Venturing gets some well-deserved airplay in the October 2014 edition of ScoutCast, the podcast for adult leaders.

I’m hoping you already know about the big updates to Venturing that become official on Jan. 1, 2015. If not, you can read the highlights here.

Or just sit back and listen to the hosts interview Aaron Parks Young, who just completed his term as one of the national Venturing vice presidents and helped develop the updates.

As with last month’s ScoutCast, this one includes a transcript. That’s good news for hearing-impaired Scouters or those who would rather read than listen (at your office, for example — I won’t tell your boss).

As for the message being shared, Aaron wants fellow Venturers and Venturing advisors to know this wasn’t just change for change’s sake.

“Venturing hasn’t been updated significantly since its inception in 1998, so the program needed some fine-tuning and some review,” he tells the hosts. “All of the changes that we have really aim to better serve the young adults that we have in the program.”

Those changes include:

New printed materials for Venturing

A Venturing motto, “Lead the Adventure,” which borrows from the BSA’s vision statement and borrows a little bit from American history and culture

A move to the Scout Oath, Law, sign and salute for Venturers.

A new recognition structure: the Venturing Discovery, Pathfinder and Summit Awards

Listen to the ScoutCast here, or follow the jump for the full transcript.

October 2014 ScoutCast transcript

OCTOBER – VENTURING UPDATES

Music Full then Under

PAULA: I hear the music so it must be time for the October ScoutCast. We’re so glad you’ve clicked the download button to join us.

LEE: This month is all about Venturing and the updates being made to the program.

PAULA: Why make changes to Venturing? We’re about to find out.

Music Fades

PAULA: Here to share everything we need to know about the Venturing program updates is Aaron Parks Young who just completed his term as one of the National Venturing Vice Presidents. Aaron began scouting as a Webelo Scout and went on to earn the rank of Eagle with Troop 595 out of Garland, Texas.He then joined Venturing where he earned the Ranger and Silver Awards. Aaron has served as a Council Venturing Officers’ Association President, Area Venturing President, and is currently active in scouting in both a crew and a ship. Welcome to ScoutCast, Aaron.

AARON: Thank you. I’m glad to be here.

PAULA: Why are changes being made to the Venturing program?

AARON: I like to refer to them as updates because we’re not making changes just for change’s sake. Venturing hasn’t been updated significantly since its inception in 1998 so the program needed some fine-tuning and some review. All of the changes that we have really aim to better serve the young adults that we have in the program.

LEE: Was there anything that specifically prompted the updates Aaron?

AARON: There was a reaction to a membership decline in 2008 in the Venturing program and so that’s sort of what kicked everything off.

PAULA: So, who was responsible for developing the changes?

AARON: The taskforce chair was Charles Dalquist, out of the Great Salt Lake Council. He was the past Chair of the National Venturing Committee, but we had current and former region advisors and associate advisors helping out. We had Council Venturing Chairs, Crew Advisors; the National Venturing Cabinet that is had some say in it as well.

LEE: Aaron, going through this process, what were the most significant changes that were made?

AARON: We have some new printed materials coming out for the Venturing Program. Venturing has its own motto, “Lead the Adventure,” which borrows from the BSA’s vision statement and it also borrows a little bit from American history and culture; thinking about pioneers like Lewis & Clark and Neil Armstrong, and Venturers will also begin using the Scout Oath, Law, sign, and salute in their program.

One of the biggest things that people are asking about is the new recognition structure coming to Venturing. We have the Bronze, Gold, and Silver Award that are transitioning to the Venturing Discovery, Pathfinder, and Summit Awards. Something I really like about these new awards is that they’re incremental and they build. It shifts from a focus on participating, to a focus on leading, and then a focus on mentoring other crew members; as you go on, they build on one another.

The new Summit Award has a service project near the end, very similar to the project required for Eagle and it has a similar review process as well. There was a lot of effort put into the naming of these awards so that job interviewers and college admissions counselors, and even places like the military would be interested in the award and respect it in the same way that they respect the Eagle Scout Award. A big focus was put on making the process as you go through the awards relevant to the young adults that we have in our program. Also if you’re interested in reading more details on the awards, you can go to www.scouting.org/programupdates.

