VENTURING!!

1. VENTURING!! A Resource to Religious Organizations serving High School age Youth

2. BSA has steadily expanded the reach of its value-based programs • 1910 Boy Scouting for boys 12 to 17 • 1912 Sea Scouting for boys over 14 • 1930 Cub Scouting for boys 8-11 • 1946 Exploring for young men 14-20 who wanted advanced Scouting • 1959 Yankelovich Study of high-school age boys • 1969 Coed Exploring- Young women ages 14-20 joined Posts • 1991 Learning For Life - BSA Subsidiary • 1998 Venturing - Coed ages 14-20 - Outdoor, Religious and Hobby related

3. Boy Scouts of AmericaAge-appropriate programs • Cub Scouting Boys Grades 1-5 • Boy Scouting Boys Ages 11-18 • Venturing Coed Ages 14-20

4. Here’s Venturing • Coed, ages 14-20 - some chartered partners choose all- male or all-female • The methods of Venturing have been carefully chosen to meet the needs of Young Adults • Leadership • Group Activities • Adult Association • Recognition • Ideals • High Adventure • Teaching Others

5. Venturing Crew Growth in Religious Organizations 1998199920002001 % growth since ’98 • Community Churches 18 43 94 124 589% • Methodist Episcopal 8 13 17 26 225% • Evangelical Churches 7 6 14 20 186% • Church of Christ 29 49 67 70 141% • Nazarene Churches 11 10 14 25 127% • Disciples of Christ 54 80 103 118 118% • Lutheran Churches 181 267 342 393 117% • Jewish Synagogues 10 14 18 21 110% • Presbyterian Churches 213 293 363 396 86% • Catholic Churches 420 550 675 781 86% • Baptist Churches 232 301 360 416 79% • Methodist Churches 614 810 959 1089 77% • United Church of Christ 63 71 98 111 76%

6. Why is Venturing Growing? Aggressive promotion Nation-wide Tailor-made for teenagers • Coed program • No required uniform • Extreme sports and outdoor activities Targeted resources for new unit growth

7. 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.

8. What is Venturing? • “It’s not a box or a package we present.” • “It is focused resources designed to help a community organization provide wholesome, flexible, well-rounded, challenging activities, tailor-made for teenage youth.”

9. Does your high school age youth group have access to the following resources: • Use of developed retreat facilities at little or no cost for team building and program • Expertise and program helps for 25 Outdoor disciplines with 124 suggested activities • Awards and recognitions for youth and adults recognized nationally • Professional assistance with program planning, volunteer recruitment and finding resources • Five-hour extensive training for all adult leaders • Two-day Leadership Skills Course for all youth • Award-winning Youth Protection Video for youth • Youth Protection training for adults • Low-cost liability and accident insurance

10. How to assemble an annual plan (step by step) Annual planning meeting agenda How to elect youth officers Video: Youth officer training and job descriptions Ethical Controversies modules Safe Driving CD How to introduce a speaker How to make a speech How to use parliamentary procedure Resources continued….

11. Venturing provides structure and substance to a Church Youth Group • Venturing is flexible and can work with any existing youth program structure • Venturing can help keep youth closer to your organization’s beliefs • Venturing provides a package that can retain existing youth and recruit new ones • The religious awards will help create an arena in which young adults can work closely with religious leaders • 70% of all Venturing Crews nationwide are chartered to religious organizations

12. Silver Award Eagle Quartermaster RangerGold Award Award Life OutdoorYouth Sports Arts andSea Bronze Ministries Bronze Hobbies Scout Bronze Bronze Bronze Star Previous lst Boy Scout or Class Varsity Scout JOIN Venturing

13. Award Samplings

14. The New and Exciting Venturing Ranger Program • Rangers are elite outdoorsmen • Ranger are required to teach what they’ve learned to others • Rangers work with their advisor and consultants

15. Ranger Core Requirements 1. Standard First Aid plus When Help is Delayed 2. Communications 3. Cooking 4. Emergency Preparedness 5. Land Navigation 6. Leave No Trace 7. Wilderness Survival 8. Conservation

16. Backpacking Cave Exploring Project COPE Mountain Biking First Aid Fishing Ecology Equestrian Hunting Lifesaver Mountaineering Outdoor Living History Physical Fitness Plants & Wildlife Scuba Shooting Sports Watercraft Winter Sports Ranger Electives(Must earn 4 of 18)

17. Youth Ministries Bronze Award • Earn your denominations Venturing-age religious award • Learn about cultural diversity and make a presentation or tabletop display using the information you learned • Plan and lead a service project • Serve as a volunteer in your church for at least 3 months • Keep a personal journal of your experiences

