New Venturing Advancement Out of National

[qwazse]

The new vision for Venturing uses youth-led adventures and a simplified program model to provide a means of developing leadership skills, reinforcing the value of service to others, and creating opportunities for personal growth in line with the Scout Oath and Scout Law.

 

Read http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/...ouncement.aspx

Vote.

Discuss.

[click23]

I think the change, really any change at this point, is needed to kick start venturing. Venturing has the potential to be best program the BSA has to offer. The idea of a committee training is great, but I have argued in the past that a committee in venturing should not really be needed if the youth are truly running the crew.

[ChaiAdventure]

The report stated that there was only 0.7% of Venturers who earned any Venturing award. In my mind, since recognition was a method in Venturing, that is a 99.3% failure rate. Any changes are welcome...

 

An interesting side-effect is that my Crew has committed to earn the bronze-gold-silver award prior to their abolishment on Dec 31 2014. In an off-handed way, getting rid of the old system put some life back into it (in my small neck of the woods).

[walk in the woods]

Looked at the materials on the link and went Huh? Guess I'll wait for the details. Some of what was there looks a lot like Eagle Scout stuff though. With all the other changes could we be in for the end of the age overlap and a redefinition of what constitutes program levels in general?

[qwazse]

The membership stats are very telling. If our council is any indication, in about 2005 the register was "padded" with units who had no intention of using BSA materials. Shortly thereafter, we hit a "bust" cycle where those same units dropped off the map. I guess in the proposed rubric, they were all about one of those pillars, but not all four. I've met SMs who were asked to be crew advisors said yes and then gave up because it took time away from a troop that needed a lot of work to keep from being helicopter parented. It was a formula for flash-in-the-pan crews. I'd like to see a decade of slower growth of more solid units with COs that have a solid vision for how this meshes with the rest of their program. Maybe this roadmap will help. I just don't know.

[tyaron]

I have been an Assistant Advisor for our Crew since 2009 and we are seeing the crew grow slowly and the Venturers are actually earning awards (Two Gold’s, one Ranger, and six Bronzes in 2 years). The key to the program are activities, activities, and more activities! However, there are complaints with the current system that need addressed for next year’s rollout. Respect in the system has to come from the top. Our District chair still calls our crew “Explorers†or “Venturing Patrolsâ€Â. The District is being forced to have a Venturing Committee by our own kids. Why is a Crew forcing this: the Venturer’s could not get any training outside of the crew unless they go out of state. Other Crews in the State are having the same problem. As one Scout Master explained, “I use the Venture Crew†so we could supplement the Troop and offer more diverse activitiesâ€Â. It has Guidance and policy is lack-luster. Sure, there are handbooks, but the “authorized†promotion charts, don’t match the books, and don’t match other references either in practice or in writing. Throughout BSA, there is NO consistency and our Venturer’s pick up on the small details. Competition of resources are a critical blockage to success. In our rural area, some kids refuse to join Venturing for 4-H, since that organization allows for competition, minimal uniform requirements and ways for kids to make money. Others refuse to join because they are in Boy/Girl Scouts since Scouts (BSA, GSA) offer scholarships and are recognized. Other Crews state that if you get a Life Scout to join Venturing that is great, but rarely will you get an Eagle Scout join. It has to offer something more and be of equal or greater footing then the other groups’ awards. I like what I see in the new program and the levels appear to be simplified and it is a graduating level of degree. However, without support from the “Topâ€Â, clear guidance (difficult for BSA on a good day), and elevating the highest award to equal Eagle or Gold for GSA, would only benefit the program.