FAQ

1. What is venturing?
2. Why is venturing important to our council?
3. Are Venturing and exploring the same?
4. How is Venture different from Boy Scouts?
5. Can the member of a Venturing Crew qualify for election to Order of the Arrow?
6. Does having girls in the Crew slow you down or spoil the fun?
7. What is a Venturing Crew?
8. What uniform does a Venturer wear?
9. Can a Venturing Crew organize for something other than high adventure, or must that be an Explorer Post?
10. What are the Aims and Methods of Venturing?
11. What are the responsibilities of the Venturing Advisor?
12. How do you start a Venturing Crew?
13. Why should my church or civic club form a Venturing Crew?
14. What activities are available to participate in on a Council-wide basis?
15. How do I get more information about Venturing?
16. What adult leader training is available for Venturing advisors and committee members?
17. Why is leader training and understanding the BSA safety rules important?
18. What if I already have a lot on my plate?  
19. Can I join more than one Venturing Crew?
20. Do I have to pay registration fees for each crew I join?

1. What is venturing?
Venturing is the young-adult program of the Boy Scouts of America for young men and women who are aged 14 (and have completed eighth grade) to 20. Venturing units are called crews; adults are called Advisors. The youth leader is the president. The program is developed by local community organizations such as churches, civic groups, and educational and business institutions that match the interests of young adults with the program resources of the organization. These organizations are called chartered organizations.


2. Why is venturing important to our council?
Venturing contributes to council's renewal by identifying and developing new business opportunities. We are expanding council's interests towards new areas but still working within council's broad vision of combining mobility and communications.


3. Are Venturing and Exploring the same?
Learning for Life Exploring is separate from Venturing. People are very confused by the changes in the Exploring and Venturing programs. In a nut shell any Exploring unit that had its main program around a career interest is still called an Explorer Post and in the Learning of Life Program, and any unit that had its main program around high adventure, sports, hobbies, or youth ministry is now in the Venturing program and the units are called Crews.


4. How is Venture different from Boy Scouts?
Venturing is a part of BSA but it is for more mature boys, and also girls.  With more maturity, you can do more things that would not be appropriate for younger boys such as longer high adventures, scuba, handgun shooting, more difficult climbing and more vigorous treks at Philmont and similar adventures.

 
5. Can the member of a Venturing Crew qualify for election to Order of the Arrow?
Yes, and no.  To qualify for the OA the candidate must also be a member of an active and recognized Boy Scout Troop.  The nomination and ordeal experience are part of the Troop program and not the Venturing Program.


6. Does having girls in the Crew slow you down or spoil the fun?  
Quite the contrary.  The young women attracted to Venture are frequently more adventurous and more outdoor savvy than the boys who come up through a normal Troop experience.  Many of the young ladies have already been staff at Philmont, canoed the Boundary Waters, and by nature are more mature and grown up acting than the boys their age before they join a crew. As long as you follow the Guide to Safe Scouting and Youth Protection, there will be far more benefits from having adventurous young women in your crew than there are any real problems.  They certainly carry their own weight on any Venture outings.


7. What is a Venturing Crew? 
The Venturing crew is a youth-led organization that recruits members, elects officers, and plans programs based on the organization's program inventory. Adult Advisors provide training and guidance for the crew's elected officers.


8. What uniform does a Venturer wear?
 There is no universal official uniform. The recommended uniform is the spruce green shirt with green epaulet tabs and gray backpacking-style shorts or gray casual pants. However, the uniform, if any, is the choice of the crew.  You may choose to get silk-screened t-shirts, embroidered golf shirts or something else that the group selects.


9. Can a Venturing Crew organize for something other than high adventure, or must that be an Explorer Post?
A Venturing unit need not only be focused around High Adventure.  Most Exploring units are associated with a career oriented theme but that does not mean that a Venturing unit can not pick other interests for its main focus.


