Rock climbing, kayaking and swimming are all on the list, and the members vote on the rest. Crew 4447 runs on the ALPS model — Adventure, Leadership, Personal growth and Service — alongside community service, certifications and leadership training.
Venturers can belong to a crew and a troop at the same time. A Scout of fourteen does not have to choose between finishing Eagle in Troop 447 or 1447 and joining the Crew.
Venturing has three aims: character development; citizenship; and physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual fitness.
Who a Venturer becomes, tested against the Scout Oath and Law.
Belonging to a community and owing it something in return.
Physical, mental, emotional and spiritual — all four, not just the first.
In addition to these defined aims, two further desired outcomes are identified among the program outcomes of Scouting.
Named separately among the programme outcomes of Scouting, because in Venturing the youth genuinely run the crew.
Not a reward for the work — the adventure is the vehicle the rest travels in.
The Venturing methods provide the process through which the Venturing aims and the mission of Scouting America are accomplished. They are presented in no particular order, as there is no hierarchy among them. Consistent application of each is at the core of delivering the Venturing program.
All Venturers are given opportunities to learn and apply leadership skills. A Venturing crew is led by elected crew officers. Venturing’s program model provides explicit training experiences to help youth lead and mentor as well as opportunities to test and refine their skills during youth-led and youth-mentored adventures.
Venturing’s emphasis on adventure helps provide team-building opportunities, new meaningful experiences, practical leadership application, and lifelong memories to young adults. Venturing activities are interdependent group experiences in which success is dependent on the cooperation of all. Learning by doing in a group setting provides opportunities for developing new skills.
Personal growth comes through the Venturing recognition program and through the acknowledgment of a youth’s competence and ability by peers and adults. The recognition program is more than just earning awards. As a Venturer progresses through the four levels of the Venturing recognition program, he or she will learn valuable skills and competencies that have been identified as vital to achieving success in education, in a work environment, and in life.
The youth officers lead the crew. The officers and activity chairs work closely with Advisors and other adults in a spirit of partnership. The adults serve in a “shadow” leader capacity. The Advisor is there to support and challenge youth officers to make the best decisions as they learn to lead their colleagues on adventures of ever increasing challenge and sophistication.
Venturers are expected to know and live by the Scout Oath and Scout Law and commit to serving God and country, other people, and themselves. A Venturer measures himself or herself against these ideals and continually tries to improve. The goals are high, and Venturers reach for them, continuously meet the challenge, and answer the question of how these statements of personal value guide their life path.
Peer groups are essential for the growth and development of young adults. Group identity is the shared sense of belonging to a group with common values and serves as a means to build positive group interactions and self-confidence. Some crews use outward signs of group identity, such as a uniform or jacket, but a crew may decide to form an identity that is more focused on shared commitments.
Service encourages youth to identify a community need and to take action to address that need. Service helps youth make a difference in the world beyond themselves and in the process develop the disposition to put the needs of others first.
Come to a Crew meeting on the 2nd or 4th Wednesday and see what the members have planned. There is nothing to sign and nothing to pay to visit.
