We wish to make the Venturing web page the best it can be by placing important information on this page. If you have something you wish to share; pictures, articles or Scouting stories, please contact Glen Steenberger, (414) 443-2844 - gsteenberger@mccbsa.org.
Professional Staff Member Here to Serve You...
Glen Steenberger
Director of Field Service
(414) 443-2844
gsteenberger@mccbsa.org
June
16 EVOA Forum, Scout Center Center, 330 S. 84 St., 7:00 p.m.
Crewlympics
Attention all Crews and Posts - It's our turn to have an event just for us.
The Milwaukee County Council's Venturing Team is planning its first ever "Crewlympics" to take place August 22 - 24, 2008, at Indian Mound Scout Reservation. The date of the event happens to be the last weekend of the true Olympics being held in China.
We have 19 Olympic style events tentatively planned. Both team and individual events will occur with gold, silver, and bronze medals being awarded to the top finishers.
Many of the camp facilities will be used including the water front, archery and bb gun ranges, basketball court and volleyball court.
In addition, we plan on having Saturday night church service followed by a camp wide Hawaiian style pig roast.
What we need now is a list of interested posts and crews so we can plan on how big of a pig to roast and to plan the event schedule.
Please contact Glen Steenberger for more information (414) 443-2856.
It's very important that the advisors or presidents contact us. We need to know the interest of the crews and posts. This could be a once-in-a-life-time chance to have a crown of laurel leaves placed on the victorious few. Thank you for all the support that you do for the youth that enjoy Scouting.
"Venturing 10th Anniversary" Photo Contest
What images do you think best reflect the essence of Venturing? Capture them with your camera and then enter your favorite photographs in the "Venturing 10th Anniversary" photo contest.
The contest is open to all registered youth members of the Venturing program. Photos will be judged in four categories:
1. Wildlife
2. People
3. The Spirit of Venturing
4. Spirit of Patriotism
Our judges will be looking for the photographs that best exhibit creativity, originality, and visual beauty. A winning photograph will be selected for each of the four categories. From the four winners, one photograph will be selected as the Grand Prize Winner.
One winner from each of the four categories will receive a $200 BSA Supply gift card.
For more information and rules for entering the contest, please visit www.scouting.org/venturing.
The Grand Prize Winner will receive a $400 BSA Supply gift certificate, and a three-day, all expenses paid trip with his/her parents to New York City to attend the annual Explorers Club meeting as the guest of Richard Wiese, the youngest ever president of The Explorers Club. Members of The Explorers Club include: Neil Armstrong (space), Robert Ballard (ocean exploration), Scott Carpenter (space), Jim Fowler (zoology), William Koch (sailing), Steven Squyres (space, Mars), Charles "Chuck" Yeager (test pilot). For more information on The Explorers Club, go to www.explorers.org - The winners and their photographs will also be shown right here on the Venturing Web site.
Does Venturing Help My Troop?
Many Scoutmasters have asked this question at Venturing training meetings. The answer is yes; Venturing can help your troop in many ways. Here are the top reasons why a Boy Scout troop should consider starting an affiliate Venturing crew:
1. Venturing can keep older boys, ages 14-18, engaged in the troop longer. Venturing's new advancement program offers Scouts new challenges.
2. Venturing offers older Scouts challenging activities with boys and girls their own age.
3. Venturing offers additional leadership experience and training that can benefit the troop.
4. Venturing advancement requires Venturers to teach what they have learned to other groups.
5. Scouts ages 14 to 18 and adult leaders can be members of both a Boy Scout troop and a Venturing crew.
6. Older Scouts in the troop, especially troop leadership, are expected to participate in both units.
7. A Venturing crew associated with the troop gives Scouts something to anticipate as they get older and keeps them involved with the troop longer.
8. Venturing can help solve many of the Scoutmaster's challenges:
- Challenging older Scouts while continuing to attract and retain younger Scouts
- Competing with older Scout's growing interests: cars, girls, and high school
- Giving leadership/role model opportunities to all older Scouts
Contact Eric Jacobson at (414) 491-8214 for more information on the Venturing program.
CHECK OUT THE CENTRAL REGION'S VENTURING WEB SITE
www.crventuring.org
What Can the EVOA Do For You?
As Venture advisors we have a great opportunity for our youth in the EVOA and a common question is why should their youth participate in the EVOA program?
To start off we need to explain what the EVOA is. This acronym stands for the (E) Exploring, (Venturing), (O) Officers, (A) Association. The EVOA takes the officers or those youth who are nominated by the crew and places them into a committee, a council crew of sorts. These youth meet regularly and help make the program for Venturing on a council level. The idea being that they do the bulk of the planning with their EVOA Advisors "advising" and guiding them. The EVOA picks its own officers and these officers are the primary decision makers within the youth program.
So you are still asking yourselves, what can the EVOA do for you and your crew? The EVOA affects crews directly through their leadership. Being a youth-led youth-run program, they can directly work with and train individual crews to advance their leadership skills thus making a stronger crew. The EVOA's most noticeable works during the year are the forums and an event called a Venturing Leadership Skills Course (VLSC).
A Venturing forum is essentially a roundtable. However, unlike the Boy Scout roundtables, the forums ask for both youth officers and the adult advisors of a crew to attend. These meetings are the backbone to the EVOA communicating to the various crews within the council. The information being disseminated varies from upcoming programs and camporees, training information, recruitment, and sometimes just a little fun. The VLSC is a youth leadership event that must be held once a year at the council level. This course is the Venturing equivalent to Powderhorn. The young adults over the course of a weekend strengthen the leadership skills that help them run their crew efficiently and with confidence.
For any questions, please feel free to contact Glen Steenberger at (414) 443-2844.
|
