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.

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.

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.

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 truth in all things and adventure on the frontiers of our changing world.

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

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 lifelong 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 affect 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:

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.

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 secure, supportive place 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. 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 or two-weekend Kodiak Leadership course 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:

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.

Varsity Scouting

Purpose

Varsity Scouting is a program for young men who are at least 14 years of age but not yet 18. It provides options for young men who are looking for rugged high adventure or challenging sporting activities and still want to be a part of a Scouting program that offers the advancement and values of the Boy Scouts of America.

Organization

Varsity Scouts are members of a Varsity Scout team chartered to a community organization, such as a church or service club. It is led by a youth Varsity Scout team captain and an adult leader called a Varsity team Coach. The Coach is supported by an adult committee, made up of parents and members of the chartered organization. It is a stand-alone unit, chartered independently of a Scout troop, but the chartering procedure is essentially the same.

The team may be divided into squads, and each squad elects a youth squad leader.

Program

Varsity Scouting has five fields of emphasis. A youth member, called a program manager, is responsible for each of the five fields of emphasis and works with an adult member called a program adviser from the team committee to coordinate each phase of the program. The five fields of emphasis are:

Advancement. Varsity Scouts use the same advancement program as Boy Scouts. They can also receive the recognitions offered through such programs as the Fifty-Miler Award; Mile Swim, BSA; etc.

High Adventure/Sports. This program field of emphasis includes high adventure and sports and is supported by 27 program features.

Personal Development. Varsity Scouting promotes growth through spirituality, leadership abilities, citizenship, social and cultural attributes, and physical fitness.

Service. The emphasis is on service, until it becomes a constant ingredient in one's daily experience. Projects are conceived, planned, managed, and carried out by individual Varsity Scouts and/or the Varsity Scout team.

Special Programs and Events. Varsity Scouts take an active part in special programs and events on district, council, regional, and national levels.

Varsity Scout Letter

The Varsity letter may be earned by youth and adult members. The youth requirements are:

1. Be a registered Varsity Scout team member.
2. While a team member, actively participate in or accomplish at least one high-adventure program or sports program to the satisfaction of your Varsity Scout Coach.
3. Have an attendance record at team meetings and practice sessions of at least 75 percent for three consecutive months.
4. Satisfy the Varsity Scout Coach that you know and live by the Scout Oath and Law.

At the completion of each sports season or ultimate adventure, each participating Varsity Scout will receive a medallion to wear on the letter.

Denali Award

The Denali Award is available only to a Varsity Scout team's youth members who have already earned the Varsity Scout letter. Denali is the name American Indians gave Mount McKinley, in central Alaska. The requirements for the award are:

1. Be a registered Varsity Scout team member.
2. Advance one rank toward Eagle. If you are already an Eagle Scout, earn a Palm.
3. Hold leadership positions in a Varsity Scout team for at least six months.
4. a) While serving as team captain or a program manager, act as primary leader on at least two activities. Program managers should choose activities in their field of emphasis. Team captains may be primary leaders of activities in any of the five fields of emphasis.
   b) While serving as a program manager or team captain, demonstrate shared leadership skills by participating in supportive roles in activities in each of the three remaining fields of emphasis.
5. Satisfy the team captain that you know and live by the Varsity Scout Pledge.
6. Complete a progress review.

Uniforms

The traditional Boy Scout uniform with a "Varsity" identification strip above the right pocket and with blaze shoulder loops is worn for formal occasions. Many teams design their own T-shirt for outdoor activities.

Scout Oath

Varsity Scouts will use the Scout Oath.

Resources

Program Features. Three volumes of program features support the high-adventure/sports program field of emphasis.

Each program feature contains resource materials that will prepare a team for an ultimate adventure or sports season. The high-adventure subjects are backpacking, canoe camping, caving, cycling, discover America, fishing, freestyle biking, frontiersman, mechanics, orienteering, rock climbing and rappelling, snow camping, survival, and whitewater canoeing. Each feature contains approximately three months of program.

The sports program features contain basic rules, techniques, and strategies for basketball, bowling, cross-country skiing, roller hockey, shooting sports, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, triathlon, volleyball, and waterskiing.

Varsity Scout Guidebook. The Varsity Scout Guidebook is used by adult leaders and youth in Varsity Scouting.

Boy Scout Handbook. The Boy Scout Handbook contains information devoted to Varsity Scouts and supporting the Varsity Scout program.

Troop/Team Record Book. The Troop/Team Record Book is used to record member information, rank advancement, and financial record keeping.

Varsity Scout Leader Fast Start. The Varsity Scout Leader Fast Start video supports the orientation of new Varsity Scout leaders.

Varsity Scout Leader Fundamentals. This is a three-part training program for training adult Varsity Scout leaders.

Varsity Scout Roundtable Planning Guide. The Varsity Scout Roundtable Planning Guide supports the programs outlined in the program features.