Taking Adventure to a higher level

Setting up a Venture Scout Unit under the One Programme in your Group

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Introduction: Setting up a Venture Scout Unit under ONE ProgrammeVenture Scouts is the fourth Programme Section in Scouting Ireland’s ONE Programme, and it has a vital role to play in the development of the young adults in our association.

Although the name has been used previously in our association, it is important to understand that Venture Scouting under ONE Programme is not the same as Venture Scouting as we have known it since it was introduced to Irish Scouting in the mid seventies. It is true that there are a number of similarities, but there are also a number of major differences and this booklet sets out the definitive position with regard to Venture Scouting going forward. The key differences are as follows:

Younger Age Range. The Venture Scout section is now a younger Programme Section which caters for 15, 16 and 17 year olds. Shorter Age Range. The Venture Scout Programme now only runs for 3 years. More Structured. A more structured approach is recommended for programme, meetings and activities.More Scouter Involvement. The Venture Scouter needs to take a hands-on approach to assisting the Venture Scouts to plan, implement and review their programme.

This booklet has been produced to assist Scout Groups to establish Venture Scout Units under ONE Programme. Irrespective of whether a Scout Group is introducing Venture Scouting for the first time or they are switching from an older Venture Scout programme to ONE Programme, this booklet will explain what is involved. It also sets out definitively the structure and workings of Venture Scout Units, and should be used in conjunction with the Venture Scout handbooks, The Venture Scout Experience and The Venture Scout SPICES Book.

The booklet is divided into a number of sections as follows:

- Section 1: Procedure for setting up a new Venture Scout Unit.- Section 2: Venture Scout Unit Structure.- Section 3: ONE Programme in the Venture Scout Unit.- Section 4: Venture Scouting at Scout County level.- Section 5: Benefits of starting a Venture Scout Unit.- Section 6: Glossary of terms.

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Section 1: Procedure for setting up a new Venture Scout UnitA new Venture Scout Unit can be set up irrespective of whether or not the Scout Group has completed their ONE Programme Transition Training. The following procedure should be followed in all cases.

Initial contact with Programme Unit in National Office.

The Scout Group Leader contacts the Programme Unit in National Office (+353 1 495 6300 / oneprogramme@scouts.ie) to express their interest in setting up a Venture Scout Unit. A Venture Scouter is identified and contact details provided. A date is agreed for a member of the Programme Scout Unit and a GSF (Group Support Facilitator) to meet with the Venture Unit (in all instances this must be the Youth Members and the Venture Scouter(s)). ‘Setting up a Venture Scout Unit under One Programme’ booklet forwarded to Venture Scout Unit.

The Programme Unit forward a copy of the ‘Setting up a Venture Scout Unit under One Programme’ booklet to the Venture Scouter identified by the Group Leader.

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Programme Unit and GSF meets with Venture Scout Unit.

On the agreed date, a member of the Programme Unit and the GSF meets with the Venture Scout Unit. At this meeting the contents of the ‘Setting up a Venture Scout Unit under ONE Programme’ booklet are discussed and the structure and content of the Programme as contained in the Venture Scout Experience and website resources (my.scouts.ie) are explained to the Venture Scouts and Venture Scouter(s). The Unit members have the opportunity to ask any questions they might have. A date is agreed for ONE Programme training to be carried out.

ONE Programme training takes place for Venture Scout Unit.

A ONE Programme training session takes place on the date agreed. This session is delivered by the Transition Training Team. All members of the Unit should attend this training session. The ‘Welcome to Ventures’ pack is presented to each Venture Scout at this training session.

Briefing takes place for Programme Section Team Lead (Venture Scouter).

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4.Following on from the meeting with the Venture Scout Unit, the Programme Section Team Lead has a separate session with the member of the Programme Unit and the GSF to explain fully the role of the Venture Scouter(s).

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Voucher given to Unit to allow purchase of Venture Scout handbooks.6.

After the successful completion of the ONE Programme training session the Unit is presented with a voucher to enable them to purchase the Venture Scout handbook. The Unit may then commence operating the Venture Scout Programme.

