CALVIN GRIEGO

Boy Scouts Of America

Mission Statement

While various activities and youth groups teach basic skills and promote teamwork, Scouting goes beyond that and encourages youth to achieve a deeper appreciation for service to others in their community.

Scouting provides youth with a sense that they are important as individuals. It is communicated to them that those in the Scouting family care about what happens to them, regardless of whether a game is won or lost.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, Scouting promotes activities that lead to personal responsibility and high self-esteem. As a result, when hard decisions have to be made, peer pressure can be resisted and the right choices can be made.

Venture Crew

Venture Crew Of America-Venture Crew of America is a section of the Boy scouts that is more high adventure based. We offer a different program

from the Scouts-Unscrupulous behavior is not permitted. Instead we continue

teaching the scouting way and make better leaders for the world of tomorrow

-We are a coed program that accepts anyone interested in joining that is either fourteen or finished the eighth grade

-Members are considered youth until the age of twenty-one-There is very little adult involvement. Instead we have a

youth run program with the youth running the meetings, setting up activities and running them

-We aim on teaching pragmatic skills-We teach them to see alternative points of view in order to have different ideas that make a better program

Los Angeles Area Council

Los Angeles Area Council (LAAC) is in control of the Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts and Venture Crew of Southern California

They have a strong representation and a strong program for the Boy Scouts but their Venture Crew program is lacking

Every year they have several fund raisers on a large scale but the money is allotted to the Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts

Any money the Venture Crews have are from their own dues and fundraisers

Awards

We offer awards outside of what the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts offer. If they choose to work towards their Eagle or Girl Scout Gold we help, but we also encourage them to try for the Venture Crew Awards. Whatever they choose to work towards they must be confident in their reasoning for working towards their goal

* Venturing Bronze Award* Venturing Gold Award* Venturing Silver Award* Venturing Ranger Award* Sea Scouting Quartermaster Award* Quest Award* TRUST Award* Shooting Sports Outstanding Achievement Award

This is the Silver Award. It is the highest award to receive in the Venture Crew

Community Needs

Throughout the United States the Venture Crew Program varies in strength and support

In Los Angeles and the surrounding cities there are hundreds of scouting troops and only eight active Crews

The summer camp program is sub par and in need of repair. The staff tries but they are under equipped

There is no strict curriculum. They are unprepared and do not understand the true potential of the Venture Crew

How to Help

Throughout the United States the Venture Crew Program varies in strength and support

In Los Angeles there are hundreds of scouting troops and only seven active Venture Crews

When it comes to Summer Camps there is no program out there to meet our needs

Most Venture Crew programs that do exist among Summer camps are generally thrown together quickly and they are underprepared for the needs of the Crew

Input

We are in need of funding in order to build better programs such as summer camps

We would like to hire more staff to promote the Venture Crew. There are dozens of staff in the LAAC working full time creating fun and exciting program but there is only one full time Venture Crew representative

All Crew programs are set up by a single Crew that invites others to join them

They must have a friendly disposition in order to get the most out of scouting

Process

We only have two requirements for potential members, they are you must be fourteen to join or you must have completed the eighth grade.

We provide an environment open to all young men and women.

We are high adventure based with a minimal adult supervision

Members guide themselves, run their own meetings, and set up their own activities, that teach them how to think ahead

Output

Our main goal is to make a program that would give members experience that they may not generally receive

The Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts have shown to be successful in teaching boys and girls skills that can be later carried on to their adulthood

Venture Crew was created in 1991 to extend the program.

Our main goal in the end is to provide a great program for members and to have them become better leaders

Shuttleworth Foundation

The Shuttleworth Foundation believes that people are the ones that are going to change the world.

They believe that people will follow a good leader, that can make the world a better place

•We give our members life skills. We teach them how to be a leader during easy situations and difficult ones. We know that they will encounter difficulties in life and we get them prepared for anything that arises.

Shuttleworth Foundation

Believe in an individual person to rise and lead

Focus on innovationSupport individuals

through fellowship

•We give each member an opportunity to be the best that they can be. Some rise to the occasion and excel in leadership. Our programs during the meetings, summer camps and awards each emphasize learning how to be a great leader•We want our leaders to think out of the box and to try and use new ways to motivate other members

Critical Thinking

We encourage all of our crew members to think for themselves and to make reasonable evaluations

Whether at a meeting or on a outing our goal is to have them think for the better of the group

They are put in situations that have them think for themselves

Adult leaders take a backseat and let the youth run everything

There are many different scouts coming into the program and as a good leader they must be able to make reasonable judgments concerning stronger or weaker

Critical Action

Venture Crew is high adventure basedDepending on what Crew you are they due

more high adventure activities than othersMost try to at least incorporate one

hike/backpack/camping trip a monthWe try to keep them busy doing high

adventure activities that make them work and think

We aim to keep our members active by having them engage in problems and make decisions

Get Involved

Most Venture Crew members are recruited from the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts

If interested in joining you can go to http://www.scouting.org/

Otherwise contact the local scouting district to help out. Each crew comes up with their own ways of fundraising. Some have meetings at restaurants, others have dances or game nights

It all varies from Unit to Unit but they all need help financially to stay active and support their expeditions

Personal Connection

I joined the scouting program when I was 10 years old

I went from Webelos, to Boy Scouts, Venture Crew and now I have had to take a hiatus due to school and work

I joined Venture Crew while in the ninth grade. I joined with a group of five friends from scouting and of those five I am the only one still active in Crew 461•The Venture Crew is a great program. It has led me to take trips I otherwise would not have taken such as backpacking in New Mexico and Mount Whitney

The End