Session

Agnes Dunne Miciah Thacker Maggie Pennington

Madeleine Snella Andrew Steckner Tyler Grey

Eric Mircsov Helen Lockwood Julie Dalton Introductions: Agnes Dunne

Central Region VOA Training Chair Michigan Crossroads Council, Area 2 Crew 2125 Fun Fact: My family has almost 30 chickens! Introductions: Miciah Thacker

Central Region VOA VP of Administration Dan Beard Council, Area 6 Crew 150 Fun Fact: I collect pins and quarters. Introductions: Agnes Dunne

Central Region VOA VP of Program Greater St. Louis Council, Area 3 Crew 981 Fun Fact: I have been chased by a mountain lion Introductions: Madeleine Snella

Central Region VOA VP of Communications , Area 7 Crew 2125 Fun Fact: I skipped part of my high school graduation to go to camp! (diploma and dash?) Introductions: Andrew Steckner

Central Region VOA President Lake Erie Council, Area 4 Crew 150 Fun Fact: I’m a blacksmith! (Sorry team) Introductions: Tyler Grey

National VOA President Western , Not CR :( Crew 1956 Fun Fact: I am immune to poison oak! Introductions: Eric Mircsov

Central Region VOA Associate Advisor of Program Greater St. Louis Area Council, Area 3 Crew 2783 Fun Fact: I got to experience the program as a youth and earn the Venturing Silver Award. Introductions: Helen Lockwood

Central Region VOA Associate Advisor of Administration , Area 1 Crew 9781 Fun Fact: We have a Santa in our crew Introductions: Julie Dalton

Central Region VOA Advisor Quivira Council, Area 5 Crew 497 Fun Fact: My Grandfather and President Harry Truman were 2nd cousins What is Venturing?

● An experience geared towards older Scouts (age range 14-21)

● More flexibility for busy teenagers who can’t meet as often as a troop does.

● A fully coed experience

● A chance to work on ALPS... What is Venturing?

The Venturing program aims to enable young adults to: ● Experience a program that is fun and full of challenge and adventure. ● Acquire skills in the area of their crew’s specialty. ● Become a skilled training and program resource for other youth groups. ● Experience positive leadership from adult and youth leaders and be given opportunities to take on leadership roles. ● Learn to make ethical choices throughout their lives by instilling the values of the Oath and Law. ● Have a chance to learn and grow in a supportive, caring, and fun environment. ALPS Model

▪ Adventure, Leadership, Personal Growth, Service • Venturing program model • Framework for a successful program of youth-led adventure

▪ The core Venturing awards provide benchmarks of progress within the ALPS model • Venturing, Discovery, Pathfinder, and Summit Awards • Each level requires specific trainings and actions A.L.P.S.

“A” For Adventure! ● High adventure! ○ Tiered Activities ● Age based activities ○ More expanded shooting opportunities like handguns and bigger shotguns ○ ATV ○ Scuba A.L.P.S.

“A” For Adventure! ● Unique Crews! ○ Scuba crews ○ National Noteworthy Crews ● Venturing Continuing during COVID ● Program! ○ Older Youth Program ■ July 18-24, 2021 ○ Fall Fun Rally ■ September 24-26, 2021 A.L.P.S.

“L” For Leadership! ● Leadership Development ○ ALPS Trainings ■ Introduction to Leadership Skills for Crews ■ Goal-Setting and Time Management ■ Project Management ■ Mentoring ○ Kodiak ○ Powderhorn A.L.P.S.

“L” For Leadership! ● Youth-Run from Crew to National ● Venturing Officers’ Association ○ Council Support ○ Journey to Excellence for Council Venturing (JTECV) ○ Territory Applications due March 15 A.L.P.S.

“P” for Personal Growth! ● Developmental ranks ○ Tiered Adventures ○ Personal reflections ○ Ethical Controversy ● Awards ○ ● Build Self Accountability A.L.P.S.

“P” for Personal Growth!

● Mentoring ○ Key aspect of Venturing program ○ Youth learn as mentors and mentees ● Advising ○ Help youth grow into their roles ○ Learning opportunities A.L.P.S. “S” For Service ● Requirement for advancement ● Hours per 2019 revision: ○ Scouts BSA: 12 hours & Eagle Project ○ Venturing: 60 hours & Summit Project ● Service for fun! ○ Den leader ○ (J)ASM ○ Camp staff How Does Venturing Fit In?

● Venturing fits in to the progression from Cub Scouts, to Scouts BSA, to Venturing

● Venturing offers our Scouts a program better suited to retain older youth

● Provides Scouts new opportunities in all areas, especially leadership Let’s take a look at the numbers:

● The average tenure of a Scouts BSA member is 29.0 months ● We lose 50% of Scouts BSA youth between the ages of 13-15 ● But if they join Venturing or Sea ● Instead of dropping out of Scouting, they stay in Scouting an additional 16.5 months ● Older youth programs increase tenure by over 50% to 45.5 months

(This study was conducted with BSA membership data from over 5 million youth dating back to 2012) In Conclusion:

● The Venturing program is more adaptable to the busy lives of teenagers

● It’s geared towards older youth and gives new and exciting opportunities for adventure

● Provides more opportunities for leadership, usually they are more challenging than Scouts BSA opportunities

● More focused on individual growth than Scouts BSA largely due to the ALPS model

It’s our best tool for retaining Scouts!!