What Is Venturing?
Program
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. For greater details,
click here.
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 results is a program
of exciting and meaningful activities that helps youth pursue their special
interests, grow, develop leadership skills, and become good citizens.
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,
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
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 acknowledgment 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 Venturing Crew
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 Venturers (youth) and discuss member involvement and leadership roles
through the election of youth officers.
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.
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. Basic and advanced leader training sessions along with
crew leader workshops, quarterly Advisor meetings, and program conferences
will be available to improve and enrich Venturing crew programs. A week-long
high-adventure skills course for Venturing Advisors called Powder Horn is
available annually.
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.
Back
