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We need to create a new magazine that is coed based. The name Boys' Life immediately excludes girls from reading the magazine. Boys' Life has great content and well written articles, which that age group can relate too, but we need to refocus a version to be coed and expand the articles. We could really have an impact on high school youth with a good coed high school aged magazine that focuses on positive youth development.



I recently attended a camping trip with my daughters Venture Crew. Several of my daughters’ friends (female) are in the Crew and attended the trip. They were talking amongst themselves within ear shot as to why they had joined the Venture Crew. All said they were not getting the “outdoor program” they wanted in another youth serving organization not to be named here. None of them had ever heard of Venturing and if not asked by a friend to join and attending a fun first meeting, never would have joined. They all agreed they would have joined sooner if they had known about the program.

I would guess that this is a problem in most areas. I always call Venturing our “best kept secret”! Here lies the problem. Venturing is not as near a household name as Cub Scouting and Boy Scouting are. How can we truly grow this program when half the potential members are unaware it exists?
Have we ever advertised the Venturing Program to girls in major magazines/media that are geared/marketed to them? Do we plan to? I asked the girls on the trip if they had ever seen or heard an advertisement for Venturing and they said no. I understand that advertising in major media markets or magazines is not an inexpensive undertaking and local councils must continue efforts to promote all of our programs locally. However if we are ever going to break into the 14+ age group in a major way I believe we are going to need a coordinated national marketing plan to do so.
Is there any discussion of lowering the age of Venturers? I would like to suggest that the age for Venturing Youth be lowered to include 7th and 8th graders. This would allow young men and women who are interested in high adventure and leadership skills to participate before entering high school. Youth are becoming more involved in volunteerism and this is perfect opportunity for them to gain the skills that we have to offer. I have many young women who are interested and there is no program similar to serve them.
The name "Venturing" is confusing. There are already Venture Patrols for older Scouts, so they don't understand the difference. The term has no intrinsic meaning to non-Scouts.

Market it as "Teen Adventure"--everyone understands both words and it sounds exciting. Also, compress the age range to 15-19. 14-year olds and 20-year olds have nothing in common.
We promote Cub Scouting as age 7 or in the first grade, yet Venturing is listed as 14 AND completed the 8th grade. I think it should be promoted as 15 to 21 or in the 8th grade. It is a little thing but I have at least one application a year that is sent back because they are 14 but still in 7th grade. (I'll admit, it happens with kindergarten kids too, but that is beside the point)
Within BSA, each level of membership has a different colored backing for the year pin, including Exploring. Venturing does not have a colored year pin backing.

Since Venturing is a separate registration, it needs its own color for backing a year pin. Borrowing from Varsity or Exploring isn't right, and it would be worse if a girl started wearing the Boy Scout backing--the uniform police would go nuts!

We need our own color! Grey?
As a Venturer, I promise to
do my duty to God and
help strengthen America,
to help others, and

to seek truth, fairness, and
adventure in the world.

There is something odd about those last two lines. In our other Scouting Oaths and Laws, we promise to guide our actions in certain ways. In these two lines we are expecting the rest of the world to act in certain ways; to be truthful and fair. News Flash! The world is not fair and often folks are not tuthful. We have no control over how the rest of the world acts. The oath should be focused on what we can control, our own behavior. I suggest changing the oath to read:

'to be truthful and fair and to seek adventure in the world'.
Scouts age 18-20 need to pay the national registration fee twice if they want to be registered as a youth in the Venture Crew and as an adult in a Boy Scout Troop.

Allow them to have multiple registrations by completing two applications but only pay one registration fee.
now that the new uniform came out, it seems Venturing is stuck in the past. Any possibility of updating the recommended Venturing uniform, too?