When a new Venture Scout Unit is established they should complete SIF 17/07 (Approval for a New Programme Section). New Venture Scout Units established with 5 or more members will receive a once off grant of €100 in the form of Scout Shop vouchers, as per SID 60/10 (Policy on Annual Registration Fee & Rebates/Grants to Scout Groups/Counties).

It should be noted that where a Scout Group is currently operating a Venture Scout Unit under an older programme, the age profile of its members will mean that some of them will be Venture Scout age and some of them will be Rover Scout age as defined by ONE Programme. For details of the Rover Scout Programme, please see the accompanying booklet ‘Setting up a Rover Scout Crew’.

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Section 2: Venture Scout Unit Structure

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Venture Scout Age RangesVenture Scouting is for youth members aged 15 to 17 inclusive. As per the age ranges of Scouting Ireland, a 15 year old has the choice to remain in the Scout Troop for an extra year if they so wish. However, both the Scout and Venture Scout Programmes are designed to be three year programmes and as such the recommendation is that 15 year olds should become members of the Venture Scout Programme Section.

It is important to point out that Scouts do not transfer to Venture Scouts on the date of their 15th birthday. As with transfers between all other sections it is recommended that there should only be one movement of Scouts to Venture Scouts per year. This means starting a link process around April/May, with the Scouts becoming members of the Venture Scout Unit at the beginning of September.

Venture Scout Unit SizeIdeally a Venture Scout Unit should have between twelve and twenty-four members. While there is nothing to stop a Scout Group establishing a smaller Unit, it is very difficult to operate the Crew and Executive systems with smaller numbers. If there are less than twelve members the Scout Group should look to form a Combined Unit with another Scout Group. See Section 4 for more details. Likewise, Units can of course be bigger than twenty-four, but the bigger the Unit the more difficult it will be for the Executive to run the Unit. It will also be more difficult to monitor the personal progression of each Venture Scout.

For a Unit of between twelve and twenty four Venture Scouts there should be a minimum of two Venture Scouters, with three being preferred. Where there are male and female Venture Scouts this should be reflected in the make-up of the Venture Scouter Team.

Venture Scout Executive

The Venture Scout Executive coordinates the running of the Unit. It consists primarily of three people, a Chairperson, Secretary and Treasurer. Other members can be appointed with specific roles, for example a Unit Quarter Master.

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The Executive members are democratically elected by the Unit. Their term of office is decided by the Unit, but is usually either for a period of six or twelve months. Because a certain amount of experience is required to run the Unit, Venture Scouts in their first year in the Unit should not be members of the Executive.

Responsibilities of the Executive can be as follows:

- To organise the calendar of activities and meetings.- To coordinate the Activity Crews and ensure that the Unit’s programme is delivered by the Crews.- To coordinate the creation of a Venture Scout Unit Charter. - To determine all celebration ceremonies. - To administer the funds and equipment of the Venture Unit.- To send a delegate to Group Council to represent the Unit.- To work in partnership with the Venture Scouters.- To ensure a balanced programme which caters for the individual learning objectives of each member of the Venture Scout Unit.

Some Units will also give the Executive formal decision-making responsibilities when it comes to matters of discipline and conflict within the Unit.

Where there are smaller numbers in a Unit (less than eight) it may make sense for all members to attend Unit Executive meetings and be involved in the decision making process.

The following are the roles of the three standard members of the Venture Scout Executive:

Chairperson:

- Chairs meeting.- Only casts vote in the event of a tie during discussions.- Liaises with Venture Scouters.- Decides the frequency and duration of meetings.- Reports to the Unit.

Secretary:

- Takes & distributes minutes of meetings.- Liaises with provincial representatives.- Receives and sends communications to/from the Unit to/from external sources.

Treasurer:

- Manages Unit funds.- Allocates funds for activities with consent from the Venture Scout Executive- Liaises with Crew Leaders regarding budgets for activities.

Other members may be as follows:

- Programme Co-ordinator … makes sure that activities happen with the Crew leaders.- Quartermaster … looks after the Unit’s equipment.- Crew Leaders … where there are a large number of Crews in the Unit.