10. What are the Aims and Methods of Venturing? 
The aims of the Boy Scouts of America are to build character, develop citizenship, and foster personal fitness.  The Venturing methods have been carefully designed to achieve the aims of the Boy Scouts of America and meet the needs of young adults.


• Adult association - Youth officers lead the crew. The officers and activity chairs work closely with adult Advisors and other adult leaders in a spirit of partnership. Adults serve in a shadow leader capacity.
• Leadership -  All Ventures 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 Ventures and helps to teach in an active way to effectively lead.
• Recognition -   Recognition comes through the Venturing advancement program and through the acknowledgment of a youth's competence and ability by peers and adults.
• Ideals - Ventures are expected to know and live by the Venturing Oath and Code. They promise to be faithful in religious duties, to treasure their American heritage, to help others, and to seek truth and fairness.
• 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.
• High adventure - Venturing 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 Ventures to teach what they have learned to others. When they teach others, Ventures are often better able to retain the skill or knowledge that they have 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.

11. What are the responsibilities of the Venturing Advisor?
The specific responsibilities of an Advisor include:

• Fostering an environment within the Venturing crew that has a true sense of community and encourages everyone's growth and responsibility to one another.
• Developing crew officers to lead, i.e., to plan, make decisions, and carry out a program of activities over an extended period.
• Encouraging participation and support for the Venturing crew from the chartered organization associate Advisors, crew committee, parents, and other adults in the community.
• Upholding the standards and policies of the chartered organization and the Boy Scouts of America.
• Providing the necessary framework for protecting the members of a crew from abuse.
• Ensuring that activities are conducted within BSA safety guidelines and requirements.  Advisors should be trained by the BSA.
• Seeking to cultivate within the members of a crew a capacity to enjoy life-- to have fun through the Venturing experience.
• The Advisor is the key adult leader and is responsible for training crew officers.
• The ultimate responsibility for the crew rests with the Advisor.

12. How do you start a Venturing Crew? 
You start a Venturing Crew by having an open house to introduce the program to the interested youth and adults.  If you are interested in starting a crew, the easiest way to do so is to call the Indian nations Council Service Center and ask to speak to the District Executive responsible for your area of our Council.  Adults may obtain specific training on how to conduct the open house and get a new crew started as part of the Venturing Specific Training, part of the BSA adult leader training program.  Ask about when the next Venturing Specific Training will be held, or if a special session can be held for your interested group of adults.  If you need some help in starting your crew, we'll be glad to come to your location and help you learn all about the program.


13. Why should my church or civic club form a Venturing Crew? 
The Youth Ministries Bronze Award and the Religious Awards Program offer excellent activities to complement your church activities.  One of the main focuses of all Scouting activities is development of citizenship and to encourage young people to develop good habits and values based on service to others.  This complements the programs of both church and civic groups as well in providing excellent opportunities for youth development.


14. What activities are available to participate in on a Council-wide basis? 
Check this District website regularly for activity updates. 


15. How do I get more information about Venturing?
You can contact the Scout Service center for more information


16. What adult leader training is available for Venturing advisors and committee members?
Check this District website regularly for training information.


17. Why is leader training and understanding the BSA safety rules important?
To have a quality Venturing program, you need to follow the excellent program and training materials established by the BSA.  This program and training information is built around a program that is SAFE and FUN.  None of us want accidents or to have our participants injured in unsafe activities.  None of the adults want to worry about litigation if there is an accident.  That is why it is very important to follow the well-established BSA safety rules.  Besides that, following the rules helps us make sure that we are within the scope of protection of the BSA insurance coverage.


18.  What if I already have a lot on my plate?  
Generally Crew Advisors are deeply cognizant of the many requirements on your time.  In a well organized Crew, the members cooperate on making the schedule of events.  Also, unlike in a Troop, if another Crew is doing something you like and yours is not scheduling that type activity, you are encouraged to go along with the other crew with proper coordination.  Although there are Venture achievements and awards, they are not stressed nearly so much as rank and merit badges in Boy Scouts.