Venturing advancement in Venture Patrols?

[sherminator505]

I think I may already know the answer to this one, but are Scouts in Venture Patrols within troops allowed to work on Venturing awards?

[ScoutNut]

A Boy Scout earns Boy Scout awards.

 

A Venturer earns Venturing awards.

 

A Boy Scout Troop's Venture Patrol is NOT a chartered Venturing Crew.

 

Only a boy who is a registered member of a Venturing Crew (or Sea Scout Ship), may earn Venturing awards.

[Crew21_Adv]

Sherminator505,

 

Greetings!

 

Got a yes and no answer. To start off; No, Scouts in Venture Patrols within troops are not allowed to work on Venturing Awards. However sort of, Yes, there is a unique recognition that Venture Patrol Scouts can earn, that regular Scouts nor Venturers are not eligible for.

 

The programs in the BSA have contradicted their own literature time after time, but even recently per the centennial inspection sheet, Venture Patrol Boy Scouts are eligible to wear a Venture Letter and thus earning the Venture Letter and thus earning Varsity Pins on the Venture Letter.

http://www.scouting.org/filestore/pdf/34283.pdf

 

In the early 90's. When the Venture Patrol program began, there was additional high adventure recognition emblems (not on the traditional advancement trail), which Boy Scouts in the Venture Patrol, within a Boy Scout Troop, could earn. It added as an added incentive for older Scouts to remain in a troop. As only Venture Patrol Scouts could earn these pins.

http://meritbadge.org/wiki/index.php/Venture_Patrol_Activity_Pins

http://meritbadge.org/wiki/index.php/Venture_Patrol_Letter

 

 

In the early 90's, there was a series of Venture Patrol Pins pamphlets, about the size of a Mert Badge pamphlet. Similar to the older Cub Scout Sports and Academic Belt Loops handbooks.

 

By the mid-90's the Venture Patrol Activity Pins became the Varsity and Venture Patrol Activity Pins.

 

Then again, by the time Venturing BSA debuted. The literature has changed, and for a while it seemed a Varsity Activity Pin could only be earned by a Scout enrolled in a Varisty Team.

 

Who can currently earn a Varsity Pin and What youth program is eligible to conduct a Varsity Pin program. These similar questions has been offered to Scouting Magazine a few times.

 

A current question to be asked, Why have a Venture Patrol if there is nothing special they can do or earn.

 

So it seems, that although few Venture Patrol Scouts participate in this program today, they are still eligible to earn these additional Varsity Activity Pin recognitions.

 

Also, not an award but a leadership class. As of 2010 Venturers can attend NYLT, and wear the NYLT compass patch. I believe as of 2008, 13 y/o Boy Scouts (Venture Patrol or not) are allowed to attend KODIAK, and wear the KODIAK Medallion.

 

 

Scouting Forever and Venture On!

Crew21_Adv

 

(This message has been edited by Crew21_Adv)

[Eagle92]

Correct in that only Venturers can work on Venturing recognition.

 

In reference to the Varsity/Venture letter, there is a lot, stress A LOT, of confusion on this topic as national has not specifically stated that the Varsity/Venture letter can still be earned by a Venture patrol, or the pins by them as well. Also national has not specifically stated they cannot be earned either. Questions have arisen, Scouting magazine has stated one thing, but other BSA literature, some of which published after the Scouting Mag article contradicted the article. Hence the confusion.

 

Brief background on the program. The Varsity letter came out about 1983 with the Varsity program. The pins were sports related, not HA related, and could only be earned by Varsity scouts. When the Leadership Corps program was replaced by the Venture Crew program in 1989 (remember this is pre-Venturing), the Varsity Letter was renamed the Varsity/Venture Letter, and and the HA pins were created for the Venture crews only to earn. Around 1993, The Sports pins could be earned by Venture crews (still pre-Venturing) and the HA pins could be earned by Varsity Teams. In 1998, Venture crews became Venture patrols with the advent of Venturing. Sometime after 1998, all the confusion started coming up about the pins.

 

In my opinion since the letter and pins are not considered advancement, and hence are not restricted items, and since soem BSA publications still show Venture patrol members being able to wear the letter and pins, I would not worry about if Venture patrol members can wear the letter and pins at this time.

 

On a side note, the pins and letters were never popular when I was involved on the troop level, when I started working summer camp y, and when I worked for supply. My troop never used them, even though we probably could have earned a bunch of them. When I created a HA program based upon the requirements for 2 of the pins for summer camp, no one had ever heard of the letter and pins before (hence one reason no one signed up for the program), and the only person to buy the pins while I worked for supply was myself in an attempt to promote the program.

[BadenP]

Whoaa Eagle92, I don't know where you get your information but you are incorrect.

 

Venturing Awards are restricted items just like scout ranks and merit badges, you do need to fill out an advancement award sheet to purchase them. This is stated very clearly in the Venturing Leaders Manual and Venturing Handbook written by National.

 

Boy scouts can not earn Venturing awards unless they are also dual registered in a Venturing crew, each is a unique program. That is the correct answer.

[ScoutNut]

>>"the letter and pins are not considered advancement, and hence are not restricted items"

[ScoutNut]

On a side note - Does anyone know why the bright boys at National decided to confuse the issue so VERY much by using a name (Venture/Venturing) for a new program that was already in use for an existing program?

 

Why not use something like Rover Group instead of Venturing Crew? It has a similar meaning, and separates the programs ENTIRELY.

 

Instead, we now have to put up with pre-Venturing Venturing Crews, Venture Patrols, and the current Venturing Crews.

 

Sheesh!

 

 

[Eagle92]

BP,

Yep I'm talking about the Varsity/Venture or Varsity letter and the pins, depending upon what BSA publication you look at. Those things are not restricted.

 

'Nut,

I was told that the reason for callign it Venturing was that the term Venturing was the Scout Association's name for the older scout program. trust me the PTB at national were informed about the confusion months before Venturing came out. What's interesting is that since Venturing came out, the Scout Association has renamed their older youth program...EXPLORING.

 

Go figure.

[ScoutNut]

Oh Lordy! Then we would have pre-Venturing Exploring, pre-Venturing Venture Crews, Venture Patrols, Explorer Posts, Venturing Crews and Exploring Crews?

 

I'm confused just typing it!

[qwazse]

Last year when the 14y/o's had to wait to complete 8th grade, an advisor I met called them Venturers-in-Training. A few of the younger sibs to my current crew are starting to call themselves that. Look for a gaggle of VIT's stalking a crew near you.

 

P.S. - Nice info about the letters and pins. Got me longing for the days when being in the "Leadership Corps" was its own reward.