Venturing in Northeastern Pennsylvania

Venturing in Northeastern Pennsylvania

What Is Venturing?

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. Venturing programs are developed around six experience areas of emphasis: Citizenship; Leadership; Fitness; Social; Outdoor; Service.

Membership

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.

The Purposes of Venturing

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.

Personal Growth

The methods of Venturing have been carefully chosen to meet the needs of young adults and help them grow into adulthood with confidence and fully developed interpersonal skills that can help them throughout their lifetime. These methods are:

• Voluntary association between youth and adults. Because Venturing is voluntary, youth are receptive to new ideas, experiences, and relationships. For the youth members, these relationships provide a connection to new ways of thinking and acting, and a new identity as a responsible young adult.
• Ethical decision-making. By asking young people to be responsible for themselves, for a program of positive activities and experiences, and for other people, Venturing provides numerous opportunities for making decisions and ethical choices. With the influence of positive adult role models and structured activities, youth learn to make effective and ethical decisions.
• Group activities. Venturing activities are interdependent group experiences in which success is dependent on the cooperation of all youth and adults.
• Recognition of achievement. Recognition might come through the achievement of one of the many awards available to youth members, but peers and adults also achieve it through the acknowledgement of a young person's competence and abilities.
• Democratic process. Venturing crews provide exposure to democratic ideas and skills that are needed throughout life.
• Curiosity, exploration, and adventure. New experiences and Venturing activities provide an excellent opportunity for acquiring new skills and participating in action-oriented activities.

The 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.

The Venturing Code

As a Venturer, I believe that America's strength lies in our trust in God and in the courage, strength, and traditions of our people. I will, therefore, be faithful in my religious duties and will maintain a personal sense of honor in my own life. I will treasure my American heritage and will do all I can to preserve and enrich it. I will recognize the dignity and worth of all humanity and will use fair play and goodwill in my daily life.; I will acquire the Venturing attitude that seeks truth in all things and adventure on the frontiers of our changing world.

The Outdoor Code

As an American, I will do my best to -

• Be clean in my outdoor manners.
  I will treat the outdoors as a heritage.
  I will take care of it for myself and others
  I will keep my trash and garbage out of lakes, streams, fields, woods, and roadways.
• Be careful with fire.
  I will prevent wildfire.
  I will build my fires only where they are appropriate.
  When I have finished using a fire, I will make sure it is cold out.
  I will leave a clean fire ring, or remove all evidence of my fire.
• Be considerate in the outdoors.
  I will treat public and private property with respect.
  I will use low-impact methods of hiking and camping.

and

• Be conservation minded
  I will learn how to practice good conservation of soil, waters, forests, minerals, grasslands, wildlife, and energy.
  I will urge others to do the same.