Tom D

I JUST happen to be writing a one page training handout on this ver topic. This is my best advice for starting a crew based on my now 5 year old  crew.
This is based on the William Boyce New-Unit Organizer Award workbook and my personal experience.

William Boyce award - New Unit Organizer Award workbook

Volunteer Scorecard William D. Boyce New-Unit Organizer Award
So here it is:

Put a team together

            District Executive (D.E.) - Helps locate a Chartered Organization (C.O.).

            New Unit Organizer (NUO)- heads up the FORMATION of the crew

            Trainer - Trains all team members

            Unit Commissioner (UC) - Guidance through the process

            Chartered Organization Representative (COR) - Represent the C.O. in all scouting activities

Following the Plan

There are no shortcuts! Omit any step and the new unit will likely suffer. A unit that is organized by using all the time-tested steps is much more likely to enjoy a long tenure.

           The Steps                                                      Person Responsible

1.     Identify the NUO prospect.                                          DE, NUO, and membership committee

2.     Approach the prospect.                                               NUO and influential Scouter

3.     Make the sales call.                                                    NUO, district executive

4.     CO adopts the program.                                             NUO and head of CO (executive officer)

5.     The organizing committee meets.                               NUO, trainer, UC, and COR

6.     Organize committee select and recruit unit leaders.   NUO and organizing committee

7.     Help train the leaders.                                                             NUO and trainer (training team)

8.     Help the unit plan and organize programs.                 NUO, trainer, UC, and unit committee members

9.     Recruit youth members and have parent orientation.             NUO, UC, and unit committee members

10.  Complete the paperwork.                                            NUO, district executive, and unit committee

11.  Attend the first meeting.                                              NUO and UC

12.  Present the charter.                                                    NUO, UC, and COR

Tips for Starting a GREAT crew:

•        Be a True Believer in what Scouting can do for youth, adult leaders and parents!
•        Start with at least 10 scouts registered. Young adults need quorum to make an event occur.
•        Double-down: Ask those to bring a guest to a meeting, event or campout.
•        Have things that mean something special to the crew. I.E. Crew flag, Venturing candle for ceremonies scrapbook etc.
•        Youth deserve trained leaders! Fast Start, Youth Protection and Advisor Specific/Crew Committee Challenge! This gets the leaders fired up to do their best for the crew.
•        ALWAYS RECRUIT YEAR-ROUND!  Have flyers or cards handy. Have the scouts practice an elevator speech 1-2 minute explanation of what Venturing is and why they like it.
•        Money will be tight for a while, find a troop or a family to borrow some old patrol gear. 
•        Begin fundraising to purchase crew equipment. Fundraising is part of the Program, let the crew decide which fundraisers to do. 
•        PROGRAM, PROGRAM, PROGRAM - have a 4 month program laid out while the Officers are trained and put together the Program Plan for the rest of the year at the Annual Program Conference.
•        Thank those that helped formed the crew. It's a tough job. Find a special way to recognize them. T-shirt or other item.

PROGRAM

·        Year Round activities, PLANNED Meetings, NEVER perfect and NEVER complete, and that's OK

·        Adventure - Fun and varied outings for various skill levels - Putt-Putt to Backpacking

·        Leadership - Immediately let the Officers run the meetings and plan the outings - May need to chase adults out of the room.

·        Personal Growth (Training) - Youth and adult

·        Service - plan regular Service projects - consider a primary Community Service Organization.

First, this is the best Venturing thread so far! Wonderful ideas and questions here.

We need to remember that Venturing does IS YOUTH LED but really doesn't use the Patrol Method.  With a big emphasis on Mentoring.  This fundamental difference can lead to issues when the troop and crew are on an outing together.  It's also an issue with some leaders/parents of the troop not happy to have females on their camp outs.  

When the youth want to share a camping trip with the troop we often get low turnout from the troop.  

I REALLY like the Leadership Corp analogy.  The leadership in a crew is always morphing and changing.  Every event has a different leader (Activity Chair) and this keeps the youth from burning out and leads to youth with rounder skill sets.   While the Officers guide the group through the program year; Outings, Service, Training and Crew development/promotion. 

Also in Southern Region Area 5 will be having training that I will present on sat 9-26-15.