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Venture Scout CrewsThe Small Group System used in Venture Scouts is the Crew. There are two basic types of Crew as follows:

Fiontar Crew: This is a Crew made up of Venture Scouts who are at the same stage of their Personal Journey Challenges. - Activity Crew: This is a Crew made up of a team of Venture Scouts who are working on one task, activity or any other project for a set period of time.

It should be noted that the Crew system is not as rigid as the small group system used in the younger Programme Sections (Beaver Scout Lodges, Cub Scout Sixes and Scout Patrols). Venture Scouts will belong to one of two Fiontar Crews during their time in the Unit, depending on whether they are working on Suas or Trasna. However they will be a member of many different Activity Crews during their time in the Unit.

Fiontar CrewsAs a minimum there will be two Fiontar Crews in a Unit, a ‘Suas’ Crew and a ‘Trasna’ Crew. Ideally these Crews should have no more than three or four members, so in larger Unit’s there should be a number of each.

The purpose of the Crew is to provide a space for Venture Scouts to share ideas in relation to the challenges required

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for either Suas or Trasna. These Crews do not have ‘Crew Leaders’ as such, but they should have a mentor to assist them. In the case of Suas Crews this mentor should be a Venture Scout who is working towards Trasna, and in the case of Trasna Crews this mentor should be either a Venture Scout who has already achieved Trasna or else a Venture Scouter.

Activity Crews

The size and number of Activity Crews will vary greatly depending on the programme being undertaken by the Unit at any given time. Essentially the Activity Crews plan and run the Unit’s activities. Ideally there will be a mixture of Suas and Trasna Venture Scouts in each Crew. There will be an appointed Crew Leader (Venture Scout) who will be responsible to ensure the task or activity happens as planned. It is not their responsibility to do all the work however. Their role is that of team leader.

Programme Scouter: Venture Scouter

The structures of the Unit (the Executive and Crew systems) have been designed to encourage as much involvement as possible in the running of the Unit by the Venture Scouts themselves. However, from the outset the Venture Scouters must recognise that these structures will not work automatically. It may take a great deal of time for the Venture Scouts to become comfortable with the level of responsibility involved.

The Venture Scouter’s role then is as follows:

- To encourage and motivate the Executive and Crew Leaders.- To assist in the running of activities where required by the Executive and Crews.- Where necessary to sit in on Executive meetings to ensure that their work progresses.- Where necessary to sit in on Activity Crew meetings to ensure that their work progresses. - To ensure the safety and well being of the Unit members.

The level of involvement of the Venture Scouter will depend very much on the maturity of the Unit. New Units with inexperienced Venture Scouts will require a much greater involvement by the Venture Scouter(s). In such situations one Venture Scouter should ‘shadow’ both the Crew Leaders and the Executive Chairperson. This will mean sitting in on meetings of the Crews and Executive and directing where necessary the course of those meetings.

When a Unit has become established less direct involvement will be required on the part of the Venture Scouters. The norm would be for a Venture Scouter to meet with the Executive on a regular basis to discuss how the Unit’s programme, organisation issues, etc.

The Venture Scouters should attend all meetings and activities of the Unit. It should be noted however that Venture Scouts can take on lone activities similar to Scout Patrols. Scouting Ireland’s policies and guidelines in this regard should be observed (Camping & Adventures in the Out of Doors).

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Phases of the ProgrammeVenture Scouting is a three year programme (15 to 17 inclusive). Because the personal journey has two stages (Suas & Trasna), these three years are broken into two 18 month Phases for the purpose of working towards each of these stages. The programme will still be planned on a year to year basis, but Venture Scouts should be aware that they have 18 months to achieve Suas and 18 months to achieve Trasna.

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Meetings and ActivitiesJust as with the younger Programme Sections, Venture Scout Units should meet on a weekly basis. And while the approach taken in the meetings will differ, Venture Scout Units should resist the temptation to lose all semblance of structure.

