July 29 - August 4, 2024  |  University of Colorado, Boulder, CO

The National Order of the Arrow Conference (NOAC) is the flagship national Order of the Arrow event. It is held every two years at a major university campus and is attended by as many as 8,000 Arrowmen from all 50 states. It is second only to the BSA National Jamboree in size and scope.

NOAC 2024 will be held from July 29 to August 3, 2024, at the University of Colorado Boulder.

 

Arrowmen can expect only the best and most exciting activities, training sessions and shows. Attendees will meet their fellow Arrowmen from around the country and have the opportunity to trade patches, make new memories, and find lifelong friendships. Each day will begin with premier training sessions, be filled with exciting program activities, and close with an exciting show. Arrowmen will have the freedom to choose their own journey and which activities they attend throughout the day. Any currently registered member of the Boy Scouts of America and the Order of the Arrow is welcome to register to attend.

Every lodge in the country sends a contingent of both youth and adult Arrowmen. At the last NOAC (2022), Colonneh Lodge had the largest contingent (113 contingent members + 12 staffers). Colonneh Lodge hopes to repeat this for NOAC 2024! Join thousands of Arrowmen from across the country for the OA’s largest event!

Important notes to consider BEFORE you register:

1. Arrowmen under 21 years of age 7/28/24 through 8/4/24 are considered youth contingent members by Colonneh Lodge and will be subject to all of the contingent rules for youth.
2. Arrowmen who are 21 years of age by 7/28/24 are considered adult contingent members.
3. Any adult registering with the contingent WILL be assigned an area of responsibility within the contingent (some roles have responsibilities prior to NOAC, some have responsibilities during NOAC, and some both).
4. The adult contingent fee is higher than the youth fee. The budget is structured so the higher adult fee allows for a lower youth fee.
5. All attendees must provide a valid BSA Annual Health and Medical Record (AHMR) forms A, B, and C to the contingent adviser (details on where/when to provide later).
6. Every contingent member must sign a “code of conduct” agreement (provided at a later date BUT well in advance of the first contingent meeting). Youth must also have a parent/guardian signature on their agreement.
7. There will be two contingent meetings prior to NOAC. The first meeting will be a virtual meeting (via Zoom) approximately three months prior to NOAC. The second meeting will be in-person at the Cockrell Scout Center approximately four weeks prior to NOAC. All contingent members must attend both.  Youth contingent members must have a parent/guardian attend with them.
8. Email correspondence will be kept to a minimum, but as new information becomes available from the national NOAC team, contingent details, and/or additional details needed from you, will be sent by email as the primary method of contact. Any email to youth will also have a Cc to their parent/guardian).
9. Read the payment and refund details carefully before registering. No exceptions will be made to these policies.
10. Scholarship assistance is available for youth members only. 

Registration

The registration fee includes the conference fees, housing (university dormitories), all meals, tons of contingent gear (e.g., shirts, extra gear, awesome patches, and more!

On the return trip (8/3/24), an awesome stop is planned at Philmont Scout Ranch! Participants will hike to Lovers Leap, visit the National Scouting Museum, and enjoy lunch and dinner at Philmont Scout Ranch!

Transportation: Registration options include with AND without transportation.

• The transportation option is limited to the first 56 registrants (youth and adult). The contingent will travel via luxury motorcoach departing late afternoon on 7/28/24 and returning early morning on 8/4/24 at the Cockrell Scout Center (2225 N. Loop W., Houston, TX 77008). The transportation fee includes breakfast and lunch on 7/29/24 (dinner will be at NOAC), lunch and dinner on 8/3/24 (breakfast will be at NOAC), light breakfast travel meal on 8/4/24, the Philmont Scout Ranch activities, and transportation fees. Register sooner than later as once the motorcoach is full, the “with transportation” option is gone and participants must travel to/from NOAC on their own!
• For those traveling on their own, in the case of youth, the parent/guardian is responsible for ensuring the youth arrives safely until they meet up with the contingent at the university (~1:00 pm on 7/29/24; depart ~7:00 am on 8/3/24). There will be a formal procedure for youth Arrowmen to be signed in and out only to their parent/guardian from a designated contingent adult on site. Those traveling on their own (without transportation option) can enjoy the Philmont Scout Ranch return trip excursion as well; there will be an additional fee of ~$35 collected from you in the spring of 2024. 

