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What
is Venturing?
Venturing is a youth development program of the Boy Scouts of America for young
men and women who are 14 (and have completed the eighth grade) through 20 years
of age.
Venturing's purpose is to provide positive experiences to help young people
mature and to prepare them to become responsible and caring adults.
Venturing is based on a unique and dynamic relationship between youth, adult
leaders, and organizations in their communities. Local community organizations
establish a Venturing crew by matching their people and program resources to the
interests of young people in the community. The result is a program of exciting
and meaningful activities that helps youth pursue their special interests, grow,
develop leadership skills, and become good citizens.
Venture Oath
As a Venturer,
I promise to do my duty to God
and strengthen America,
to help others and
to seek truth, fairness and adventure in our world.
Scout Law
Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful, Friendly, Courteous, Kind, Obedient, Cheerful,
Thrifty, Brave, Clean, Reverent.
Goals
Young adults involved in Venturing will:
• Learn to make ethical choices over their lifetimes by instilling the values in
the Venturing Oath and Code
• Experience a program that is fun and full of challenge and adventure
• Become a skilled, training and program resource for Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts
and other groups
• Acquire skills in the areas of high adventure, sports, arts and hobbies,
religious life, or Sea Scouting
• Experience positive leadership from adult and youth leaders and be given
opportunities to take on leadership roles
• Have a chance to learn and grow in a supportive, caring, and fun environment
What Youth Want
Research has revealed these major points:
• High school students have many vocational and avocational interests.
• Teenagers want a broader experience that provides practical "hands-on"
experience and is tailored to their cultural backgrounds.
• Teenagers want to belong to a group that provides a "safe haven" from which to
address the youth development issues that affect them. These issues include
experimentation; moving from dependence to interdependence, social
relationships, psychological changes and sexual maturity, and a re-evaluation of
values.
Methods
The methods of Venturing have been carefully chosen to meet the needs of young
adults.
Leadership: All Venturers are given opportunities to learn and apply
proven leadership skills. A Venturing crew is led by elected crew officers. The
Venturing Leadership Skills Course is designed for all Venturers and helps teach
in an active way to effectively lead.
Group Activities: Venturing activities are interdependent group
experiences in which success is dependent on the cooperation of all. Learning by
"doing" in a group setting provides opportunities for developing new skills.
Adult Association: The youth officers lead the crew. The officers and
activity chairs work closely with adult Advisors and other adult leaders in a
spirit of partnership. The adults serve in a "shadow" leader capacity.
Recognition: Recognition comes through the Venturing advancement program
and through the acknowledgement of a youth's competence and ability by peers and
adults.
The Ideals: Venturers are expected to know and live by the Venturing Oath
and Code. They promise to be faithful in religious duties, treasure their
American heritage, to help others and to seek truth and fairness.
High Adventure: Venturing's emphasis on high adventure helps provide
team-building opportunities, new meaningful experiences, practical leadership
application, and life-long memories to young adults.
Teaching Others: All of the Venturing Awards require Venturers to teach
what they have learned to others. When they teach others often, Venturers are
better able to retain the skill or knowledge they taught, they gain confidence
in their ability to speak and relate to others and they acquire skills that can
benefit them for the rest of their lives as a hobby or occupation.
Ethics In Action
An important goal of Venturing is to help young adults be responsible and caring
people, both now and in the future. Venturing uses "ethical controversies" to
help young adults develop the ability to make responsible choices that reflect
their concern for what is a risk and how it will effect others involved. Because
an ethical controversy is a problem-solving situation, leaders expect young
adults to employ empathy, invention, and selection when they think through their
position and work toward a solution of an ethical controversy.
Crew Activities
What a Venturing crew does is limited only by the imagination and involvement of
the adult and youth leaders and members of the crew—sail the Caribbean, produce
a play, climb a mountain, teach disabled people to swim, or attend the Olympics.
All these adventures and more are being done today by Venturing crews and ships
across the country. All that is needed are concerned adults who are willing to
share a little bit of themselves with today's youth—tomorrow's leaders.
Starting a New Crew
Organizing a Venturing crew is easy to do. Just follow these steps:
1. A survey is conducted annually in community high schools to determine
students' recreational, hobby, and avocation interests.
2. A meeting is called of key people within an organization, with a Scouting
representative in attendance. The representative explains the Venturing program,
describes the key volunteer leader positions, and plans the recruiting of adult
leaders.
3. The crew committee and Advisors are recruited and meet with the Scouting
representative. Responsibilities of adult leaders are explained. The Scouting
representative also discusses program ideas and helps develop a one-year
program. The crew's one-year program is reviewed and adopted.
4. The organization's top executive writes a personal letter to each young adult
selected from the survey, or identified through other recruitment efforts, and
invites the youth and their parents to attend an organizational meeting. This
letter is followed by a personal phone invitation from a member of the
organization to each prospective youth.
5. The first meeting is held, involving young adults, the adult committee, and
selected consultants. Adult Advisors share the program plans with the new
Venturers (youth) and discuss member involvement and leadership roles through
the election of youth officers.
Program Support
The Venturing Division has designed literature, audiovisuals, training,
activities, and awards to support Venturing crews and ships.
Literature and audiovisuals: A variety of books, pamphlets, and videos
have been developed to assist with organization, program, leadership, and
activities. In particular, the Venturing Leader Manual will support leadership
and planning.
Training: Venturing Leader Specific Training (for Adults), Venturing
Leadership Skills Course (for youth), and monthly roundtables will be available
to improve and enrich Venturing crew programs. A weeklong high-adventure skills
course for Venturing Advisors called Powder Horn is available annually. The
weeklong Nature of Leadership High Adventure Treks program is available from
host councils across the country to teach experience-based leadership skills.
Advancement Awards: A variety of awards are available to Venturers who
accomplish specific advancement achievements. These awards include:
• Venturing Bronze Awards
• Venturing Gold Award
• Venturing Silver Award
• Venturing Ranger Award
• Sea Scouting Quartermaster Award
Recognition Awards: Those awards that are designed to provide recognition
for youth and adults include:
• Venturing Leadership Award
• Venturing Advisor Award of Merit
Uniforms: The BSA Supply Division offers the traditional spruce-green
uniform shirt for Venturers. It is recommended that crews adopt a charcoal gray
casual pant and/or backpacking-style short for their uniform. However, each crew
may determine what, if any, specific uniform pants or shorts they will wear
based on crew activities.
BSA Councils: Venturing crews and ships are supported by local BSA
councils, which provide staff and volunteer support, operate service centers and
camps, and conduct training and activities.
Liability Insurance: The Boy Scouts of America has liability insurance
that covers leaders and organizations to which Venturing crews and shops are
chartered. Accident and medical coverage are not included but are available
through local BSA councils at a modest cost.
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