Venturing Uniform

[mdutch]

Somebody told me that Venturing Crews can set their own uniforms (anything they want). Then somebody told me that this was not true, and it only applied to Explorers. Anybody know which is right?

 

Thanks,

Eric

[Bob White]

Members of Venturing Crews (not to be confused with Venture Patrols) as well as Explorers in law enforcement and emergency services posts may design their own uniform. I do not believe that other Explorers Posts have uniforms.

 

Is M.Shaver still involved in Scouting up there? You are the north east portion of the council right?

 

 

[BadenP]

Bob is correct Venturers design their own uniforms, or can choose none at all. Law enforcement or Fire Explorers usually have a uniform similiar to the agency they are affiliated with.

[Owl62]

The Venturing uniform is not covered very well in the insignia guide.

 

But in the Venturing Leader Manual, it is:

 

"The recommended uniform is the spruce green Venturing shirt with green epaulette tabs and gray backpacking-style shorts of gray casual pants. However, the uniform is the choice of the crew. Sea Scouts may wear the Sea Scout uniform. For those crews that choose to have the Venturing uniform, it is recommended to wear it when traveling, at crew meetings, at other SCout meetings, when serving the public, and at other appropriate times. When doing field activities sush as sports, water activities, mountaineering, etc., your crew might want to wear something more appropriate to the activity.:

 

The Venturer handbook says about the same thing but adds:

 

"Your crew may design its own uniform."

 

This raises the question: Can a Venturing crew choose to adopt and wear the official spruce green Venturing shirt, but not the official gray shorts or pants?

 

I think the intent of the BSA is to require both the official Venturing shirt and shorts or pants together as a complete set.

 

BUT, the manual does say that the crew can design its own uniform.

 

Many crews adopt the official Venturing shirt, but choose to wear shorts or pants other than the official ones. I know of one that adopted beige shorts or pants (looks pretty good). I think part of the reason for this, right or wrong, is the extreme high cost of the official Venturing shorts or pants.....

 

Can anyone actually quote the offical BSA stance on what the official Venturing uniform consists of.

 

 

 

[BadenP]

Look in the Venture Handbook. If you are at an official scouting function such as a national jamboree, or at Philmont, or on a camp staff for example you would be required to wear the official uniform composed of the green shirt and the grey shorts or slacks. For everyday activities you can wear your own choice. Sea Scouts now have a blue polo shirt now they can wear on their activities instead of a uniform. It all depends on where and what the activity is that determines what to wear. The green shirt alone is not proper just like a boy scout shirt alone is not. For 99% of your crew outings their own design of a uniform is usually acceptable. I don't like those grey shorts and slacks either, expensive and not well made.

[Owl62]

BadenP,

 

I have searched the Venturer Handbook pretty thoroughly and I can't find a REQUIREMENT to wear the official Venturing uniform (Spruce green shirt and grey shorts or pants) anywhere for any type of activity. It does state that it is the recommended uniform. But it also says that the "uniform if any is the choice of the crew.".

 

This is why there are so many questions about the Venturing uniform. The BSA's own references conflict. The Venturing books are pretty clear that a Venturing crew can design its own uniform. But the Insignia guide says that no alterations may be made to the uniform.

 

Perhaps someone here knows of a source at the National Council where we can get the official stance on this.

 

Thanks.

 

[Backpacker]

Owl, Let me try to clear this up for you. If your crew decides on creating their own uniform then forget about what the book says because it will not apply to your unit. If your unit wants to use the official spruce green shirt then you are bound to follow the rules in the book. You can not use a piece or pieces of the of the official uniform and customize it for your crew. My suggestion is your guys decide on your own uniform, my group uses a hooded sweatshirt in the BSA catalog customized with their unit number and name and the Venture logo, its a lot less expensive than the green shirt and grey shorts and they love the look better than the green and grey. It is really that easy so see what your youth want, they make the decision not you.

[Kevinpenguin]

In my old Crew, our uniform was the crew polo with tan/ khaki pants. The polo was forest green with our crew logo on it... The officers were required to have an official Venturing shirt to wear with khaki's for meetings and events because they would represent us on the district level.

 

I am all for people mixing and matching the uniforms on the unit level. Cost is a huge issue, availability, and comfort are the keys to a Crew uniform.

 

As long as the program is going swell, I have no issues. I think for district our Council based volunteers, the full uniform is neccessary.

 

For a crew to demand a youth to pick up a full Venturing Official uniform, it would cost $172.15 for a youth member to have a shirt, shorts, and a pair of pants with basic patches, not even rank, a CSP, lodge flap if applicable or officer patch.

 

That is alot to ask of a crew member. Some will do it anyway. I think the green is neat, I think the uniform could be more comfortable, but I try to set an example.

 

I would rather have all members of the crew have a folder, spiral notebook, and a Venturer Handbook at every meeting with a t-shirt and running a program. Total cost - $50.00 if the t-shirt costs $35.00!

[backpacker_VC]

My Crew does the Venturing Shirt, with Blue Jeans for late fall/winter/Early spring.

 

 

We encourage the official ventuirng shorts, I have a pair, but we also found Carhart shorts, that are cheap, more comforable, and look the same, so either of those 2.

 

 

We also let our members wear sandals with the uniform during the summ

[Proud Eagle]

At a recent OA Section COC meeting...

 

The youth representatives of one lodge, who also served as the committee chair and co-chair for one conclave committee showed up wearing the Venturing shirt and blue jeans, no sashes.

 

That cost them some points when they walked into the room.

 

When they were introduced for their presentation, and everyone realized what their jobs were, the expectations became lower still.

 

Then, when their presentation turned out to be less than fully prepared, and they proposed a controversial new expenditure, it was greeted with outright hostility.

 

After all, who are these guys showing up in a half you know what uniform of a different part of the program with some crazy idea and then expecting everyone to understand them when they can't really explain it?

 

In the end they had to be asked to make a second presentation later in the meeting after everyone had cooled off some and they had a chance to more carefully consider their arguments.

 

It all worked out OK, but the point is, if you don't dress the part you start out with points against you.

 

If your Crew makes its own uniform, create the entire thing, don't just coble it together from what BSA suggests and what you choose. Let us use the example of a Crew that focuses on history, lets say the Civil War. It chooses to use a CSA style uniform for its Crew uniform. So, which will look better when they send someone to a meeting outside the unit, someone in half Venturing/half civilian clothing, or someone decked out with a complete and sharp CSA style Crew uniform? If your crew doesn't use the Venturing uniform, when you send people to meetings outside your crew, have them wear a shirt and tie or something like that. It least that would look decent.

 

(I should note that as far as I know the Scouts at the COC meeting had no connection to Civil War related Crew, that was just an example I made up.)

[BadenP]

Proud Eagle

 

What you have to understand is that there are no uniform standards for Venture. The so called "official" uniform is only for those units that feel a need or desire for such a thing. Most crews, over 95%, create their own. My unit has a hooded sweatshirt from BSA National with the Venture emblem and unit information embroidered on, and they wear that with jeans, that is their uniform. Venturing is not like Exploring used to be, it is a non uniform division of the BSA for boys and girls totally apart from cub and boy scouts. A venture crew was designed this way by national to attract teens who do not want the uniform and advancement requirements of scouting, it is not or ever was intended to be an older boy scout troop.

[John-in-KC]

MEMO FOR UNIFORM POLICE:

"Uniform" is NOT a method in the Venturing Program. See Position specific training for Venturing's 7 methods.