2001 - 2002 Venturing Events for
Viking Council
How to Join
Venturing in the Viking Council
The Venturing Program
Venturing Advancement
Venturing Leader Training
Venturing Code and Oath
Differences between:
Varsity
Scout Teams/Venture Patrols/Venturing
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,
to grow, to develop leadership skills, and to become good citizens.
Venturing crews can specialize in a variety of
avocation or hobby interests.
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, 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 aims of the Boy Scouts of America are to
build character, develop citizenship and foster personal fitness. The
Venturing methods listed below have been carefully designed to achieve
the aims of the Boy Scouts of America and 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
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 persons, 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.
On August 1, 1998, the National BSA split the Exploring program
into two separate organizations. The changes and differences
are explained here.
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