, please face the campfire. Bearer of the Arrow, present arrows. (AoL Den Leader comes forward with arrows, one for each scout. These are wooden target arrows with a small piece of flash paper from local magic shop wrapped around tip)

AoL Den Leader: These arrows symbolize the straight path one must follow. The light symbolizes the enlightenment of knowledge and for doing right for others. As proof that you have earned this recognition, pass the tip of your arrow through the flame you set out for the world to see.
(Have scouts, one at a time, hold the feather end of their arrow and hold the tip in the flame of their candle they put on the Arrow of Light sign. It should flash brightly.)

AoL Den Leader: Akela will now present the Arrow Of Light to the Scouts. Scouts, follow Akela to complete the ceremony.
(Cubmaster leads scouts into the shadows, out of sight, where he explains that the Arrow of Light patch can be worn on the uniform centered below the left pocket. It can remain there, even when they join a Scouts BSA troop. He hands out the Arrow of Light patch and parent pin to each scout. They then return.)

Akela: These scouts have completed their Arrow of Light ritual. Their last step is to thank their parents for the support given so they could reach this point. To demonstrate that thanks, each scout will fix the parent pin to his mother's or father's lapel.

AoL Den Leader: Parents, please escort your child to the bridge, but wait on this side as your child crosses over alone into the world of Scouts BSA.

(On the Scouts BSA side, the Scouts present each new scout with a troop neckerchief and shoulder loops. They then send the scout back to escort their parents across and introduce them to the Scoutmaster.)

(after an appropriate length of time, continue)
Akela: Pack [number], join me in congratulating these Scouts with a [pack cheer, roar, applause, ...]!