Frequently
Asked Questions
If you aren't familiar with Venturing, you probably have a whole bunch of
questions that you would like to have answered. Well, so do a lot of other
people, so on this page we'll try to answer some of the questions that we hear
frequently.
Is venturing the same thing as the Boy Scouts?
Not really. Venturing is a division of the Boy Scouts of America, so we share
many concepts and regulations, but we are very different, too. We share
the same districts, and councils, and have the same council and district
leaders. Our main difference is in what we do, how we do it, and who
participates, more than who leads us or who makes the rules.
Do I have to wear a uniform?
Each Venture Crew decides on its own uniform. They may choose the
traditional green shirt uniform used in senior scouting programs over the
years or they may choose a custom designed golf shirt. We even met one
crew that chose to wear Hawaiian shirts as their "uniform."
Do I have to attend weekly meetings?
Again it depends. The Crew decides how often they want to meet.
What about cost?
There is an annual registration fee of $13 that must be paid by each member
to the local Council. That covers the cost of National registration and
the cost of insurance. Beyond that, the Crew decides how much money they
need to charge to cover the cost of operating the Crew. If you decide to
have the Crew buy pizza for every meeting, your "dues" are going to
be higher than if you don't.
There are also costs involved in participating in Crew activities.
How much you have to pay out of pocket will depend on the type of activities
and on how much the Crew might raise from fundraising events.
How do I explain this to my parents?
Print out the "What
is Venturing?" Fact Sheet from here or from our Resources page and give
it to them to read. We think that they'll like what they see and encourage
you to join. If they still have doubts, bring them with you the first time
you come so that they can meet everybody in the Crew and see what we do.
That should completely convince them. It may even get them to sign up to
help.
Do I have to do a lot of requirements to earn badges like in Boy Scouts and
Girl Scouts?
Nope, not if you don't want to. Venturing has an
advancement/recognition program available for those who want to participate in
it, but there is no requirement or pressure to do so.
If you want to find out a bit more about the awards and recognition, take a
look at
this page which summerizes the awards program. If you like what you
see, you're free to pursue the awards as a Saint Stephen's Venturer; if you
don't, you can ignore the awards program and just participate in the other
portions of the Venturing program. It's up to you.
There is also a religious awards program available that you can choose to
pursue. For more information about that, take a look
here.
Can I do things in Venturing beyond the Crew level like national and
international opportunities?
You sure can. Take a look
here
to find out more about some of the opportunities available to you through
Venturing. There are even a number of
International opportunities open to Venturers.
There are also opportunities to participate in the leadership of the
Venturing program at the Council, Regional, and National levels. To find
out more about the National Venturing Cabinet look
here.
Developed and maintained by J. Miller, Sr.
Copyright © 2002 Saint Stephen's Venturers. All rights reserved.
Revised: 11/02/02.
Developed and maintained by J. Miller, Sr.