18. Youth Ministries Bronze Award • After volunteering for at least three months, share your experiences with others • Go on a religious retreat or trek for at least two days • Produce or be a cast member in a play with a religious theme • Serve as President or officer in your youth group • Complete a Standard First Aid course • Meet with your Religious leader

19. Ages of VenturersYear 2001

20. Greensboro, North Carolina Wes Reid- Assistant Scoutmaster-Troop214Member of Church that charters Crew • We noticed that older boys were losing interest • Most our campouts catered to the new scouts, ages 11-12 • Older Scouts were looking for more exciting adventure • In our Church chartered units, boys that are 1st class scouts are eligible to join the crew • They continue to work toward Eagle and pursue high adventure • We look at Scouting as part of our Church ministry. Having girls in our crew allows us to provide a total ministry

21. Collinsville, IllinoisTim Stark- Associate PastorSunlight Church • Non-Denominational Church • Organized Venturing crew with Master’s Commission Program made up of 18-25 year olds • These are college kids that participate in a one year program that teaches character, integrity and service • At the end of the program they spend six weeks on the road visiting other Churches. They make a visible impact of service. • 2000 annual plan includes a retreat at the local Scout facility for the COPE course and next summer to the Northern Tier High Adventure Base • Their goal is to organize a crew with the high school youth group in the church

22. Des Arc, ArkansasMelvin York- PastorFirst Baptist Church • The High School youth group was organized in 1998 as a Venturing crew • The group has 15 boys and 15 girls • The youth have adopted a golf green shirt as a unform • They meet every Sunday night • Most of the youth have earned the Youth Ministries Bronze Award and the God and Life Award • Two recent Silver Award recipients • The Pastor conducted the Venturing Leadership Skills Course with the youth • The crew focuses on serving the community. Recently they helped organize a Tiger Cub Group • They have recently gone canoeing and horseback riding

23. Fullerton, CaliforniaAmanda Delaney and Christina Canino, Crew 214 • Crew 214 was organized in June of 1998, it has 15 boys and 15 girls, chartered to a Presbyterian Church in Fullerton, California • Activities include backpacking, rock climbing, snowboarding, skiing and COPE • The youth adopted the spruce green shirt as their formal uniform. They designated a navy blue t-shirt with their own logo as the activity uniform. • “We’re all like brothers and sisters, we trust each other.” • “We set our own rules; no boy/girl buddy system, go in threes in mixed company.” • “Venturing is more than we expected.” • “The guys have seen me on campouts without my makeup on and they still like me.”

24. Louisville, Kentucky - Lincoln Heritage Council • Organized 24 Venturing crews with religious youth groups • Pastors were surveyed about why they included Venturing with their high school age youth group • Access to camp property - COPE course- religious retreats • Structure and enhancements that Venturing offered- youth and adult training- advancement- programming, youth protection, etc. • Council has organized quarterly events for all youth groups to attend.

25. Cascade Pacific CouncilPortland, Oregon • December 31 - 40% growth in youth(6661), 19.5% growth in units(312) • Invited Pastors from inner-city community Churches to Scout Camp for Impact Event • 30 units have been organized from this event • Council created field trips and quarterly events at council camps, they use COPE course • Pastors organized “Venturing for Faith”

26. Rick Newton – Crew AdvisorTidewater, Florida • Crew 520 was started in May 1999 when St. Simon’s on the Sound Episcopal Church was looking for something to help them sustain a youth group. • We began with five youth. Last Tuesday we sent our recharter package in with 30 kids names on it, all with paid up dues and excited about Venturing. Two more kids showed up at our last meeting with friends, liked what they saw, and took joining paperwork home to their parents. I have youth from 5 different High Schools. We are busting at the seams. • Seven of our kids just started their high school-age Pope Pius XII Religious Award. • These kids like showing up in “safe” places in their green polo shirts, sitting as a crowd, and getting recognized. • Our youth group has gone windsurfing, scuba diving, mountain biking and horseback riding • We have great youth officers, all Seniors in High School that are now training the sophomores and juniors to take their places.

27. Erik Moeller – St. Vincent de Paul ParishArlington, Texas • May of 2000 created a Venturing crew at the Parish • It works as a subset of the existing high school-age youth group • We asked all the youth interested in outdoor activities if they wanted to be a part of an outdoor club • Our group is 50% male/female • Their favorite activity is the high and low ropes challenge courses

28. Frequently Asked Questions ??? • How much ownership will my religious organization have if we start a Venturing crew with my High School age youth group? • What are the advantages of combining my religious organization’s youth group with Venturing? • How much does it cost to create a Venturing crew with my religious youth group? • Is a uniform required? • Where will we find leadership? • Will Venturing compete with my youth group? • How do we get started?