What is Venturing ?

[fotoscout]

What is Venturing? Beyond the obvious, age and gender, can someone tell me what the difference is between a well run BS program and Venturing?

 

Ive read the material, Ive sat though the presentations, and Ive spent time with Venturing leaders. But I still dont see it.

 

[DDHII]

I don't know what you mean by a "well run BS program," but Venturing is a well run BSA program. Venturing is a program ran by today's co-ed-youths for today's co-ed-youths. From ages 14 to 21, young men and women can make their own decisions for their crew, with limited influence from adult advisors (over 21 years of age). There are 5 core areas of Venturing, but not limiting to High Adventure, Sports, Youth Ministries/Religious Life, Arts & Hobbies, and Sea Scouting. Because of the age associated with Venturing, BSA has allowed many activies banned to Boy Scouts in the program, such as pistol shooting and snow mobile riding. The biggest attraction to Venturing is the fact that a uniform is not required and is adopted by each individual crew. If a crew decides on wearing the kelly green uniform, green loops are required on the uniform.

 

At a regional and national level, Venturing is lead by youth known as the National Venturing Cabinet, http://www.nationalventuringcabinet.org/, that represent youth in each of the 4 regional areas, in one in Sea Scouting and lead by one national Venturing president.

 

As for advancement, Venturing does not have a push for advancement or award recognition. It is up to each individual to determine whether or not he or she will advance in the Venturing program.

 

As we like to say in Western Region,

 

West is Best!

 

YIV,

 

Dale, Venturing Unit Commissioner

 

Venturing Silver Award, 2002

Venturing Ranger Award, 2002

Council Venturing Leadership Award, 2002

[dsteele]

Take a look at the requirements for the Ranger Award. It's not available for Boy Scouts. Indeed, many of the elective requirements aren't allowed to Boy Scouts at all.

 

Cool stuff!

 

DS

[k9gold-scout]

Unlike a scout troop, the elected President runs the Crew like a club with a committee set up for each activity (no more patrols). The older adults are advisors and only suggest what they could do. The only time the adults need to intervene is to stop anything illegal or immoral. The adverage age for a crew is between 17 and 18. They need to be treated as adults just with a little guidence and wisdom. They are not boy scouts with green shirts (or any other color they choose).

[ASM514]

Well, 6 months ago I asked the same question and had the same thoughts. When my 14 year old son came to me and asked if we could start a Venture Crew, (being the cartered organization) I asked him if this was what he really wanted to do. He did, and we did. Well, to put it short, it has been like a rocket to the planet mars ever since. Recruitment was almost instant. Our Venture Crew is now 14 strong. 8 boys, 6 girls, and they are forming up like a government. I have never in my 30 years of Scouting seen anything like it. I am so proud of them that I am in awe at every meeting they have. They govern themselves, plan their events, arrange their accomodations, plan their safety program, and just plain practice self management.

 

I find now that I am stealing their planning to implement into our Troop. When Venturing came about I was a non-beleiver. Now that I see it, I am a major promoter. If you have doubts, form a crew and sit back and be prepared to be proud of your youth in action.

 

ASM514

[dsteele]

Isn't it amazing what high school aged-kids can accomplish with adults guiding them, but not doing it for them? I saw it Saturday in my Kiwanis role working a pancake supper.

 

We couldn't have done it without them.

 

In my book a leader has three choices and all are applicable at some given time depending on the ages and what's to be led. Those options are lead, follow or get the *&%% out of the way! When you've got sharp high-schoolers, choose the last option.

 

Great job ASM!

 

DS

[SagerScout]

One of the young men in my son's troop wants to start a Venture crew. It makes sense for several reasons, I think his main motivation is the opportunity to involve girls, but he's also 16 and looking at only a couple more years as a boy scout and he doesn't want to give up the "fun" yet. (I'm having fun as an ASM but he doesn't know that.) His older brother is 17 and the "end" is near for him also...we think his Eagle COH will be this summer, and although he's not going anywhere yet, I'm too aware that the months add up to years in no time. We have other scouts in the troop in the 14-16 age range, at least three of whom would be interested in either the girls or the adventures or both. I wasn't a scout but at 14 or 15 I did take several canoe-and-camping trips with my older siblings and some of their friends, without our parents, and we had a complete and total blast. That's the sort of thing I am imagining Venturing would provide, only perhaps with some additional adult oversight.

 

My only concern is that IMHO his father, our scoutmaster, already exerts too much influence and veto power over the troop's activities. Now, I understand some practical limitations, like Dad has to work for a living (TWO jobs, hard ones, and my hat is off to him as I think he is a good role model for a loving parent that takes care of his family). His sons are high-ability boys and I think the world of them. But because of their severe allergies and asthma, coupled with a family living situation in which they help out their aging grandparents, they have not really had what I would describe as "normal" teen opportunities to get away from their family and try their wings. On the other hand, they have learned volumes about caring and I have to stress how much I admire the family, including the scoutmaster, for its service orientation.

