Honor Society for Venturing?

[Stosh]

I had a crew for 13 years and in all that time the council never offered anything for the crews on a council or district level other than pizza parties and mixers.  Needless to say I can't give an account of how well they were attended none of my boys/girls ever attended.  And then they wonder why Venturing is a flop.

[4CouncilsScouter]

In part, the majority of Venturers I've interacted from LDS and non-LDS, troop-based and non-troop-based, high adventure and non-high adventure crews have all been in the program because the genuinely want to be in the program. They didn't join the program on the promise of awards. They joined it on the promise of sharing experiences they wouldn't normally be able to do with their peers.

 

My $0.02.

[Scourge]

@@Scourge, who would you want to be accepted into this society? Assuming that you'd get there yourself, what type of venturers would you like to be in your company? What would you like them to accomplish?

The standards of becoming a member should be high.  Camping and leadership experience such as NYLT, Kodiak, NAYLE, and many high adventure experiences under their belts.  People that work hard and show common courtesy to all people.

[Scourge]

In part, the majority of Venturers I've interacted from LDS and non-LDS, troop-based and non-troop-based, high adventure and non-high adventure crews have all been in the program because the genuinely want to be in the program. They didn't join the program on the promise of awards. They joined it on the promise of sharing experiences they wouldn't normally be able to do with their peers.

 

My $0.02.

I totally agree.  It's an organization that offers adventure and opportunities to do great things.  Few Venture scouts make advancements because to most of us we just love the camaraderie and chances to do things that we wouldn't be able to do on our own. 

[qwazse]

The standards of becoming a member should be high.  Camping and leadership experience such as NYLT, Kodiak, NAYLE, and many high adventure experiences under their belts.  People that work hard and show common courtesy to all people.

I really like your outlook, but those are supposedly criteria (in broad strokes) for an Arrowman.

Also, you use "high adventure" and "camping nights. What of crews who don't make that a priority? Should they conform to a more outdoor oriented program?

 

.... few Venture scouts make advancements ...

 

Okay, we're coming on your 20th post. Are you going to start calling yourselves "venturers"? Or are you (like one former crew president who I know and love) going to insist that BSA made a boneheaded move with their name recognition strategy, and insist on "venture scouts" inspite of any training to the contrary.

[Stosh]

@qwazse one could have all kinds of camping, management (i.e. "leadership"), NYLT, Kodiak, NAYLE, etc. under their belt and not yet possess the internal grit of a gal/guy that's there at every turn with a helping hand, does a dozen good turns before breakfast, lives the Oath and Law, and has internalized scouting as a way of serving others in life.

 

Any honor society needs to evaluate potential members who are nominated for membership.  I really don't like the popularity voting of the OA.  Johnny/Janie is a great scout, here's the reason why, please consider him/her for membership.  Let the honor society make the decision instead of having a steady stream of sash and dash recruits.  

 

As scouters, the honors of District Award of Merit, Silver Beaver, etc. are determined by the nomination of others of the accomplishment in the field.  Maybe that would be a better way of selecting Venturerererers for membership in the society. 

[Col. Flagg]

Any honor society needs to evaluate potential members who are nominated for membership.  I really don't like the popularity voting of the OA.  Johnny/Janie is a great scout, here's the reason why, please consider him/her for membership.  Let the honor society make the decision instead of having a steady stream of sash and dash recruits.

I agree @@Stosh. What my unit has done is to announce each month who the top campers and service hour workers were. They are posted on the troop bulletin board and everyone can see each month who has what. Before elections, each candidate steps forward and their camping nights and service hours for the two year cycle, plus total camping and service hours, plus years of service are announced. That way the voters can see who the good campers and service provider are, not guess.

 

This approach really turned the elections on their head. Popular guys with low camping or service were not getting elected. Quiet, less popular kids with MEGA camping and service were getting elected in landslide votes.

 

THAT'S how to beat the current OA system. I agree, the criteria should be more strict and subject to a quantitative evaluation.

[HashTagScouts]

I agree @@Stosh. What my unit has done is to announce each month who the top campers and service hour workers were. They are posted on the troop bulletin board and everyone can see each month who has what. Before elections, each candidate steps forward and their camping nights and service hours for the two year cycle, plus total camping and service hours, plus years of service are announced. That way the voters can see who the good campers and service provider are, not guess.

 

This approach really turned the elections on their head. Popular guys with low camping or service were not getting elected. Quiet, less popular kids with MEGA camping and service were getting elected in landslide votes.

 

THAT'S how to beat the current OA system. I agree, the criteria should be more strict and subject to a quantitative evaluation.

 

 

it certainly is one way to change the culture.  I also tend to lean more on the OA members in the troop should be deciding on who is eligible (using the current criteria) for the election.  

[HashTagScouts]

In part, the majority of Venturers I've interacted from LDS and non-LDS, troop-based and non-troop-based, high adventure and non-high adventure crews have all been in the program because the genuinely want to be in the program. They didn't join the program on the promise of awards. They joined it on the promise of sharing experiences they wouldn't normally be able to do with their peers.

 

My $0.02.

 

 

This is pretty much my experience as well, they are two very different programs.  Crews have options on advancement, if that is the crew culture they want to develop.

[Tampa Turtle]

I deal with women ASM's and SM's and OA guys in our OA chapter all the time (and a few Sea Scouts as well). The issue that should even be "a thing" is disheartening. 

[HashTagScouts]

I deal with women ASM's and SM's and OA guys in our OA chapter all the time (and a few Sea Scouts as well). The issue that should even be "a thing" is disheartening. 

 

 

I don't really see it as a male/female thing.  For the OA membership guidelines, male Venturers today cannot be elected to the OA unless they are also dual registered in a troop or Varsity team at the time of their election.    

[qwazse]

I don't really see it as a male/female thing.  For the OA membership guidelines, male Venturers today cannot be elected to the OA unless they are also dual registered in a troop or Varsity team at the time of their election.

 

That all sounds fine and good, until you hear the history. Those rules were put in place after some female explorers/venturers were nominated to be tapped out, and lodge chiefs were okay with it.

[Rover Scout]

Good evening -

 

I was given credit for leading the Venturing forum at the national jamboree.  My colleague Andrew Miller represented the senior volunteer leadership of the National Venturing committee and led the discussion.  

 

 

This last week at the National Scout Jamboree, the National Venturing Committee fielded two events for the Venturers in Foxtrot Base Camp: a Venturing Town Hall Meeting and Region Venturing Break-Out Meetings.

 

The first of the two was in two parts, an advisors-only session and a youth only-session. I was only able to attend the first one, and here were the major points from it:

• There is talks of creating an honor society exclusively for Venturing. This idea was thrown out by one of the National committee guys, Kenneth King [CORRECTION: Andrew Miller]. In short, this program required applicants to take a pledge of service and then give a set amount of service a year. This was received with very mixed reactions.
• If given the choice to create a Venturing-only honor society or integrate with the Order of the Arrow, the advisors primarily supported integration.

This town hall was not to create any binding decisions but more so to test reactions and gather responses from Venturing leaders in the field. If anyone has any points to add from the meeting (especially the youth meeting), please share.

 

In service,

 

Ken King

[JosephMD]

Obligatory - didn't read the whole thread but : I'd say, hold OA elections in crews - use the same first class equivalent that is used for the National Outdoor Awards.