The registration fees have only increased $100 since and the transportation portion option has only increased $25 from NOAC 2022.  Colonneh Lodge is partially subsidizing the event budget to keep event costs as reasonable as possible.

Register

Shortly after registering Arrowmen will receive a welcome email with further details related to the lodge contingent (e.g., additional action items, planning meeting dates, additional documentation).

	Youth Payment Options (under age 21 on 8/4/24			Adult Payment Options (21 years of age & older on 7//28/24)
	Without Transportation	With  Transportation		Without Transportation	With Transportation
Discount Registration (register by 2/1/24, pay in full, no refund option at all if this option is taken)	$800	$1,225		$900	$1,325
Registration (register by 5/26/24, $200 non-refundable deposit, payment schedule, refund policy)	$875	$1,300		$975	$1,400
Late Registration (between 5/27/24-6/27/24; pay in full, non-refundable)	$940	$1,365		$1,040	$1,465

Payment Schedule

Initial registration	$200 non-refundable deposit
1/15/24	20% of total registration due
2/15/24	40% of total registration due
3/15/24	60% of total registration due
4/15/24	80% of total registration due
5/15/24	Total balance due
5/27/24	Late registration fee begins

• If registering after any above dates, the payment schedule begins at the time of registration (e.g., if registering on 3/15/24, 60% of the total would be due).
• Missing scheduled payment dates could result in the cancellation of your registration and refunded amounts would be applied per the NOAC Refund Policy.

NOAC Refund Policy

The Sam Houston Area Council refund policy (including #8) applies. The fees for this event are based on a carefully constructed budget which allows for maximum value to Arrowmen.  As planning for this large event moves forward, there are many expenses that the lodge has to pay up to nine months in advance of the event (e.g., NOAC registration payments, t-shirt orders, patch orders, transportation deposits), so exceptions to the refund policy cannot be made.

1. Refund requests must be made via email to noac@colonneh.org.
2. The registration fee has a $200 non-refundable deposit. Refunded amounts will vary based on monies that have been spent by the lodge in preparation for the event. 
3. No refunds are allowed after 5/27/24. 

Scholarship

Scholarship assistance is available for youth members only. An Arrowman and their family are expected to provide at least 50% of the contingent fee. Steps to seek aid are then as follows:

1. Discuss the need for financial aid assistance with your chapter adviser (adult) and unit leader. Be prepared to answer questions from both on how attending NOAC will strengthen their chapter and unit. Encourage your chapter adviser and unit leader to contact the NOAC contingent adviser via noac@colonneh.org for details on how to apply the financial aid.
2. Take advantage of the national NOAC scholarship fund:
   • Applications for the Trailblazer Scholarship Fund are available at noac.oa-bsa.org in the fall of 2023 with a deadline to submit applications by 1/31/24.
   • Eligibility requirements for the Trailblazer Scholarship Fund:
   • Be registered for NOAC with the lodge contingent.
   • Submit a Trailblazer Scholarship application, complete with the signature of your contingent leader by 1/31/24. 
   • Be under the age of 21 through the last day of the conference (8/3/24).
   • The Scholarship Committee will determine scholarship amounts for each applicant. Lodges, sections, or regions do not have a role in reviewing and approving Trailblazer Scholarship Fund applications but may be contacted by the committee to validate requests.
   • Applicants and their respective contingent leaders will be notified of their scholarship status and a potential award by 3/15/24. Trailblazer Scholarship awards will be applied directly to the individual registration (funds are not mailed to an individual).
   • Anticipated questions in the Trailblazer Scholarship Fund application will include financial information such as the size of the household, parent/guardian name(s), total annual household income before taxes, and the requested scholarship amount. There will be additional free-form response questions, such as why are you interested in attending NOAC, what are you doing to raise funds to attend NOAC, and if you do not receive the scholarship amount you requested, how might that impact your ability to attend NOAC?
3. After discussing financial assistance with your chapter adviser and unit leader, and after the results of the Trailblazer application are known, if there is still assistance needed contact noac@colonneh.org to discuss details.

Contacts