At least one meeting each month should take place in the Scout Group’s Scout Den or regular meeting place. These meetings should follow a regular structure which will include the following

- The involvement of all members of the Unit.- The wearing of full uniform for at least the start of the meeting.- Team challenges/games.- Time for planning and reviewing the Programme.- Shorter activities relating to the three strands of Programme (see section 3 below).

The other meetings can take any format the Unit wish. For example they could be based in the Den, but there may just be one activity that will last for the duration of the meeting. Alternatively the meeting may take place in a different location completely.

In relation to activities other than the weekly meeting, the Unit should look to undertake at least one activity a month as a minimum. The more active the Unit can be the better, and two activities a month would be a good average for a Unit.

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Unit ExpeditionThe highlight of the Venture Scout year should be the Unit Expedition. This traditionally takes place in the summer months, but it can also take place in the Winter months if the Unit wish to try a winter-sports based expedition abroad.

The expedition should last from between 7 to 14 days. The expedition should be in line with the Youth Programme Abroad

Policy and associated guidelines and procedures. Where possible, camping is preferred over indoor accommodation, and the Crew system should be used as much as possible.

The decision about when and where to go on Unit Expedition should be made by the Unit as a whole. Once that decision has been made a special Expedition Activity Crew should be formed for the purposes of planning and organising the expedition.

15Venture Scouts should not be directly involved with the younger Programme Sections while working on Suas. They may help with specific activities in much the same way that Scout Patrol Leaders might help on a specific Beaver Scout or Cub Scout activity. However they shouldn’t attend weekly meetings and activities of the younger Programme Sections on a regular basis, nor should they be considered in the count of Youth Member supervision by Adult Scouters in those Programme Sections.

While carrying out Trasna, ( and ideally during their final year in the Unit) each Venture Scout should attend two meetings of each of the younger sections in the Scout Group to gain experience of what is involved in being a Programme Scouter in those sections. So where a Scout Group has Beaver Scouts, Cub Scouts and Scout sections this amounts to a total of six meetings that the Venture Scout should attend. Before attending the meetings of

the Beaver Scouts, Cub Scouts and Scout Programme Sections, the Programme Section Team Leader for the relevant Programme Section should visit a Venture Scout meeting to talk to the Venture Scouts carrying out Trasna about what they can expect at the meetings and what will be expected of them.

Please note that an exception is made to the 6 week limit on involvement with younger sections if a Venture Scout is working towards their ONE Programme Chief Scouts Award. In this case they should be permitted to be involved with the younger sections as per the requirements of the award. This involvement should be split evenly across the sections, ie. 2 months in Beaver Scouts, 2 months in Cub Scouts and 2 months in Scouts, and should only be for the purposes of achieving the award (please refer to the Chief Scout Award Handbook for further information).

Involvement with the Beaver Scouts / Cub Scouts / Scouts Programme Sections

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Section 3: ONE Programme in the Venture Scout Unit

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The Three Strands of the Venture Scout ProgrammeONE Programme provides the basic building blocks for the Unit’s programme, which are the Personal Journey Challenges (Suas & Trasna), the Special Interest Badges and the Adventure Skills. The key to a successful Venture Scout Programme is to combine all three of these elements.

From the outset it is important to look at the big picture of what your Unit wants to achieve over a period of time. This means generating an outline plan for the programme initially (referred to in The Venture Scout Experience as The Big Plan) and then planning in detail for each programme cycle as you progress along.

Putting the programme together using Suas & TrasnaThe starting point for The Big Plan should be the Personal Journey Challenges (Suas & Trasna), which form the central part of the Unit’s programme. The following procedure should be used.

1. Create Suas & Trasna Crews.

- Each Venture Scout in the Crew creates a SPICES Map using the SPICES Questionnaire.- From their Map the Venture Scout selects the 18 key ideas of personal growth that most need to be developed. - They then try to think of an activity that will allow them to explore each of those 18 key ideas. It is not essential

however that they come up with a full set of 18 activities.- The Crew members then share their ideas for activities. In doing so they may find that there are duplicate ideas. They may also find that another member of the Crew has come up with a good activity for one of the key ideas on their own list.- A Crew list of activities is then compiled, with duplicate or similar activities being combined. - Each member of the Crew should be happy that the list of activities compiled will allow them to explore all of their selected 18 key ideas.

