berlin174

Thank you everyone for your replies, they have been most helpful. I am very happy to have a place to go to get advice from experienced Advisors.

Like I said, working with a Venture crew is new to all of us here and unfortunately some people forget that we are no longer working with scouts, this is not a troop and it is youth-led. I get the odd person here telling me it is youth-led, but not youth-managed. I think these people just do not like handing over control and/or decisions to the crew. They are so used to making all the decisions for the kids that it is a hard concept for them to embrace. I, however, embrace it fully. Yes there are times we need to step in to keep them on track, but for the whole they are bright, creative young adults and I want to let them find their way.

Again, thank you for your assistance, it has made my job a lot easier knowing that I am doing the right thing.

Regards,

Berlin

I am fairly new to Venturing and could use some advice.

In everything I have read and reasearched it says that it is up to the crew to decide on a uniform, if any. There is no "offical" uniform required, only recommended.

Our crew adopted the green shirt (for official use) and a sweatshirt with the logo. They have only worn the shirt once, but love the sweatshirt and wear it constantly. Since we are in Germany and meetings are in their school (German/American) they never wear their uniforms to meetings (unlike others in Germany who are located on bases). However, they love their sweatshirt and wear it often and proudly.

It is now being "suggested" to me that to attend certain functions they should be in "official" uniform (venture shirt, trousers and belt)- the shirt alone is not good enough. Can they dictate the uniform the crew must wear? Isn't it up to them? This is a big expense for the kids, especially since many of them will move in the next year or so. I can understand asking them to wear grey trousers, if they want to, to go with the uniform shirt, but to go out and buy something they will rarely wear I do not understand. I would rather see them use this money to enjoy more activities, attend more district events, community service, etc.

Is there an official line about the venture uniform? Can the council or others dictate what the crew must wear? I know it looks nice when they are all "spiffed up" in the official uniform, but isn't it supposed to be about the kids and their choices as a crew for their own identity? I would hate to see our kids miss out on anything just because their choice of uniform is not considered appropriate. I wonder what they would have thought if the kids went with their first choice - hawaiian shirts?

I could really use some help in this area....thanks.