Starting a Crew

[Hillis]

I have looked for information on starting a Venture Crew, and have found very little. The national site gives an outline for how to start a crew, but it mkaes no mention on paperwork or an application to be recognized. I have already organized the group and we are set to go--now how do I go about making my crew "official"?

[Beavah]

Call your local Boy Scout council office. Yeh can look it up here at Scouter.com. Ask to speak to the District Executive for your town. He will guide you through all the paperwork.

 

Yeh need to:

 

1) Have a "Chartering Organization" - a community organization like a church, private school, VFW, club, or business to serve as owner/sponsor of your group. The head of the organization has to sign the paperwork, and appoint a "Chartered Organization Representative" to work with you. The paperwork they sign is called a "Chartering Agreement".

 

2) Register several people as official leaders by having them fill out a Boy Scouts of America Adult Leader Application. That includes one person as Advisor (chief person who works with kids), 3 people to serve as Committee Members including a Committee Chair (to serve as a board of directors and assist the Advisor with adult-level behind-the-scenes stuff), and the Chartered Org. Representative.

 

3) Register 5 or more youth aged 14-20 by filling out a youth member application.

 

4) Submit all of the above, along with payment ($20 for the charter, plus an amount per registered youth and adult) to your Boy Scout Council Office.

 

Then you're official! Get trainin', have fun!

 

Beavah

 

[mich632]

Just finished submiting our paperwork for venturing crew 123. It is a spin off from troop 123.

We used our District Exec, our unit commisioner and the Troop guide from woodbadge.

 

It was a ticket item from wood badge.

 

Next thing we are doing is basic training for crew to explain organization, then hold elections.

 

We will then establish bylaws and uniform.

 

Then let the fun begin.

 

good luck.

[John-in-KC]

Beavah gave you the mechanics.

 

NOW, here's the challenge:

 

Do you want males only, females only, or a co-ed crew?

 

Do you have an idea of the interest set for the youth? ARE YOU WILLING TO GO ALONG IF THEIR DIRECTION IS DIFFERENT THAN YOURS?

 

We're talking about teens who will soon be young adults. Aside from my Scouting work, I'm VP of our HS band boosters. I thought I was high-speed and low-drag in HS all those years ago. I know kids who will graduate from HS with enough credit to be sophomores at college. EagleSon loves an array of band settings, but isn't much into hard competition. One young lady in his class dropped into a compact little ball of tears this past weekend because she didn't earn first chair all-district French Horn.

 

You have to take their interests into account. Venturing has a tool to help developing crew leaders do just that; it's called the interest inventory.

 

Have fun!!