Commissioner

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• Commissioner
• Orientation Training

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• Reminder to instructors Check the notes pages
  for additional text to support the presentation
• This is a hidden slide and will not show in the
  presentation.

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Purpose of Venturing
The purpose of Venturing is the same as that of
the Boy Scouts of America character development,
citizenship training and fitness. We prepare
young people to make ethical choices by
instilling the values of the Scout Oath and Law.
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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.
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Venturing Code

• As a Venturer, I believe that Americas 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.

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What is Venturing?
Venturing is a youth development program of the
Boy Scouts of America for young men and women
who are at least 14 years old (and have completed
the eighth grade) through 20 years of age. 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, to grow, to
develop leadership skills, and to become good
citizens.
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Venturing Crew

• Youth led organization
• Based on program inventory
• Recruits
• Elects officer
• Plans programs
• Adult Advisors provide training and guidance for
  crews elected officers

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BSA Council
The Boy Scouts of America recruits adult
volunteers and assigns staff members to provide
the following services for Venturing chartered
organizations crews.
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Commitment

• Leadership training for Advisors and elected
  officers

• Guidance on how to organize a crew or ship and
  keep the program going successfully

• Methods for recruiting Venturers, including an
  interest survey of local high school students.

• Regular communication with each crew to provide
  program support

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Commitment

• Use of council facilities, such as camps and
  equipment

• Planning Venturing activities that enrich the
  crews program

• Securing liability insurance coverage

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Venturing Methods

• Adult association
• Leadership
• Recognition
• Ideals
• Group activities
• High adventure
• Teaching others

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The Advisor
The Advisors responsibilities include

• Fostering a sense of community within the crew

• Helping youth lead, plan, make decisions, and
  carry out a long term program of activities

• Encourage participation and support for your crew

• Uphold standards and policies of sponsoring
  organization and the Boy Scouts of America

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The Advisor

• Protect young people in your Venturing crew from
  abuse or neglect and uphold the standards of the
  BSA Youth Protection emphasis

• Ensure the activities are conducted within
  safety guidelines and requirements

• Cultivate the Venturing spirit within your crew

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Youth Protection
Youth Protection Guidelines in the Advisors
section of the Venturing Leader Manual lists
several considerations that the Venturing leader
must remember
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Youth Protection Guidelines

• Two deep leadership on all trips and outings (2
  adults)

• No one-on-one contact with Venturers (other
  Venturers or Advisors must be present)

• Respect privacy of the Venturers

• Separate accommodations for Advisors and
  Venturers and for males and females on overnight
  trips

• Proper preparation for high-adventure activities
  (anything with an element of risk)

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Youth Protection Guidelines

• No secret organizations
• Appropriate attire
• Constructive discipline
• Hazing and initiation activities prohibited
• Junior leader training and supervision

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You might think that Venturing is specialty
information, learning leadership skills, a
community service, or a good social experience.
Venturing is all of these things and more, but
the primary purpose is forming responsible and
caring adults.
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Adolescent Development Issues
Important development issues facing Venturers

• Experimentation

• Movement from dependence to interdependence

• Social relationships

• Physiological changes and sexual maturity

• Reevaluation of values

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What Venturers Need

• Participation and experimentation
• Make choices
• Care about others
• Enjoyment of life
• New skills
• Opportunities for reflection

• Respect
• Acceptance
• Role models
• Problem-solving skills
• To be listened to

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How Venturing Supports These Needs

• Opportunities to try leadership roles,
  responsibilities, and experiences

• Real and meaningful experiences

• Fun and enjoyable experiences

• New personal skills

• An emphasis on caring about others

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As teachers, neighbors, youth leaders, bosses or
Venturing Advisors we can recognize the moments
we have in common with the young, and can be a
negative or positive influence. The moments will
come. How we choose to use them is up to us.
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Crew Organization and Leadership
When an organization agrees to be a sponsor in
Venturing, it agrees to recruit adult leaders
an Advisor, one or more associate Advisors,
and a crew committee. These leaders must be
adult men and women at least 21 years of age, who
will guide the crew.
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Venturing Crew Organization
Advisor
President
Crew Committee
Committee Chair
Associate Advisor Administration
Vice President Administration
Associate Advisor Program
Vice President Program
Treasurer
Treasurer
Consultants
Secretary
Sponsoring Organization
Activity Chairs
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ADULT LEADERS

