There is traditional and then there is Venturing

[trailfinder52@yahoo.com]

I do not wish to confuse people, what I do want to do is start some creative thinking concerning Venturing Crews and Sea Scout Ships as many of us know we are in an open ended area of the BSA. Although many of us are encouraged to think outside of the box when it comes to Venturing we still think in the area of the High Adventure Crew doing Philmont or the Sea Scout Ship sailing on the high seas. Nothing wrong with these, but doe we think of the crew doing community service, or the crew doing a handicapped camporee, or the crews that help with scouting for food. Or crews that do Ecology, Religious Life Crews that Venturers teach Religious Ed Classes in their home place of worship.Are we in green shirt box, Is Venturing wishing for the good old days of high adventure and nothing else are we too tied to the troop to be a crew. And when we do help troops do we try to be peacemakers with troop scoutmasters and committee people or are we on a "look at us, we are better than you" Please do not take this offensively. Venturing is one area of scouting where it can be one thing to one person and another thing to another person, what is it to us?

[Eamonn]

Just to try and make sure we don't confuse everyone.

Most reports from National or the Region will talk about traditional programs. They refer to Cub Scouting, Boy Scouts and Venturing.

Many membership reports will include Exploring and LFL. These are not traditional programs, even though Eploring is older than Venturing.

Eamonn.

[trailfinder52@yahoo.com]

This is not in the administrative sense. Yes Venturing is a part of the traditional BSA program , not to be confused with Exploring and Learning for Life which are non-traditional programs. In the prvious post I was saying that the Venturing program in it's program is not really traditional "scouting" as to say. First of all Venturing is divided into 5 clusters and each one of those clusters have specialties in them. Venturing Crews can be of any specialty, Say Sea Scouts that is a cluster and 1208 is the Sea Scout Ship specialty which is the traditional program with advancements, seamanship and say a maritime scouting program. Now in the Outdoor cluster, there is a specialty as Backpacking,Camping and Hiking this is a specialty for Venturing crews that specialize in Backpacking, Camping and Hiking. But all crews regardless of specialty can earn advancements if they want to it is not required. All crews can do high adventure if they want to again is not required. Crews can be Coed,all young men or all young women again it is up to the chartering organization. Each crew is independent no matter what cluster or specialty they are a part of. Different from other parts of the BSA. Venturing is a non-traditional part of the traditional BSA.

[BadenP]

Yes Trailfinder Venturing is very flexible and its that way on purpose to attract the broadest base of teens possible. Sea Scouts predates Venturing and is therefore more structured in its program than crews are. Venturing is not Exploring and not be confused that one replaced the other. There are still Explorer Posts such as Fire, Police, Search and Rescue etc., but they are not Venturing. Venturing to be quite honest was developed to attract teenage boys and girls who have never had prior experience in scouting, and to give older scouts who had grown bored of the troop a viable alternative to keep them in scouting, and speaking from personal experience as an advisor for over four years now a coed program definitely keeps the boys in. The problem is most scouters and many professionals do not really understand what the program is all about, many do not care either. It is not a boy scout troop or an explorer post, or the sea scouts. It's too bad National threw sea scouting in with venturing because it really is an independent program, and was done a great disservice by the BSA, IMHO.(This message has been edited by BadenP)

[CNYScouter]

trailfinder52 I think I know what you are trying to say.

 

Even though My DE often comes off misinformed (especially about the Sea Scouts, but he is learning) the one thing he has figured out about the Venturing Program is to stop looking at Troops to start a Crew. There are a few Troops in the district that have Crews that have a High Adventure focus.

 

The DE has started looking at non-traditional organizations to charter Crews.

The Sea Scout Ship, chartered by a Yacht/Sailing Club, is the 13th Crew in the district,

This is equal to the number in the rest of our council.

The ship just picked up a couple of more kids and my son is the only Scout.

 

In the district there is an indoor Golf Dome that has a Golf Crew, Gander Mountain has a Crew that does Archery at its indoor range, there is a Civil War reenactment Crew, a new crew charter by a gun club that does skeet shooting, and a couple more that are doing things along these lines.

All of these Crews are actively recruiting and pulling in youth with no Scouting experience and are most are doing very well.

 

I think this is what the Venturing Program was meant to be and what it needs to be successful.