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[Rock Doc]

Has anyone in Venturing completed the new YPT? I'm hearing that it's missing coed issues as well as older teen concerns. Seems like the one-size fits all may not adequately address the Venturing program...

[ParkMan]

I did - I don't recall that being covered.

Looking at the course numbers, I presume that more content is coming.

[HelpfulTracks]

3 hours ago, Rock Doc said:

Has anyone in Venturing completed the new YPT? I'm hearing that it's missing coed issues as well as older teen concerns. Seems like the one-size fits all may not adequately address the Venturing program...

I have, and is missing coed training. I called National thinking I had taken the wrong course (it also has same number as Boy Scout YPT, Y01). But that was the correct course as it now covers all programs. I don’t think there are any additional modules unless they decide the current set does serve their purpose. I was/am surprised the was such a difference between old Venturing YPT and new all encompassing version.

[ItsBrian]

Why was venturing YPT changed if it stays the same?

[ParkMan]

The current online courses are:

SCO_3001 - Overview and policies

SCO_3003 - Sexual Abuse

SCO_3004 - Bullying

SCO_3007 - Certification Test

It strikes me that there are some gaps here in the numbers -  as if they intend to add more content.

Also - they have both a mandatory and helpful category.  Again, seems like they have infrastructure for more.

 

[Col. Flagg]

7 hours ago, ParkMan said:

The current online courses are:

SCO_3001 - Overview and policies

SCO_3003 - Sexual Abuse

SCO_3004 - Bullying

SCO_3007 - Certification Test

It strikes me that there are some gaps here in the numbers -  as if they intend to add more content.

Also - they have both a mandatory and helpful category.  Again, seems like they have infrastructure for more.

 

This happened a while ago when they broke the former Venturing YPT training into these multi-module set of courses. This was a while ago. I doubt that BSA thought that far in advance to about adding new modules. Never seen them do that before. Planning ahead? 

[Rock Doc]

1 hour ago, Col. Flagg said:

This happened a while ago when they broke the former Venturing YPT training into these multi-module set of courses. This was a while ago. I doubt that BSA thought that far in advance to about adding new modules. Never seen them do that before. Planning ahead? 

The "new" format of modular YPT has only been around for a month or so. Several of our venturers completed the "old" Venturing-specific YPT last month. The crew committee training was revised close to a year ago, and now consists of a dozen or so modules.

Regardless, the question remains - how does this "new" YPT format serve Venturing? For that matter, how does it serve the newly-forming dens of female cub scouts?

[Col. Flagg]

19 hours ago, Rock Doc said:

Regardless, the question remains - how does this "new" YPT format serve Venturing? For that matter, how does it serve the newly-forming dens of female cub scouts?

I don't suspect we will get an answer to these questions until BSA makes up its mind about females in Scouting overall. How will Venturing work after Boy Scouts for Girls comes around? If past experience holds true, BSA will make changes to their program and then, months later, figure out what training is required.

[ItsBrian]

Took the new YPT this morning (assuming I needed the most updated one for camp staff).

Its completely different from the old YPT in my opinion.

I feel like the new one is like a a documentary/lesson.

It focused A LOT on sexual abuse. I feel like they should’ve focused more on two deep, digital, buddy system, etc. instead of a 30 second voice over for each.

[Zebra132]

I'm interested in how all of you think of 18-20-year-olds. We now have to register them as adults and refer to them as "adult participants" in Venturing and Sea Scouting. I found these definitions in the BSA Rules and Regulations definitions:

Adult. Unless otherwise stated, the word “adult” refers to a person 18 years of age or older.

Scouter. A Scouter is an adult who registers with the Boy Scouts of America at the local, area, region, or national level; fulfills the obligations of his or her position; obligates himself or herself to subscribe to the Scout Oath; and agrees to abide by the Rules and Regulations, policies, and other guidelines of the Boy Scouts of America.

Leader. A leader is an adult Scouter registered in a position of leadership or responsibility at the council, district, or unit level.

Member. Unless otherwise stated, a “member” is a youth member and, in context, an adult program participant.

Youth. “Youth” generally means a youth member or adult program participant registered in a program.

Youth Leader. A youth leader is a youth member or adult program participant occupying a position of responsibility for leadership development purposes as a youth as opposed to as an adult leader.