• Advisor

• Associate Advisors

• Crew Committee

• Consultants

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Elected Post Officers

• President

• Vice Presidents

• Secretary

• Treasurer

• Activity Chairs (appointed)

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Adult - Venturer Teams
The elected Venturer officers work hand-in-hand
with the adult Advisors and committee
members. Activity chairs work with adult
consultants (from crew committee, parents or
other qualified adults) Cooperation and teamwork
between adults and young adults are essential to
the success of Venturing
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Program Capability Inventory (PCI)

• Conducted by the crew committee and adult
  Advisors.
• Every adult (or Venturer) who can help the crew
  is surveyed
• Profession
• Hobbies
• Contacts
• Equipment access
• Skills
• Inventory is the basic resource pool for crew
  activities

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Activity Interest Survey

• This questionnaire is taken by the Venturers.
• Provides information on what activities the
  Venturers are interested in doing.
• Should contain possible activities over all of
  the program emphasis areas.
• Provides the officers information on the
  Venturers interests.

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Select Venturer Activity Chairs and Adult
Consultants

• An interested and capable Venturer is appointed
  to serve as chair for each activity
• Assisted by an adult consultant from the PCI who
  has knowledge about the particular activity.
• Team manages the planning, development and
  execution of the activity.

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Program Planning Process
Follow-up is vital! Assume nothing. At your
monthly officer and crew committee meetings check
on the status of the program development.
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Program Planning Summary

• Program Capability Inventory

• Venturer Activity Interest Survey

• Brainstorm activities

• Match activity interests with resources

• Fill in the gaps

• Schedule the activities

• Select activity chairs and consultants

• Follow-up

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Forms - Forms - Forms
Your program activities will require the use of
several forms.

• Adult and youth registration forms

• Parents permission slip (overnight activities)

• BSA Money Earning Application

• BSA Local and National Tour Permits

• Flying Permit Application

(Other permits as activity situation dictates)
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Open House

• Annual recruiting open-house
• Shows your crew to prospective members and gets
  them to join
• Prospects are invited by letter or personal
  invitation
• Council does interest surveys of high schools
• Open house should be held early in the fall
• The Venturing Leader Manual has a detailed agenda
  for the open house.

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Activity Interest Survey

• Determine the interests of crew members
• Primary job of Vice President Program

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Superactivity

• Program year highlight
• Major project or trip requiring extensive
  planning and preparation
• Will generate publicity and interest in your
  crew
• Venturing Leader Manual has a how-to guide for
  planning a Superactivity

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Venturing Awards
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Venturing Recognitions

• Bronze
• Gold
• Silver

Ranger outdoor skills Quest sports
skills Sea Scout Quartermaster
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Recognition Map
Silver
Quarter- Award
master
Award
Ranger Gold Award
Award
Quest Award
Outdoor Religious Arts and Sports
Sea Bronze Life
Hobbies Bronze Scout
Bronze Bronze Bronze
Previous Boy Scout or Varsity Scout
JOIN Venturing
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Eagle Scout

• Eligibility remains the same
• First Class Scout
• Earned as a Boy Scout or Varsity Scout
• Requirements remain the same
• Leadership position in the crew

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Bronze Awards

• Sports
• Religious Life
• Arts and Hobbies
• Outdoor
• Sea Scout

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Religious Life Requirements

• Do nine of the eleven projects
• Earn religious award
• Learn about cultural diversity
• Plan and lead a service project
• Volunteer in church for three months
• Go on a religious retreat
• Be in a religious play
• Serve as an officer of your Sunday School
• Complete a Standard First Aid class
• Do five Ethical Controversies activities
• Sunday School teacher
• Meet with church leader

