Creating and Supporting Venturing Roundtables

1
Creating and Supporting Venturing Roundtables

• By Doug HilkeDirector of Field ServicesWestern
  Los Angeles County Council
  
• presentation created by Dave Rozelle Asst
  Council Commissioner for VenturingJon Cieslak
  District Executive, Venturing Staff Advisor
  
• www.bsa-la.com venturing.bsa-la.com

2
A Need for Venturing Roundtables

• Being a new program, a real need for Venturing
  Roundtables exists
  
• Training of Advisors Officers
• Encourage formal training classes
• Provide specific training about relevant topics
• Provide information to crews on available
  activities
  
• District Council activities
• Council High Adventure Camps
• Sharing of ideas between crews
• Motivate and recharge Venturing leaders
• Let them know theyre not the only Green Shirts
  in the district

3
Current Resources

• Good resources are beginning to be available for
  organizing Venturing Roundtables
  
• Venturing Roundtable Guide
• Guidelines for organizing
• Planning ideas
• How-Tos, Games Program Features
• Venturing Boy Scout Literature
• Venturing Leaders manual
• Merit Badge pamphlets
• Ranger Guidebook
• Experienced Scouters and Scouting Professionals

4
The Guide

• From the Venturing Roundtable Guide
• Hold Venturing Roundtables along with Cub and
  Scout Roundtables
  
• Start with joint announcements then break to own
  meeting
  
• Provides visibility of the Venturing program
• Expected attendees
• Crew Advisors Assistant Advisors
• Committee Chairs
• Unit Commissioners
• Youth officers (on occasion advisors should
  invite)

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The Guide (continued)

• Suggested Program
• Opening/Announcements
• How-to section
• Activity section
• Program section
• Closing
• Use Scout Community resources
• Annual Venturing Roundtable Planning Conference
• Survey crews for interests
• Review past roundtables
• Plan the years program
• Build a Team atmosphere to involve all

6
Roundtable Guide Resources

• Excellent array of pre-planned activities/sessions
  in manual
  
• 17 How-To sessions to teach skills
• Example skill How to elect crew officers
• Indicates resource references to support
• 16 Activities and Games to get things moving
• 16 Program Features to provide interesting
  meets
  
• Example Program First Aid
• Resources, such as Ranger Guidebook, Merit badge
  pamphlets, etc. referenced
  
• Ranger award requirements being addressed

7
The Real World

• Only a few active
• Many (most) struggling to maintain attendance
• Roundtable commissioners are frustrated by
  working hard to improve program only seen by a
  minimal audience
  
• With such great resources, why arent there
  successful Venturing Roundtables operating
  everywhere?
  

8
The Survey

• One district or councils experience with
  Venturing Roundtables isnt representative of the
  country
  
• An informal survey of Venturing leaders with
  Roundtable experience performed
  
• Requests for inputs on the Venturing email lists
• Venture-L ( www.bowline.org ) a national
  discussion list for Venturing Advisors and other
  leaders
  
• Philmont Venturing Crew 2000 discussion list
• Email and phone contact with key leaders
• Responses from 14 Venturing leaders from around
  the country collected and summarized

9
Survey Findings

• Common themes arise from a review of the surveys
• A few key areas for improving the process
• Successful program areas
• Need for promotion
• Novel alternative approaches
• A list of recurring areas crying out for
  improvements follows

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Too few crews in the district to create a
critical mass

• Too few crews fail to create a meeting with the
  necessary excitement
  
• Council organized Venturing Roundtables may be
  necessary in these early years to bring larger
  groups together
  
• Joint District Roundtables should be considered
  when long distances make Council meetings
  impractical
  
• As crew numbers grow the Roundtables should plan
  to move back to District meetings
  

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Lack of Council Support

• Council support for Venturing and Venturing
  Roundtables is usually lacking
  
• Crews need the councils and districts to provide
  a full program of training, activities and
  leadership opportunities
  
• Better communication of activities already
  available is required
  
• Many Advisors were Asst Scoutmasters with little
  or no previous district/council experience They
  need help!

