Venturing in Scouting

[farwest]

Looking at the Scout Handbook it looks like it is a option if a ward wants to sponsor a Venture Crew. (Registration Stakes register all boys and young men ages 8
through 15. Young men ages 16 and 17 should be registered when they are pursuing rank advancements or when the ward sponsors a Venturing Crew. Scout leaders
should also be registered.) The issue is that scouts are combined within three wards. One ward does not want to sponsor a crew. Any thoughts on this?

[aebrown]

The issue is that scouts are combined within three wards. One ward does not want to sponsor a crew. Any thoughts on this?

I'm not sure what you are asking. If three wards combine scouting, then they have to work together and compromise on what happens. Venturing would be no exception.

For the individual young men who need to be registered, the stake will pay the registration fee (which is automatically reimbursed by the Church for scouting in the US). So "sponsoring" is not a financial issue to the ward or the stake -- it's more a question of whether the activities fit within the Venturing program and assist the young men in their Venturing ranks.

[kisaac]

The issue is that scouts are combined within three wards. One ward does not want to sponsor a crew.

It seems you are saying ages through 15 are combined, which is the busy age for scouting, but after that age the wards may want to decide on their own what direction to take with their older boys? Some may still push scouting, other wards may not.

You really could change the combinations of wards, working out different arrangements for different ages, for the best of all involved. Our ward combines with 3 other wards for Cubs, then joins a whole stake-wide program for a "rocking" 11-year-old program. For 12 and 13 yrs old scouts, it's back to a combination of us and one other ward, including many weekly meetings, but not all, and most camps. For the older ages, it's just our ward again, usually having separate camps and weekly activities for varsity and venturers, sometimes combining. After age 15, it seems scouting blends away more into the Young Men program of the ward. However, they are still registered and participate in Venturers, and attend ward court of honors and work toward their ranks, depending greatly on their individual enthusiasm.

It really seems to be all about getting a "critical mass" of boys and leaders that can work it out to make the program fun and vibrant, without overloading the leaders with too much, or having so few participants that the leaders just can't get the program (and activities!) going.

What would the ward that didn't want to sponsor one do with YM in their ward that wanted to continue to pursue rank advancements to the end of scouting age? Not all boys will do this, but some really enjoy it, and it can be valuable to them. I assume they would accommodate those?


(edit: if you are asking: "is it ok with the church NOT to have a Venturing program"...that I don't have any input on....)

[allenjpl]

What would the ward that didn't want to sponsor one do with YM in their ward that wanted to continue to pursue rank advancements to the end of scouting age? Not all boys will do this, but some really enjoy it, and it can be valuable to them. I assume they would accommodate those?

If the Scout is determined to enjoy Venture Scouts, and the ward refuses to sponsor a Crew, the Scout can and probably should just transfer to an existing Venture Crew in the stake. The transfer fee is $1. There's no reason the Scout should be left out in the cold.

Alternatively, if the Scout is only looking for rank advancements, there is no reason he can't remain registered as a Boy Scout or Varsity Scout in his home ward. Venture Scouts don't do ranks or merit badges, so he'd be pretty much working on it by himself whether or not the ward sponsored a Crew. Holding a position of responsibility might be difficult, but he could work it out with the Scoutmaster. Although Venture Scouts can continue to advance in Boy Scout ranks if they're already a First Class Scout, the ward should really be encouraged to support the priests in creating a strong Venturing program. It's more flexible than Boy Scouts, and the YM can really tailor it to their own interests.