Lone Venturing

[OscarTango]

There are Lone Cub Scouts, Lone Boy Scouts, so I'm wondering if there is such a thing as Lone Venturers? Thank you

[Crew21_Adv]

OT,

 

Good question.

 

Currently, I don't think so. With just over 10 years, Venturing is one of the newest programs. Venturing does not have the population of the Cub Scout or Boy Scout programs.

 

Lone Scouts has grown out of a need and multiple requests, which is what drove the program to begin. So, I imagine, there would need to be a larger Venturing population and repetitive request for Lone Venturer for literature, insignia and a program to be launched.

 

The idea sounds good (if there are/were multiple Lone Venturer needs). The application seems difficult though, and any fulfillment may be a few years out.

 

Scouting Forever and Venture On!

Crew21 Adv

 

[emb021]

There is no such thing as "lone venturing". There are only lone cub scouts & lone boy scouts.

 

Lone Scouting arose out of the needs of serving rural boys who were too far away from other boys to even to be able to form a patrol, much less a troop.

 

It remains today for the Cub Scout & Boy Scout programs for those boys who for various reasons (distance usually, but prehaps their familys move often, medical reasons, etc) that prevents them from attending a regular pack or troop meeting.

 

[sherminator505]

The Lone Venturers. Hmm... sounds like a good name for a band...

[Oak Tree]

The current youth application form has circles for Lone Cub Scout and Lone Boy Scout, but no Lone Venturer. If that's worth anything...

[qwazse]

Based on meeting attendance at times, I know a few crew members who felt like "lone venturers".

[BadenP]

Lets get real here people Lone Scouting is all but gone in spite of it still being in some pubs or apps. In this day and age unless the kid is in Antartica there are plenty of units locally to him, the only exception I see as valid is a serious medical condition, otherwise the program should be shelved as a part of scoutings past history. Lone Venturing, lol, friggin unbelievable.

[sherminator505]

How about this crazy idea: since a Scout could potentially connect to the outside world via the internet from practically anywhere, why not replace the Lone Scout program with "virtual" Packs and Troops (say one per council or service area)?

[emb021]

"why not replace the Lone Scout program with "virtual" Packs and Troops (say one per council or service area)?"

 

It really won't be a replacement.

 

Actually, under the original Lone Scout program, Lone Scouts DID form "tribes" of local boys where possible. there were also "radio tribes" (ham radio) and "mail tribes" (postal correspondence). Many of the Lone Scouts really got into amateur journalism (which is where the BSA got the Gold Quill Award), submitting articles & stories to the Lone Scout newspapers, and the many tribal newspapers that poped up.

 

 

 

[Jeffrey H]

"Lets get real here people Lone Scouting is all but gone in spite of it still being in some pubs or apps. In this day and age unless the kid is in Antartica there are plenty of units locally to him, the only exception I see as valid is a serious medical condition, otherwise the program should be shelved as a part of scoutings past history..."

 

How many boys are currently enrolled in the Lone Scout program?

 

If there is not a need for it, then why does the BSA continue with it? There are many rural areas of the country with no Troops or Packs. My grandfather got started in Scouts through the Lone Scout program at the age of 12 because there were no Troops nearby in his rural area. He eventually went on to serve in positions as Scoutmaster, District Commissioner, and Unit Commissioner over the next 60 years.

[BadenP]

Jeff

 

Your grandads situation may have been more common 60+ years ago but not anymore, rural areas are more populated today then ever before and there are ample troops to choose from. Lone Scout program may serve the needs of those boys too sick to be an active member of a regular troop, or maybe overseas but not on a military base or connected with the military. There may be some more examples, but in reality in the 21st century the Lone Scout program is little more than a nostalgic leftover of scoutings past.(This message has been edited by BadenP)

[emb021]

Personally, I feel that Lone Scouting STILL has a place in the BSA. There are still kids who can't get to meetings due to distance, health or moving too often with their family.

 

What does bother me are when I come across examples of kids using the LS program for reasons that don't seem quite right. I was listing to a scouting podcast, and a recent show touched on Lone Scouting, and some examples they had was a kid who had aged out of Cub Scouting, but didn't want to go into a troop without his friends (who were still Webelos), so he became a Lone Boy Scout until they did. That's a poor reason to do so. They also had a link to a website for a boy who was a LS, and his reasons was he didn't want to join any of the 3 troops in his town. One was run by a different church from his (his church had yet to set one up), one had female leaders (sorry, that's a poor reason), and the other was religiously neutral (I guess he wants his religious indoctrination with his scouting).

 

I've also heard of home schooling kids who are LS. But a better solution is to get with other home schooled kids a form a troop just for them (which some have done. I know of packs, troops, and crews made up of home schoolers).

 

Historically, I have read of boys who joined the old LSA because they were urban kids too shy to join a troop.

[BadenP]

emb021

Except for the sick boys the other reasons you give are perfect examples why lone scouts should either be very restricted or eliminated alltogether. Home school kids and shyness are not legitimate reasons to be lone scouts. In both of those examples those kids need to be in a regular troop learning social skills and developing maturity and leadership skills even more than the rest of the boys. Lone Scouts once had a place long ago but that need has long passed away, with an exception or two.