Rovers & BSA

[JM_Ecuador]

Does the BSA ahve any equivalent to Rovers?

How does a Rover Scout translate into BSA? I am planning on joining the BSA ina year, and if all goes well I will be a RS by then. I wnat to knwo what that'll mean once I get there, if anything.

-JMM

[scoutldr]

Welcome, JM. I believe that the equivalent would be Venturing, for ages 14-21, male and female. The units are called Venture Crews and are separate from Scout Troops.

[Kudu]

JM,

 

The BSA no longer offers Rovering. However, the sponsoring organization of a BSA Troop can establish a Rover Crew if it is understood that Rovering is a separate program in no way connected with the Boy Scouts of America. For help in establishing a traditional Rover Crew, see the Rover Scouts Association (RSA):

 

http://www.roverscouts.org/

 

The RSA has a very active listserv. To subscribe send an Email to:

 

roverscouts-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

 

The Baden-Powell Scout Association (BPSA-USA) is affiliated with the RSA and will offer a traditional Rover program in the near future. Details will be made available through the RSA.

 

Kudu

 

 

[Nick B]

When the Rover section first began in 1918 in the UK, it followed straight on from the Scout section. It was in the '40s that Senior Scouts were introduced between the two. In the UK Scout Association, the Senior Scouts section's name was changed to Venturer Scouts in the late '60s and other countries such as Australia, Canada and New Zealand followed that path. I believe the US equivalent were Explorers.

 

When the Baden-Powell Scouts Association first emerged in the UK in the early seventies, they retained the traditional section names of Senior Scouts and Rovers.

 

In the (WOSM) Scout associations of many countries, Venturers (or Venturer Scouts) and Rovers are still part of the structure today. Age range varies, but for Rovers is usually 17 or 18 to 24 or 26. Originally, the Rover section had no leaving age - "Once a Rover, Always a Rover"!

 

If you're interested to find out about the Rover section in Scouts Australia, visit http://www.rovers.com.au

 

A good history of the Rover section can be found at http://www.scouting.milestones.btinternet.co.uk/rovers.htm(This message has been edited by Nick B)