12
Require Youth Participation

• Venturing youth are REQUIRED at the Roundtables,
  NOT optional
  
• Venturing is strongly youth leadership oriented
  the Roundtable should be structured the same way
  
• Youth leadership adds the energy to make it work
• Crew officers need interaction with other crews
  at least as much as the adults
  
• Breakout sessions with youth only and adult only
  sub meetings have been successful
  

13
LDS Support

• Encouraging LDS crews to support the Roundtables
  helps all
  
• Education of Stake leadership is critical
• Must be convinced of the value of Venturing and
  Venturing Roundtables
  
• Stake leaders need to actively encourage
  Roundtable attendance
  
• Assignment of crews to provide the Roundtable
  program on a rotating basis ensures involvement
  

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Promote, Promote, Promote!

• Heavy promotion of the Roundtable is necessary
• Promotion must be continuous, not just at the
  inception
  
• Many avenues need to be pursued
• Crews calling crews (youth) works best.

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Promotion Ideas from Survey

• District Council newsletters
• Use you Unit Commissioners
• Flyers and mailings to crew advisors
• Emailing invitations
• Best if sent by youth
• Council/District Web pages

• Announcements
• At training events
• At announcement session of roundtable with Cubs
  Scouts
  
• At activities
• Word of mouth
• Leaders-to-leaders
• Youth-to-youth
• Face-to-face or phone

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The Internet

• The internet provides a new exciting way to
  communicate with scouting youth and leaders
  
• Email
• Web sites
• Discussion boards lists
• Todays youth live in the middle of this
  technology Use it!
  
• In may areas most youth and adults will have easy
  access to the internet
  
• Allows FAST and exciting communications
• Up to date calendars, events information,
  training schedules can be made instantly
  available
  

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Provide an Exciting Program

• An interesting program is the key to KEEPING your
  attendance up
  
• Program must satisfy the interests of the crews
• Surveys of attendees interests necessary
• Offering program options for upcoming months keep
  interests linked to planned program
  
• Youth input and participation should be integral
  to the program
  
• The bottom line is offer what your attendees
  want, not what someone else thinks you should
  present

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Program Ideas from Survey

• Backpacking
• Rock Climbing
• Scuba
• Wilderness Survival/Edible Wild Plants
• Leave No Trace
• Wilderness First Aid
• High Adventure Camp Opportunities

• Ethics in Action/ Ethical Controversies
• Panel Discussions
• Dealing with smoking, drugs, crew dating, etc.
• Emergency preparedness
• Shooting Sports
• Mountain Biking
• ..

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Provide for Fellowship

• The Roundtable should be planned to let youth and
  adults interact informally
  
• Exchanging ideas, problems, successes is a major
  part of the process
  
• Encourage joint activities between crews
• Food following meeting creates good opportunities

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Alternate Approaches

• Other approaches to the Roundtables are being
  tried
  
• Quarterly Roundtables
• Quarterly Council Roundtables with District
  Roundtables in the intervening months
  
• Rotating Meetingsi.e. November - Venturing
  committee meeting, December - Venturing
  Roundtable, January Advisors Officers
  meeting then repeat
• Merging the Scout with the Venturing Roundtables
  run by co-commissioners
  
• Alternate between Scout Venturing activity
  programs
  
• Topics chosen to be of interest to older scouts

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Where to go from here???

• Venturing is still a developing program with
  growing pains and joys
  
• Many good ideas have been suggested by dedicated
  Venturing leaders
  
• The ideas need to be tried and refined to develop
  a great program
  
• By sharing our experiences and trying new
  approaches we work towards providing the youth
  the best possible program!

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Further information

• This presentation as well as a condensation of
  the survey will be available for download from
  the WLACC Venturing web
  
• http//Venturing.BSA-LA.com
• Further questions can be addressed by email to
• Dave Rozelle WLACC Asst Commissioner for
  Venturing drozelle_at_venturingcrew.comorJon
  CieslakWLACC District Executive, Venturing Staff
  Advisorjcieslak_at_email.msn.com