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.
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, youth ministries, 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.
The methods of Venturing have been
carefully chosen to meet the needs of young adults.
Leadership. All
Venturing Scouts 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 Venturing Scouts 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.
Venturing Scouts 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.
THE VENTURING OATH
As a Venturer, I promise to do my duty to God
and
help strengthen America, to help others, and to
seek truth, fairness, and adventure in our
world. |
|
THE VENTURING CODE
As a Venturer, I believe that America’s strength
lies in our trust in God and in the courage,
strength, and traditions of our people.
I will, therefore, be
faithful in my religious duties and will
maintain a personal sense of honor in my own
life.
I will treasure my American
heritage and will do all I can to preserve and
enrich it.
I will recognize the dignity
and worth of all humanity and will use fair play
and goodwill in my daily life.
I will acquire the Venturing
attitude that seeks the truth in all things and
adventure on the
frontiers of our changing world. |
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 Venturing Scouts to teach
what they have learned to others. When they teach others
often, Venturing Scouts 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.
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.
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.
Organizing a Venturing crew is easy to
do. Just follow these steps:
- A survey is conducted annually in
community high schools to determine students' recreational,
hobby, and avocation interests.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- The first meeting is held, involving
young adults, the adult committee, and selected consultants.
Adult Advisors share the program plans with the new
Venturing Scouts (youth) and discuss member involvement and
leadership roles through the election of youth officers.
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.
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.
For additional information and support on
organizing a new Venturing Crew or Sea Scout Ship, contact your
local Boy Scouts of America Service Center or the Venturing
Division, at the national office, Boy Scouts of America.
|
