The Venture Program BSC401

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The Venture ProgramBSC-401

• Cooper Wright
• Crew 1519 - Colonial District
• coopwright_at_aol.com

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What Is the Venture Program?

• Optional part of your troop program
• Geared for scouts 13 years and older
• No rank requirement, but probably should be First
  Class
• Offers new adventure, challenges and excitement

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Why Is the Venture Program Needed?

• 39 Percent of scouts are 13 or older
• Older scouts have different needs
• Bored easily
• Expanded social world
• Looking for physical challenges
• Present program provides leadership and training,
  but no organized activity for older scouts
• Unlike Varsity and Venturing, the Venture patrol
  is a functioning part of your troop

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Venture Scout Program

• Based on high adventure or sports activities
• Consists of a series of training sessions the
  lead to an ultimate activity

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Venture Scout Program

• Fourteen Venture program pamphlets currently
  available
• Backpacking Frontiersman
• Canoe Camping Mechanics
• Caving Orienteering
• Cycling Rock Climbing Rappelling
• Discover Adventure Snow Camping
• Fishing Whitewater
• Freestyle Biking Wilderness Survival

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Additional Venture Scout Program Resources

• Twelve Varsity pamphlets currently available
• Basketball Softball
• Bowling Swimming
• Roller Hockey Tennis
• Shooting Sports Triathlon
• Cross Country Skiing Volleyball
• Soccer Waterskiing

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Additional Venture Scout Program Resources

• Woods Wisdom contains 36 monthly activities that
  include Venture program ideas

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Additional Venture Scout Program Resources

• Seven Outdoor Skills Instruction manuals provide
  information in the following areas
• Aquatics Camping
• Backpacking Cooking
• Survival Team Building
• Rappelling/Rock Climbing
• Passport to High Adventure is an excellent
  resource for planing Venture patrol ultimate
  adventures

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Venture Patrol

• Selects program areas of interest
• Run by the Venture patrol leader (member of the
  PLC)
• Advised by an Assistant Scoutmaster-Venture
• Determines resources needed and recruits outside
  consultants

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Assistant Scoutmaster-Venture

• Responsible to the scoutmaster for Venture patrol
• Advises the Venture patrol leader
• Assists the patrol in obtaining needed resources
  and outside consultants

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Assistant Scoutmaster-Venture

• Holds advancement conferences with Venture patrol
  members
• Makes sure Venture patrol members fulfill their
  troop responsibilities
• Meets with new Venture patrol members and their
  parents

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Relationship to Regular Troop Program

• Venture patrol can be a full-time, part-time or
  one-time activity
• Venture patrol programs can blend with the
  existing troop program
• Although the Venture program is designed to keep
  older scout in the troop, it can provide, it can
  provide the spark for younger scouts

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Activity Recognition

• Venture scouts can wear the Venture strip over
  their right pocket
• Letter V can be worn on red jacket or the
  bottom of the merit badge sash
• Special activity pins can be awarded at the
  completion of a Venture activity cycle

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Problems and Solutions

• Problem
• No expertise in high adventure skills
• Solution
• Troop dads with special skills
• Outside consultants
• Two troop patrols
• Problem
• Competition with troop program
• Solution
• Joint programs

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Problems and Solutions

• Problem
• Older scouts pulled from patrols
• Solution
• Run part-time activities, where older scouts
  remain in existing patrols
• Problem
• Shift from basic scout skills and advancement to
  high adventure
• Solution
• Strong Assistant Scoutmaster-Venture
• Venture activities tied to merit badges

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How Can I Get a Venture Scout Program Started in
My Troop?

• Sell the troop committee on the program
• Appoint a strong assistant scoutmaster as the
  patrol advisor and a strong scout as the patrol
  leader
• Begin Venture activities with basic high
  adventure skill and build from there
• Get Venture activities on the troop calendar
• Plan an ultimate adventure for each summer

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How Can Our District Help the Venture Program?

• Establishing a Venture scout coordinator at the
  district level
• Conducting separate Venture roundtable programs
• Providing experienced Venture leaders for the
  districts training team
• Running an annual Venture Show and Do

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How Can Our District Help the Venture Program?

• Including Venture activities in district
  camporees
• Supporting new Venture initiatives like Venture
  Leader Training and the Venture Hike-o-ree
• During special events like the Great Scout Show,
  demonstrate different Venture skills

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How Can Our District Help the Venture Program?

• Maintain a list of high adventure consultants
  willing to assist troops in their Venture
  programs
• Develop a book of suggested local Venture program
  activities that have worked for district troops