To All VENTURING ADVISORS

LEGACY 3

Due to many inquiries on the Adult all day training only.

Any Adult that would like to attend only the training at the

Area-5 event " The Legacy " on Sept. 26 th may do so.

The cost for the training, materials, certificate, & lunch

will be $ 15.00 ( can pay upon arrival on sat 9-26-15

See the area web site for class information www.SR5Venturing.org

To attend you must advise me by email end of day saturday 9-19-15

jerrygmyr@gmail.com

As we grow and add events, trainings and opportunities in Area-5

we some times experience growing pains and offering only the

training to adult at this event is something we just did not anticipate.

Go to www.sr5venturing.org 

You can also find us on FACEBOOK

https://www.facebook.com/pages/area-5-southern-region-venturing/1407329719564267

For any camp questions email  ntipton@@Carolina.rr.com

Yours in Venturing,

Southern Region  Area 5 Venturing

Jerry Gmyr

So, I got word back from National.  No course codes for course required for "rank", I'll assume she means awards. This means that National won't keep track of these classes for Venturing youth.  But, let's keep in mind that they do for Safety Afloat, Safe Swim Defense, etc.  

You can get training cards from your council to give to the course recipients to keep track of the course completion. I also fill out a Training Record Sheet and file it. We are just now getting everyone a Venturing Handbook and signing them appropriately.  Soon we will have our Court of Honor.  

It looks to me that this means that we do not use the Course Code for Mentoring class for Venturing Youth.  

"Tom,

There is not going to be training codes for any of the Venturing courses required for rank.  The Crew will be the only persons to track these.

Thank you for your support of Boy Scouts of America.

Senior Member Care Advocate

Angela"

Check with your council registrar or training chair. They should have a list of all the codes.

Here is the current list of Training Codes from Scouting.org

http://www.scouting.org/filestore/training/pdf/currentandpasttrainingcodes.pdf

Mentoring is listed as Cuose Code P61.  I hope that this is the Venturing Training Code.  

The Council doesn't really have anyone that can help.  I usually find more out by Googling my questions.

Glad to see this working. Maybe I'll use it to nudge my crew into significant action.

 

Don't expect much from national regarding venturing, and you'll be pleasantly surprised when it happens.

 

Most of us are used to seat-of-your-pants operation, but here's a brainstorm:

 

I'd leave record-keeping up to the youth. Sounds like you have buy-in, so get them to purchase handbooks and work this old-school. Get them into the habit of journalling their own successes. In a couple of months, challenge them to write their resume' of their venturing career so far.

 

If you have a Crew Historian or Secretary, try to set up a cloud-based system for recording things like this and give them privelages to write in it.

 

Track the big things, like Discovery, Path Finder, etc ... online.

 

Eventually, when National's IT catches up with this program (in a way that let's the youth have some responsibility for the record-keeping), you can buy-in. Or, you all can just settle for becoming the model for the rest of us.

 

That's how venturers roll.

Thanks so much.  Yes the youth do keep track of training and award requirements.  We put up a big spreadsheet for tracking these awards.  I'll keep on National to get the needed details out to the Advisors and crews.  

Guide...

 

http://www.scouting.org/filestore/venturing/pdf/goal_setting_time_management.pdf

Yes we used the Guide. The code is not listed there either.  The GS & TM Guide is well laid out and includes an intro into what Venturers will learn in NYLT/NAYLE.  ie. SMART Goals and teambuilding.

I just completed the Goal Setting and Time Management course for my Crew. I completed a Training attendance sheet and need a course code for the class. There is one for the Mentoring class but not GS & TM.

If Awards/Advancement is going to be a bigger part of Venturing, then we will have to track this training nationally. Since I started the crew in 2013 I’ve been filling out these sheets for every training activity we’ve done ie First Aid to Officer Orientation.

Anyone know the Course /Training Code for Goal Setting and Time Management?

The class was very successful.  The crew enjoyed it and wants to do more of this kind of training.  The Crew Pres. conducted a Start/Stop/Continue review at the end and came up with a few recommendations on their own: next time they want to teach it themselves (youth taught!), add a few more team builing type games to the mix, add more handouts maybe have them bound.  We did this on a Saturday and ordered pizza for lunch.  

Thanks,
Tom
Advisor Crew 6