NEW VENTURING RESOURCES

The following new publications have been released for use in the Venturing program:

• Venturing Advisor Position-Specific Training, No. 511-904, provides an introduction to the responsibilities, opportunities, and resources that will ensure a successful Venturing crew experience for both Venturers and Advisors.
  The focus of this course is on the relationship between crew officers and Advisors, identifying the challenges of working with youth and young adults, explaining Venturing’s recognition opportunities and how to support Venturers in their annual program planning process.

• The Crew Committee Challenge—Crew Committee Position-Specific Training, No. 511-902, provides guidance to committee members on how to give the support needed by Advisors and Venturers to deliver a high-quality program experience.
  This course covers some of the same material as the first, but is directed more toward helping committee members understand their role. It also identifies desired qualities in an Advisor, cites helpful resources, and explains the relationship between the crew committee and the chartered organization.

The Venturing Summit Award Service Project Workbook, No. 512-938  Requirement 8 for the new Venturing Summit Award instructs candidates to plan and conduct a service project as described in the Venturing Summit Award Service Project Workbook, No. 512-938. The workbook, posted at www.scouting.org/advancement, is ready for use, and provides the additional detail candidates must understand to fulfill the requirement.
Before work on a project begins, a project proposal must be approved by the project beneficiary, the Venturer’s crew Advisor, and another Venturer designated by crew leadership. The proposal is one of three sections or “forms” in the workbook. The others include a fundraising application and a project re-port. The proposal and the report are important to every Summit Award project. The fundraising application is required under certain circumstances.
The workbook also includes a message from Chief Scout Executive Wayne Brock, instructions for preparing the proposal and planning the project, an explanation of when the fundraising application must be completed, and a list of project restrictions and other considerations, such as ensuring safety.
A Venturing Summit Award service project must provide a valuable service that meets a need, and it must represent a significant personal growth experience through some combination of its scope and complexity, leadership of others, or a connection to a future personal goal related to the Venturer’s education, career, or other interest. However, the impact of the service involved in a project—the extent to which a project makes a meaningful difference—is the most important consideration.
In determining if a project is acceptable; the following four focus areas are considered:
Service—A valuable action, deed, or effort carried out to meet a need
Scope and complexity—The scale of the project; the level of effort and planning involved
Leadership—Leading others toward a shared vision
Personal goal connection—Making the most of the experience, including what is important to the Venturer.
All four focus areas are considered together. Every Summit Award project must provide a service, but no particular level of scope or complexity is required. The crew Advisor and a designated crew member must agree that your project fulfills what the workbook describes as required. The other two focus areas, leader-ship and personal goal connection, are not absolutely required, but will add great value and depth to a project. While they are optional, one or the other, or both, may help to compensate for a project that requires little in terms of planning and execution. Leadership of others and a personal goal connection may also be important to Venturers who wish to provide a project report to a prospective employ-er or college admissions board.