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2. Bring the Suas & Trasna Crews together (noting that in a new Unit all Venture Scouts irrespective of age must start with Suas).

- Each Crew presents their list of activities.- A Unit list of activities is then compiled, again with duplicate or similar activities being combined.

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3. The Venture Scout Executive formulates a programme.

- The Executive combines the list of activities into a programme of activities for a period of time. - This programme of activities is then presented to the rest of the Unit.- All Venture Scouts should be happy that the programme as outlined will allow them to explore all of their selected 18 key ideas.

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4. Create Activity Crews.

- Activity Crews are then selected to organise and lead the activities on the programme. - Each activity Crew should have a mixture of Venture Scouts working on Suas and Trasna, with those on Trasna leading the Crews to plan and organise the activities.

It should be noted that when we speak of activities that these come in all shapes and sizes, whether that is an activity undertaken during a Unit meeting, an activity that lasts for an entire weekend or a project undertaken over a number of months.

It should also be noted that The Venture Scout SPICES Book mentions that the Venture Scout must undertake 18 challenges for both Suas and Trasna. These challenges do not have to be personally developed by each individual Venture Scout. However each Venture Scout must take an active part in the process outlined above and they must be happy that the programme developed meets their needs in terms of allowing them to explore and develop each of their 18 key ideas.

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Incorporating Special Interest Badges and Adventure SkillsEach Venture Scout should consider the areas of the Special Interest Badges and the Adventure Skills when generating ideas for activities in step 1 above. An ideal programme will incorporate all three strands.

To see how this might work, consider the following sample key ideas.

- Social. Do you get involved in your community? This could be linked to a community project carried out for the Community SIB.- Physical. Do you make time for physical activity? This could be linked to a backpacking expedition carried out for the Physical SIB which would require skills from the Hillwalking Adventure Skill.- Intellectual. Can you plan, carry out and review a project? This could be linked to a rafting trip carried out for an Adventure SIB which would require skills from the Paddling Adventure Skill.- Character. Do you have the courage to reach for your goals? This could be linked to achieving an Advanced Stage in one of the Adventure Skills.- Emotional. Do you try to develop your talents? This could be linked to a project carried out for a Personal Skill SIB.

- Spiritual. Do you make a positive impact on the environment? This could be linked to an environmental project carried out for an Environment SIB.

It should be noted that given the nature of both Special Interest Badges and the Adventure Skills, these elements of the programme can also be carried out individually by Venture Scouts in their own time. Indeed this is to be encouraged.

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Reviewing the Programme after each cycleA review of the programme should be carried out at the end of each programme cycle, which should typically last for about 4 weeks. There are two parts to the review.

1. Reviewing the activities undertaken.

This should be done by the Unit as a whole and should be lead by the Executive. The purpose is determine how well each activity went and to learn lessons for the planning and organising of future activities.

2. Reviewing the key ideas to be developed.

This should be done in Fiontar Crews. When the outline programme was being put together each Venture Scout should have satisfied himself/herself that it contained ample opportunities for them to develop their selected 18 key ideas. The review carried out at the end of a programme cycle is an opportunity to confirm that this is still the case.

PlanDo

Review

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Reviewing the Programme at the end of the yearAt the end of the year each Venture Scout should create a new SPICES Map using the SPICES Questionnaire. A comparison with the Map created at the beginning of the year should show an increased understanding of the chosen 18 key ideas of personal growth.

Social Physical

Intellectual Character

Emotional Spiritual

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The ONE Programme Chief Scout Award: Venture ScoutsFor Venture Scouts in their final year in the Unit there is also the Chief Scout Award. This includes a combination of Special Interest Badges and Adventure Skills, as well as a major expedition and intercultural activity. Full details of what is required in terms of the duration and quality of work is to be found in the Chief Scouts Award Manual in the ONE Programme (Foundational Support Resources) section of my.scouts.ie.