Adult Program Participant. An adult program participant is any person 18 years of age or older who registers to participate in a program in which youth members are also eligible to participate; obligates himself or herself to regularly attend the meetings; fulfills a member’s obligation to the unit; subscribes to the Scout Oath; and participates in an appropriate program based on the current guidelines of the Boy Scouts of America. Adult program participants are subject to the same guidelines as adult Scouters when required by policies and guidelines

Then when you get to the YPT page at scouting.org, you see:

 

Adult Supervision

(Effective October 1, 2018) Two registered adult leaders 21 years of age or over are required at all Scouting activities, including meetings. There must be a registered female adult leader over 21 in every unit serving females. A registered female adult leader over 21 must be present for any activity involving female youth. Notwithstanding the minimum leader requirements, age- and program-appropriate supervision must always be provided.

All adults accompanying a Scouting unit who are present at the activity for 72 total hours or more must be registered as leaders. The 72 hours need not be consecutive.

One-on-one contact between adult leaders and youth members is prohibited both inside and outside of Scouting.

• In situations requiring a personal conference, the meeting is to be conducted with the knowledge and in view of other adults and/or youth.
• Private online communications (texting, phone calls, chat, IM, etc.) must include another registered leader or parent.
• Communication by way of social media (Facebook, Snapchat, etc.) must include another registered leader or parent.

 

So what are "adult participants?" Are they whatever National needs them to be at the time? As a youth leader, is an adult participant held to the no one-on-one contact rule as it specifically says adult leaders? Are they prevented from hanging out with long-time friends at the stroke of midnight when they turn 18? I'm interested in your comments. I've had adult friends that have walked away from Scouting because of the no one-on-one contact outside of Scouting. I think we're getting into a little over-reach with some of the new rules. Is a teacher that is an adult leader (and is that different than being just a Scouter?) going to have the BSA police monitoring their classroom during tutoring sessions? Can a single parent that is an adult leader let a register Scout come for a sleep over with their child knowing there could be times when the parent could be alone with the guest. This is WAY overkill in my opinion.

 

[qwazse]

@Zebra132, the bitter truth? Based on the literature you cited, if BSA were plain spoken, the simplest synonym they would choose for "adult participants": liabilities.

[RememberSchiff]

In my unit, ten days after deadline and this policy has only had a negative effect on program and fundraising . Parents are convinced this is about money, as in register more adult leaders, not safety.  Our biggest fundraiser closed early as regular adult coverage was deemed non-compliant; if we are lucky we will break even. 

So the opinions I heard last night, the BSA does not  want the help we have been providing,  we now have less program with no more safety. No additional parents have stepped up to register as leaders and worse, one leader stepped down. 

Let's rollback to previous  policy was commonly expressed. Another idea was to replace "Scouting activities" with  more flexible "unit activities" to deliver program. The  "unit activities" may be  Scouting  or Charter Organization, community, school, or  even family group activities.  

Our parents are NOT happy.  

[ParkMan]

In the GSUSA all adults present on camping trips have to be registered members.  It has been that way for at least the 8 years my family has been involved.

Edited October 12, 2018 by ParkMan
typo

[Treflienne]

50 minutes ago, ParkMan said:

In the GSUSA all adults present on camping trips have to be registered members.  It has been that way for at least the 8 years my family has been involved.

We asked all the moms, at the beginning of each year, to register and do the background check so that they would be available to volunteer occasionally.   Most did.  (And some dads did also.)  No one complained about the cost.   Of couse,  if it is a long-running policy then people are used to it and it is not a surprise.   Also, the GSUSA background check only required filling out a short form so a CORI check could be done --- there was no hour-long YPT class required.

[shortridge]

It’s ~$33 and one hour of time. Fourteen-year-old summer camp CITs have to do the training. Why all the bellyaching?

But let’s flip it around and present it constructively. Wouldn’t you like to know that all the Scouting volunteers outside of the troop that your Scout comes in contact with - running camporee activities, teaching merit badges, timing the district PWD, leading service crews on OA weekends, operating stations at the chariot race, cooking at a Cub family weekend - are all registered, screened and trained to keep our Scouts safe at the most basic level?