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Gold Award

• One Bronze Award
• 12 months tenure
• Leadership role
• Participate in a district (or higher) event
• Personal growth in six experience areas
• Lead two crew activity projects
• Recite Venturing Oath
• Three letters of recommendation
• Crew review

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Silver Award

• One Bronze Award
• Gold Award
• Emergency Preparedness (First Aid,
• CPR, Safe Swim Defense)
• Demonstrate leadership
• Including Venturing Leadership Skills Course
• Participate in Ethics in Action
• Crew review

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Quartermaster Award

• For Sea Scouts
• See the Sea Scout Manual, Ch. 3

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Ranger Award

• Eight core requirements
• Four of 18 elective requirements
• Demonstrate high degree of
• outdoor proficiency
• Resource for Venturers and Scouts
• Venturers can work up to the
• requirements

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Quest Award

• One elective
• 1. History / heritage sports
• 2. Sports nutrition
• 3. Drug-free sport
• 4. Communications
• 5. History / heritage of disabled sports movement

• Core requirements
• 1. Sports Bronze Award
• 2. Sport Safety Training
• 3. Fitness for Life
• 4. Fitness assessment
• 5. Sport disciplines

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Jan Religious Award Study (1) Ethics in
Action(9)Feb Cooking BDAC
RendezvousMar Cultural Diversity (2) Ethics
in ActionApr First Aid (8) May Service
Project (3) Ethics in ActionJun Religious Play
(6) Leadership Skills Jul Backpacking
Swimming SSDAug Wilderness Survival
Ethics in ActionSep Religious Retreat
(5) Oct Religious Leader Meeting (11) Ethics in
Action RELIGIOUS LIFE BRONZENov Emergency
Preparedness Leadership Skills Dec Winter
Sports Ethics in Action OUTDOOR BRONZE
GOLD AWARD
Religious Life Program
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Jan First Aid Ethics in ActionFeb Cooking
BDAC RendezvousMar Land Navigation Apr Backp
acking Ethics in ActionMay Leave No
Trace Leaderships SkillsJun Wilderness
Survival Jul Mountaineering Swimming
SSD OUTDOOR BRONZEAug Emergency
Preparedness Sep Communications Ethics in
ActionOct Project COPE Nov Conservation Lead
ership SkillsDec Winter Sports Ethics in
Action RANGER AWARD GOLD AWARD
Outdoor/Ranger Program
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Recognition Map
Silver
Quarter- Award
master
Award
Ranger Gold Award
Award
Quest Award
Outdoor Religious Arts and Sports
Sea Bronze Life
Hobbies Bronze Scout
Bronze Bronze Bronze
Previous Boy Scout or Varsity Scout
JOIN Venturing
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VENTURING TRAINING

• Venturing Leader Specific Training

• Officers Seminar

• Venturer Leadership Skills Course

• Venturing Leader Outdoor Skills Training

• Yearly Venturing Program Planning Conference

• Venturing Leader Roundtable / Quarterly
  Advisors Meetings

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Venturing Awards
LEADERSHIP AWARD Presented by Councils/Regions
andNational Council to Venturers and adults who
have made exceptional contributions to
Venturing ADVISOR AWARD of MERIT Recognizes
Advisor / Skipper for outstanding ability to work
with youth. Nominated by crew president and
committee chairman
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Adult Training Awards

• Scouters Key (Advisor)
• Fast Start and Basic training
• Three years tenure, seminars, VLSC
• Quality Unit, parents night
• Roundtable attendance
• Training Award (Venturing)
• Basic training
• Two years tenure
• Seven of 11 projects
• Sea Scout leaders meet Skippers needs

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SUPPLEMENTAL ACTIVITIES HELPS

• Ethics forums and controversies

• Venturing activities

• Other Venturing crews

• Venturing literature

Venturing Leader Manual Venturer / Ranger
Handbook Quest Handbook Venturing Reference
Guide Guide to Safe Scouting Venturing Advisor
Fast Start
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QUESTIONS
June 2002 GHC