Venture Silver Award getting its due..

[captainron14]

I want to know why the Venture Silver Award is not getting the recognition it deserves? In my opinion it is the equivilant to the Eagle ( I feel that its even harder to earn). I won't even get on the Ranger Award (which is even more difficult).

I think its more than "the Eagle has been around a lot longer than the Silver".

Most people are not aware of the award. Why is National not doing more to promote it?

Venturing is an awsome program! I just hope it gets enough support so that it may see its full potental(sp) bloom.

[OldGreyEagle]

Hey Capt.

 

Just a word if I may, the Venture Silver is indeed a tough nut to crack.

 

It should also be pointed out that the Ranger is the top award in the Outdoor area of Venturing, Venturing Crews may also have a focus on Sea Scouts, Arts and Hobbies, Youth Ministries, and Sports.

 

While all Venturerers may work on the Gold and Silver, the Ranger is reserved for the Outdoor area.

 

A better quesiton may be when will the entire program get the recognition it warrants?

 

And I must reiterate, the best program publicity comes from the local. not the naitonal level(This message has been edited by OldGreyEagle)

[DDHII]

Why national decided to put Sea Scouting in Venturing is beyond me... It's a separate program that Venturers (outdoor, art's & hobbies, religious life, and sports) cannot participate in unless they are registered as a Sea Scout. However, Sea Scouts can participate in any award in Venturing.

 

The Eagle Scout and Quartermaster awards receive the highest recognition not only in the BSA, but in other organizations as well. For an example, the US military will promote an enlisted person to an E-3 once they have completed basic training. When applying for college scholarships, many ask if you are an Eagle Scout or a Quartermaster award recipient.

 

The current Venturing program has only been around since 1998 and Venturing is still evolving. In my honest views, I do not feel that the Silver Award is at the same level as Eagle Scout or the Quartermaster Award yet. There has been over 90 years of tradition and experience in developing those awards. I would like to see Venturing build on some traditions in the future and earn the respect and recognition found in Boy Scouting and in Sea Scouting. Only then, will the Silver Award be held at the same level as Eagle or the Quartermaster award.

 

The same I guess the same should be applied to the Silver Hornaday Its the highest nationally recognized award for conservation, yet its not held at the same level as Eagle nor Quartermaster.

 

Its not about what award you think is harder. You cannot compare Eagle to the Silver Award because they are for two separate age based programs. Its like comparing those awards to Silver Hornaday its not the same thing.

 

It took me the same amount of time to earn Eagle (three years) as it was to earn Ranger, Venturing Silver Award, and Silver Hornaday together (three years later after Eagle). The difference is, I was older when I earned those awards and the difficulty was harder because I was in an older age group with higher expectations.

 

YIV,

 

Dale

 

Ranger Award

Venturing Silver Award

Silver Hornaday

Eagle Scout

[OutdoorThinker]

How should BSA (at any level) go about giving Venturing its due? Boy Scouting has done such a great job making the Eagle Scout recognizable (definately more recognizable than the Girl Scout Gold)how do we make Venturing something that I dont have to explain why/how I am a Boy Scout every time I mention I am off at a Boy Scout function or so that recruitment isnt as difficult, because everyone knows what the program is and how to join?

[Bob White]

As I see it the biggest factors are time and density. The Eagle Award was not that well know in it's first 5 years as it is today. It took several years and and thousands of Eagle Scouts for it to achieve the degree or recognition that it enjoys. Now after over 90-years and well over a million Eagle Scouts later, it is an awrd reccgnized throughout the country.

 

Even when Explorers existed it never enjoyed the membership numbers that Boy Scouting had, and it was still a very young program in comparison.

 

The recognition due the Silver Award will come from endurance of time, density of the bearers to population, and the recognition they bring to the award by the lives they live.

 

It's a young award and it needs time to mature.

 

Bob White(This message has been edited by Bob White)

[Fat Old Guy]

OT said, " I dont have to explain why/how I am a Boy Scout"

 

But you aren't, no more than my son is a Cub Scout.

 

As Bob said, it will take time before any of the Venturing awards get public recognition, if they ever do. Venturing isn't part of the public's lexicon yet and I'm not even sure if it is part of the lexicon of most Scouts or Scouters. Many still seem confused by the idea of a Venture Crew vice a Venture Patrol, especially since the Venture Patrol was once called a Venture Crew.

 

Dale said, "Why national decided to put Sea Scouting in Venturing is beyond me.."

 

It had to go somewhere and had been part of Exploring for many, many years.