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Venture Scouting at Scout County LevelWithin each Scout County there should be a support system for Venture Scout Units. This will include an Assistant County Programme Coordinator (Venture Scouts) and a series of County based events where Units will get the chance to meet up, take part in activities and share ideas.

Scout County Assistant County Programme Coordinator (Venture Scouts)

Just as with other Programme Sections there should be an Assistant County Programme Coordinator (ACPC) with responsibility for Venture Scouts. This ACPC (Venture Scouts) should carry out a number of functions as follows:

- Coordinate the Scout County Venture Scout Team which is made up of Venture Scouters and Venture Scout Rep’s from each Unit in the Scout County.- Establish a Scout County Youth Forum for Venture Scouts.- Ensure that a programme of Scout County Venture Scout events are organised that are age appropriate and include all the elements of the SPICES. - Promote the full implementation of the Venture Scout

Section 4: Venture Scouting at Scout County Level

Programme as developed by Scouting Ireland in all Venture Scout Units in the Scout County.- Assess the standard of Venture Scout Programme delivered by Venture Scout Units in the Scout County.

Scout County Programme

The programme of Scout County Venture Scout events should be organised by individual Venture Scout Units, with each Unit taking on one or more events. When considering what type of events to include, the following should be considered:

- Events should be chosen based on a need in the Scout County defined by both Venture Scouts and Venture Scouters. For example, where hill skills are poor then a navigation training workshop could be organised.- Events should provide a ‘big’ experience. Scout County events are a chance to do something that individual Units on their own might not be able to do.- The number of events will differ from Scout County to Scout County, depending on factors, such as the number of Units in the Scout County and the level of programme being implemented by each Unit.

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The Scout County Youth Forum for Venture Scouts

The Scout County Youth Forum for Venture Scouts is a platform for Venture Scouts to meet, exchange ideas, express their views and formulate recommendations. Each Scout County must hold such a forum in line with the suggested methods endorsed by the National Management Committee and the World Organisation of the Scout Movement (WOSM).

The forum should take place at least once a year (ideally twice or more), and all Venture Scouts in the Scout County are entitled to attend. The forum will select 4 representatives who will be invited to attend one meeting of the Scout County Board. The representatives also have the right to attend all meetings of the Scout County Board throughout the year, if they so wish.

These representatives will also represent the Scout County at the Provincial Youth Forum for Venture Scouts.

Assisting Scout Groups to establish Venture Scout Units

While the ideal scenario is that each Scout Group would have its own Venture Scout Unit, this may not always be practical due to the numbers of potential Venture Scouts or indeed Venture Scouters in the Scout Group. In such circumstances the Scout County should look to establish Combined Venture Scout Units between Scout Groups.

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The role of the Scout County is as follows:

- To identify and bring together Scout Groups from the same geographic area who have a number of potential Venture Scouts. - To identify who will be the Venture Scouters from these Groups.- To contact the Programme Unit in National Office on behalf of the Groups and initiate the set up procedure as outlined in section 1 of this booklet.

A combined Venture Scout Unit is more likely to work if there are a small number of Scout Groups involved (ideally two) and those Groups are located close together geographically. It must be noted that the Venture Scouts must be linked and registered with a Scout Group, as a Programme Section cannot exist in a Scout County – this is merely a method of bringing Venture Scouts together to network. Members of a Combined Venture Scout Unit are always the responsibility of a Venture Scouters and Group Leader in that Scout Group.

Where it is not practical to establish Combined Venture Scout Units, but there are a number of Scout Groups who have a small number of Venture Scouts each, a second option is for the Scout County to facilitate a programme of activities at Scout County level for these Venture Scouts. Where practical these activities should be based on (and will allow for completion of) elements of ONE Programme. Therefore the initial activity should involve a planning session whereby the Venture Scouts and the Venture Scouters develop a plan which sets in place how the Venture

Scouts will work on elements of ONE Programme between activities, and how subsequent activities will support the Venture Scouts in that regard.