PAULA: All those updates sound really exciting. So what’s staying the same with the Venturing Program?

AARON: I like to think that Venturing is really the same program that it was two or three years ago. You might see some new books and new patches, hopefully some new faces, but at its heart the same program. You can still earn awards like Ranger, or Quest, Trust, you name it, it’s really the same program that it was.

LEE: The big question is when will the changes take effect?

AARON: You can already begin progress on the new awards if you’re interested in them. It’s really encouraged for units to start getting their Venturers used to the idea of using the Scout Oath, Law, sign, and salute. So the sooner crews get on that the better.

PAULA: Earlier, you mentioned a URL where people can find out more information. Could you expand a little on what’s available there as well as what other resources might be available for say Venturing advisors and crew members who want to know more about the upcoming changes?

AARON: Sure. We’ve got a lot of requirements and frequently asked questions documents there about program updates, not just for Venturing, but for other programs as well. Coming out soon, if it’s not already out is the Venturing Handbook, which is the handbook for youth for the Venturing Program. We also have a Venturing Advisor’s Handbook, which replaces the Venturing Leadership Manual. We have Venturing Awards and Requirements Book coming out that has the core requirements for the award system: Venturing and Discovery, Pathfinder, and Summit. It also will have some specialty requirements for awards like Ranger and Quest and so on. We will have position-specific training; one for advisors and one for committee members that adults can look at www.scouting.org/training and we will have youth trainings for Time Management and Project Management, Goal Setting, and Mentoring…

LEE: Wow, you’ve certainly have given us a lot of information; is there anything else about Venturing Updates that you think should be shared with our listeners?

AARON: All of the updates really, really focus on making the program simple and relevant, not that it wasn’t already, but more so to the young men and women that we have in the program. We have that new motto, “Lead the Adventure,” and so we really want to prepare our Venturers to lead adventures of their own. That’s where some of the inspiration for the requirements came from for the new awards and how they’re built. We also, put a lot of effort into the naming. I remember the naming of the awards went through a few different iterations so we could get it just right so that college recruiters and job recruiters would really be interested in them.

LEE: It sounds like there’s some exciting things going on in Venturing, Aaron, and thanks for coming on ScoutCast.

AARON: Well, thank you very much. I appreciated the opportunity.

PAULA: Before jumping in with Reminders and Tips, let’s check in on CubCast.

(Cubcast – Storytelling Workshops)

PAULA: ScoutCast listeners might be able to get some use out of that one, too. But now it’s time for our magnificent monthly reminders.

LEE: Let’s start with Council Round Tables. Check out your local scouting professional, the Council Service Center, web site, or the Scout calendar to locate meeting sites and times. There’s really no better way to help deliver a quality program than to experience the idea-sharing that goes on at those meetings.

PAULA: Here’s a question you should be asking yourself. Are all your committee positions filled? Just to review, you should have a committee chair, secretary/treasurer, advancement chair, outdoor chair, membership chair, and a finance fundraising chair.

LEE: The committee chair is responsible for filling all the slots, but leaders can help by remaining on the lookout for good candidates at their place of business, church, neighborhood, or even the gym. Make sure all new leaders complete their Boy Scout leader-specific training and Youth Protection Training.

PAULA: Now, hopefully, you all know about the welding merit badge that was introduced two years ago, but did you know that while other industries are making cutbacks, the demand for welders is on the rise? With the BSA’s emphasis on STEM, Scouting Magazine demonstrates how you can introduce your scouts to this exciting new field.

LEE: And it’s the Go Green issue for October’s Boy’s Life Magazine. It features lots of different ways to save energy. Also in this issue, a Halloween theme spooky look at mythical monsters with reported sightings in the United States.

BEGIN MUSIC UNDER

LEE: So that’s it for October ScoutCast. Thanks to Aaron Parks Young for sharing Venturing updates with us.

PAULA: And thank you for listening. Hope your back next month for a spirited conversation on new merit badges.

LEE: Are there other topics we should be discussing? Don’t be shy. Just send us an e-mail to scoutcast@scouting.org or a tweet to @bsascoutcast. We read them; I promise. With that, I’m Lee Shaw …..

PAULA: And I’m Paula. Go Venturing!

MUSIC FULL TO FINISH