 

But I associate Venturing with some level of - well, adventure - and these boys have never been to summer camp alone, have had little short-term camping experience and nothing remotely resembling wilderness experience, never had to really make their own plans and live with the results as their dad has always been there to tell them what gets loaded in the car and make sure nothing gets left behind. Dad makes it clear with tone of voice and facial expressions that he'd be worried and/or offended if the boys wanted to go to camp without him, and they are good boys that don't want to hurt their father and so they decide "on their own" that they don't really want to go anyway.

 

At the campouts we have had I try gently to get the SM to sit down and shut up - I hope I've been gentle enough, I don't want to offend him or be out of my place as a female and ASM, but it bugs the socks off me to have him telling the boys where to go, what to unload, and where to put it when they have perfectly capable boy leadership that could and should be handling it. I have to do the same thing with my less-trained husband, BTW. For instance, when the kids were deciding what to do for a Dutch oven cookoff, I think I had to say "Whatever the boys want will be FINE" about 200 times. My husband and the scoutmaster wanted the two patrols to enter one entry, on the premise that they wouldn't be able to handle doing two - and were really trying to steer the decision. The boys wanted to enter separate entries by patrol, with my help they prevailed and we won 1st and 4th. Cherry cobbler and vanilla ice cream, in case you're wondering. The ice cream came in 4th, to the disappointment of that patrol. But that's the point, isn't it? To learn that sometimes you win, and sometimes you lose, and the real fun is in the doing anyway.

 

So, ok, to get my rambling post back to the point - as an ASM in this troop, what could I do to help a new Venture crew succeed and offer actual real adventure? I guess I'm trying to figure out how to get the SM to take dsteele's option 3.

 

 

[Bob White]

Sager,

I'm not sure but you may be confusing a Venturing crew with a Venture Patrol.

 

The Venture crew is a distinct unit, as unrelated to the troop program as a pack would be. What can you do for venturing as an Assistant Scoutmaster? relatively little since it is a separate program.

 

If your Troop however had a venture patrol for the older boys in the troop you could be the ASM for the venture patrol. This would be a patrol of older scouts who focused on more high adventure opportunities than the regular or new scout patrols.

 

As an adult leader you could help the Venturing program by helping scouts know there are other scouting programs available to them as the get older. be aware of the individual needs and characteristics of the Boy Scouts yo work with. If you see scouts losing interest because of the need to socialize with older scouts or in a coed environment, or maybe want to try a different advancement program you can steer them towards Venturing.

 

If the want to stay within the troop but need more challenging outdoor activities then perhaps a venture patrol would be the answer.

 

Hope this helps,

Bob White

[dsteele]

Steele's option number three requires a leap of faith that is difficult to make.

 

You're an ASM and, I think, on the right track. Allowing our youth the opportunity to fail -- and I think that's what we're talking about -- is never easy. When the adults tell the youth what to pack and where to put it, I suspect it's out of fear that something crucial will be forgotten. Well, I say, watch the youth pack and if they forget something, just quietly pack it away somewhere else and let them ask for it later. In that way, they'll learn.

 

I hear this kind of complaint most often when by old-timers at OA events. The old-timers want to complain that this or that didn't begin on time, or that the boys are running around like chickens with their heads cut off. I shrug and explain that it's part of their training. If we don't let them screw up, how are they ever going to learn to do it right?

 

Like an old Scout Executive once explained to me when I was a young Eagle Scout DE exasperated over a group of Scouts screwing up a flag raising . . ."We're not finished with them yet."

 

DS

[fotoscout]

Do I understand this correctly..... You can have a Venture Patrol within the framework of an established Troop AND that that Venture Patrol can be made up of older kids and girls.

[DDHII]

fotoscout,

No, a Venture Patrol cannot have girls because it is a patrol within a troop, with boy scouts that are registered within that troop. It's a regular patrol that does high adventure level activities (not the same level activities that crew are allowed to do). Only Venturing Crews are allowed to be coed.

 

Dale

[SagerScout]

Thanks, Bob White, I was indeed confused but am no longer. So does the venture crew require a CO and a separate charter?

 

[fotoscout]

With everyones help I think that Im starting to figure this out.

 

Does a Venturing crew have to aspire to a yearly Mountain Top experience or can they be happy with a quiet monthly hike along some local mountain trail? Must they work toward a performance at Carnegie Hall or can they play the local YMCA each week (I guess if their core area is the arts, then music could be their focus)? Can a kid (uh, I shouldnt use that word) lets say a youth, stay in the crew and never achieve any advancement or awards?

 

Im getting the idea that Venturing is just a group of youths with a common interest that can organize under the auspice of BSA and pursue their common interest together.

 

The other part of this that I have to wonder about is what effect Venturing has on the area Troops. Are the Troops losing the older boys to Venturing?

[Bob White]

Sager, Yes the Venturing Crew operates under it's own charter.

 

fotoscout, Not quite, actually not close. I recommend you borrow the Venturing Leaders Guide from a local volunteer and read through it. That should anwer all your questions.

 

Bob White