The role of the Scout County is as follows:

- To identify and bring together Scout Groups throughout the Scout County who have who have a number of potential Venture Scouts.- To identify a team of Venture Scouters who will work with these Venture Scouts to implement a programme of activities.- Over time to establish Units or Combined Units in the Groups who participate in this programme.

It should be noted that such an option should be open to all Venture Scouts from all Scout Groups in the Scout County who do not have their own Venture Scout Unit or who are not involved in a Combined Venture Scout Unit.

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Section 5: Benefits of starting a Venture Scout Unit

Benefits for the Young PersonThe aim of Scouting Ireland’s ONE Programme is the development of the young person. This is achieved through the Personal Journey Challenges, the Special Interest Badges, the Adventure Skills Badges and the Chief Scout’s Award. There is a progression in each of these elements of ONE Programme through each of the Programme Sections, and the full benefits of the Programme will only be realised if the young person participates in all five Programme Sections. It follows then that Venture Scouting has a vital role to play in this progression, and the absence of a Venture Scout Unit will mean that the young person’s development in Scouting will be incomplete.

Although the very basis of ONE Programme in all 5 sections is that the youth member is involved in designing their own

programme, it is in the Venture Scout Unit that they really begin to shape their own experience. Venture Scouts work in partnership with a dedicated team of Venture Scouters and assume a greater level of responsibility than they have done in previous sections.

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Benefits of participation in the Venture Scout Programme for the young person include …

- Increased opportunities for leadership skills. Operation of the Executive and Crew systems will provide many such opportunities.

- The opportunity to learn to be a team player, but also the opportunity to learn to work on their own initiative.

- The ability to pursue personal interests. While personal development and personal interests are built in to the entire programme, the nature of the Crew system in Venture Scouts allows for special interest groupings to form to a much greater degree.

- The opportunity to specialise in their chosen Adventure Skills.

- Networking with people of similar age. Networking between Venture Scout Units from around the country is very much a part of the Venture Scout experience.

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Benefits for the Scout GroupWhile the Venture Scout Unit is vital to the development of the young person, it also has much to offer the Scout Group itself. Benefits include …

- The Unit will take on more challenging and adventurous activities than the younger Programme Sections. This will provide a Scout group with great promotional material when seeking new youth members and Scouters.- The Unit could be a source of specialist skills to assist in the implementation of the Adventure Skills Badges in the younger Programme Sections.- Part of the Venture Scout Programme involves the gaining of limited leadership experience with the younger Programme Sections. This means that the Venture Scouts will be available on a limited number of occasions to assist the younger sections in the running of activities. - The Unit provides a target for Scouts to strive for. This is likely to lead to better retention of Scouts.

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Benefits for the Scout CountyThe Scout County can also benefit from having a strong Venture Scout Programme being implemented. Benefits include …

- A source of specialist skills will be created which will aid the implementation of the Scout County Programme.- Young people will be in a better position to play a role in the Scout County in the future.- It will be much easier to establish individual Units within Scout Groups where combined a Venture Scout Programme is facilitated at Scout County level. - Venture Scouts who gain experience of the Executive system by participating in a Venture Scout Programme facilitated at Scout County level would be ideally placed to explain to new Venture Scouts how the system works.

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Section 6: Glossary of TermsGroup Support Facilitator (GSF)A GSF is a member of the professional staff based in a particular Scout Province who provides direct support to Scout Groups.

ONE ProgrammeONE Programme is the youth programme of Scouting Ireland, and it offers a consistent approach to programme for all youth members from Beaver Scouts through to Rover Scouts.

Programme UnitThe Programme Unit is a team of professional staff based in National Office who both develop programme resources and provide direct programme support to the National Youth Programme Committee and Scout Groups.

Rover ScoutsRover Scouts is the fifth and final Programme Section of ONE Programme. Rover Scouting is for 18 to 20 year olds inclusive.

World Organisation of the Scout Movement (WOSM)The World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM) is an independent, worldwide, non-profit and non-partisan organisation which serves the Scout Movement. Its purpose is to promote unity and the understanding of Scouting’s purpose and principles; while facilitating its expansion and development.