PICK THE IDEA
Care about something?
Veterans. Animals. Schools. Food insecurity. The environment. Your cause can become a project instead of just a good intention.
FOUNDING MEMBERS WANTED · AGES 12–20
Your community.
Your turn.
Meet people. Do useful things. Learn to lead by actually leading. Scottsdale Elks Lodge #2148 is launching Antlers — and the first members won’t inherit a finished club. They’ll help build it.
You do not need a parent or grandparent who is an Elk to join.
SCOTTSDALE
ANTLERS
Youth · Service · Leadership
FOUNDING GROUP2026
12–20Ages eligible to join
No Elk family requiredOpen beyond Lodge families
Youth-ledAdults guide. Members do.
Founding nowHelp shape Scottsdale Antlers
SO, WHAT IS ANTLERS?
Not another club where adults plan everything.
Antlers is the Elks youth leadership and service program. The adults provide a safe framework and mentoring. The young people get a genuine say in what the group becomes and what it takes on.
BUILD THE TEAM
Find your people.
Meet other young people while planning activities, working on projects and doing something more useful than another group chat.
TAKE THE LEAD
Get a real role.
Meetings, committees, project planning and Antlers officer roles give members a chance to practise leadership rather than just hear about it.
MAKE IT HAPPEN
See the result.
Turn the plan into an actual service project, fundraiser or community activity — then decide what to do next.
WHY JOIN AT THE BEGINNING?
Because founders get a say.
This is the good bit. Scottsdale Antlers does not already have years of “this is how we’ve always done it.” The founding members can help decide what matters, what sounds fun and what kind of group they want to build.
Choose causes.
Help decide where the group puts its time and energy.
Create traditions.
Shape the activities, events and things future members inherit.
Take ownership.
Build something you can point to and say, “We started that.”
THIS MIGHT BE YOUR THING IF…
You want more than “volunteer hours.”
Those hours are useful. But the real win is having somewhere to contribute, meet people and get better at doing things that matter.
✓ You have ideas and want adults to actually listen.
✓ You want leadership experience without needing to be the loudest person in the room.
✓ You need a reason to get off your phone that doesn’t feel like punishment.
✓ You like helping people, building things, organizing things — or figuring out what you’re good at.
✓ You want to meet people outside your usual school or friend group.
✓ You’d rather help create the program than simply be handed a calendar.
FOR PARENTS & GUARDIANS
The practical bits.
Antlers is intended to give young people independence inside an adult-guided structure. Here are the questions families usually want answered before they hand over anyone’s Saturday.
Worth knowing:Registering interest is not a commitment to membership. It simply puts your family on the launch list.
Does my child need to be related to an Elk?
No. Antlers membership is open to eligible young people whether or not anyone in their family is already an Elk.
What ages are eligible?
Official Antlers membership is open to young people who have passed their 12th birthday and have not yet reached their 21st birthday.
Who supervises the program?
An adult Advisory Council provides supervision, mentoring and guidance. The goal is youth ownership with an appropriate adult framework.
What will members actually do?
Activities can include community service, veterans and youth projects, Lodge activities, meetings, committees, social events and projects the Antlers choose to develop themselves.
What are the official membership requirements?
Grand Lodge states that applicants must be U.S. citizens, of good character and believe in the existence of God. The formal membership process follows official Antlers rules and proposal materials.
Do we need to commit now?
No. Scottsdale is building the founding interest group first. We’ll share launch details before families move into the formal membership process.
FOUNDING INTEREST
Want in from the start?
Tell us who is interested. We’ll use this to invite families and prospective members to the Scottsdale launch information gathering and share the next steps.
Under 18?Please have a parent or guardian submit the form.
ELKS MEMBERS
Want to help launch it?
We also need adults willing to mentor, connect families, support activities or help form the Advisory Council.
Help launch AntlersPARENTS WHO WANT THE FINE PRINT
Official Antlers information.
Scottsdale will keep local launch information here. Elks Grand Lodge remains the source for official rules, eligibility and program materials.
ELKS USAAntlers overview
National program overview, history and eligibility.
View official information →FOR FAMILIESProgram brochureWhat Antlers do and how the program works.
Open the brochure →HOW IT STARTSBuilding an Antlers LodgeThe Grand Lodge roadmap for organizing and sustaining the program.
See the roadmap →SCOTTSDALE ANTLERS
Don’t just tell young people community matters. Give them a place to help build it.
Scottsdale #2148 is forming the founding group now.
