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Venturing - BSA A Unique Opportunity for Older Youth

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Venturing - BSA. A Unique Opportunity for Older Youth. Existing Explorer Program. Effective 1 August 1998, “Exploring” as we knew it went away Career Posts now fall under Learning For Life - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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Page 1: Venturing - BSA

Venturing - BSA

A Unique Opportunity for Older Youth

Page 2: Venturing - BSA

Existing Explorer Program

• Effective 1 August 1998, “Exploring” as we knew it went away

• Career Posts now fall under Learning For Life

• Non-career Posts were converted to Venturing Crews and now make up the new Venturing Division within BSA

Page 3: Venturing - BSA

What Is Venturing?

• Is a youth development program of the BSA for young men and women who are 14 (and have completed the eighth grade) through 20 years of age

• Can be all male, all female or coed

• Models the European version where Scouting has been based upon distinct age group divisions for years

Page 4: Venturing - BSA

What is Venturing

• Members are called Venturers

• Venturing units are crews (Venture patrol in the troop with a patrol leader)

• Venturing adults are advisors

• Youth leader is president

• Crews can select one of five interest areas

Page 5: Venturing - BSA

Five Interest Areas

• Outdoor

• Sports

• Arts and Hobbies

• Youth Ministry

• Sea Scouting

Page 6: Venturing - BSA

Uniform

• Wear the traditional green uniform shirt with green shoulder loops and a Venturing BSA strip over the right pocket

• May adopt the official charcoal gray casual pants or backpacking style short

• Each crew determines its uniform based on the crew’s activities

Page 7: Venturing - BSA

Venturing Advancement Program

• Bronze Award

• Gold Award

• Silver Award

• Ranger Award

• Eagle Award

Page 8: Venturing - BSA

Bronze Award

• Entry level award

• Can be earned in each of five different interest areas

• Requires both learning skills and teaching them to others

Page 9: Venturing - BSA

Gold Award

• Replaces the old Explorer G.O.L.D. award

• Recognizes accomplishment in the six areas - leadership, service, community/family, outdoor, fitness, and citizenship

• Requires at least 12 months of active participation

• Requires a Board of Review

Page 10: Venturing - BSA

Silver Award• Provides a path to personal development

and requires– proficiency in emergency preparedness– participation in Ethics in Action– completion of Venturing Leadership Skills

Course– earn Gold Award and at least one Bronze

Award

• Requires a Board of Review

Page 11: Venturing - BSA

Ranger Award

• Identifies Venturer as an elite outdoorsman, skilled in a variety of outdoor sports and interests

• Must complete eight challenging core requirements and four outdoor interest or sports electives

Page 12: Venturing - BSA

Ranger Core Requirements

• First Aid Wilderness Survival

• Emergency Preparedness Communications• Leave No Trace Cooking• Navigation Conservation

Page 13: Venturing - BSA

Ranger Electives• Backpacking Cave Exploring• Project COPE Cycling/Mountain Biking• Ecology First Aid• Fishing Equestrian• Hunting Lifesaver• Mountaineering Outdoor Living History• Physical Fitness Plants and Wildlife• Scuba Shooting Sports• Watercraft Winter Sports

Page 14: Venturing - BSA

Eagle Award

• Venturers who enter the crew as First Class Scouts or who are dual registered in a troop may continue to work on their Eagle Award until age 18

Page 15: Venturing - BSA

Venturing Compliments Troop Program

• Adds new advancement and leadership opportunities for older boys

• Allows flexibility so boys can participate in both programs

• Meets the wants and needs of the 14-18 year old boy

• Can solve many challenges faced by Scoutmasters

Page 16: Venturing - BSA

What 14-18 Boys Want

• Challenging physical activities with young people their own age

• Recognition of their “older” status

• Co-ed activities

• Independence

• A sense of belonging and acceptance from their peer group

Page 17: Venturing - BSA

What 14-18 Boys Need

• Consistent adults that “walk their talk”

• Character and ethical education outside the classroom

• Positive role models, male and female

• Opportunities to become proficient at a variety of skills

• Leadership opportunities

Page 18: Venturing - BSA

Scoutmaster Challenges

• Keeping older scouts “engaged” in the troop while trying to attract and retain younger scouts

• Competing with older scout interests; sports, band, drama, jobs, girls, cars

• Giving leadership/role model opportunities to all older scouts

• Giving younger scouts something to anticipate beyond the troop

Page 19: Venturing - BSA

National BSA Statistics

• Average Eagle Scout is 14 years and 9 months old

• Average Boy Scout attendance at summer camp is 2.8 years

Page 20: Venturing - BSA

What Does Venturing Offer?

• New advancement opportunities for boys interested in going beyond Eagle

• Recognition for those boys who may have dropped out of “traditional” scouting

• Activities with boys and girls their age

• New leadership training specifically designed for them

• An advancement program that requires that they share what they have learned

Page 21: Venturing - BSA

Venturing’s Teaching Philosophy

• Level 1 - You read it

• Level 2 - Someone taught it to you

• Level 3 - You experienced it

• Level 4 - You teach it to someone else

Venturing advancement requires Level 4

Page 22: Venturing - BSA

Venturing’s Growth

• Church youth groups that adopt the structure of Venturing to strengthen their youth

• Businesses (REI) and clubs (re-enactment units, outdoor) that adopt Venturing to complement their program

• Successful troops that adopt Venturing to meet the wants and needs of their older scouts

Page 23: Venturing - BSA

Venturing’s Growth

• Venturing is BSA’s fastest growing youth development program. The figures are since Venturing began in August 1998– Total Venturers - 180,536 21.5%– Total Crews - 16,286 29.0%– Total non-LDS Venturers - 112,536– Total female Ventuers - 44,568 (40% of non-LDS

• 63.5% of all Venturers are 16 years old or older

Page 24: Venturing - BSA

Ages of VenturersYear 2000

05000

100001500020000250003000035000400004500050000

14 yr.Olds

15 yr.Olds

16 yr.Olds

17 yr.Olds

18 yr.Olds

19 yr.Olds

20 yr.Olds

other

Page 25: Venturing - BSA

What Can Our District Do?

• Implement a district run Venturing program as outlined in “Here’s Venturing”

• Identify churches with existing strong youth groups that may want to use the Venturing program

• Work with troops that want to form Venturing crews

Page 26: Venturing - BSA

What Can Our District Do?

• Form high school-based Venturing crews in those areas where there is no single strong troop

• Ensure Venturing activities, including those conducted by NCAC, are included in the district’s program calendar

Page 27: Venturing - BSA

What Can Our District Do?

• Include opportunities for Venturing crews to teach at district events (SMF, camporees)

• Ensure Venturing advancement, training and leadership awards are recognized

• Support the Northern Virginia Venturing Roundtable that has been established to bring program ideas to several districts

Page 28: Venturing - BSA

Summary

• Venturing is an exciting new program designed to keep youth involved in Scouting for as long as possible.

• Venturing provides a program that will attract young people who left the more traditional Scouting or who have never experienced Scouting before.

• Venturing compliments a religious organization’s existing youth program.