Option 1: Incorporating Venturing into Existing Operating Committees Many guidebooks designed for council and district committees recommend organizing committees on the basis of function. For example, advancement committees handle all advancement-related activities for all Scouting units; activities committees plan and run council or district activities to help supplement what Scouting units offer. This is the recommended approach for districts: supporting Venturing through your normal district operations. A good reason for this approach at the district level is numbers. Most districts don’t have enough available staff members, volunteers, or energy to run separate district-level committees. Therefore, volunteers are recruited to represent Venturing on each of the standing committees at the district level: Advancement and recognition Camping and other activities Marketing Commissioner service Training Finance Membership A concern associated with this option is that Cub Scouting or Boy Scouting, which may be the strongest areas of your Scouting program and have the most membership, could take all the attention of the committee members and resources of the council or district, leaving Venturing shortchanged. People you have recruited for Venturing could become discouraged and quit. Two keys to avoiding this issue will be to have a chair who personally gives attention to all three areas and to recruit members who can effectively support Cub Scouting, Boy Scouting, and Venturing. Option 2: Stand-Alone Venturing Committee A stand-alone Venturing committee might have the same functions as outlined above (advancement and recognition, camping/activities, marketing, commissioner service, training, finance, and membership), but at your committee meetings, you would discuss only Venturing. Many councils have found this method attractive for council-level support. The stand-alone committee usually cover all the functions of other council committees except unit service, which is best covered by the commissioner service. There are pros and cons with this option. An advantage is that volunteers are immersed in Venturing and all their energies go to that one area. One report or action easily leads into another, creating continuity. But a disadvantage is that Venturing may be seen as essentially separate and different from Cub Scouting and Boy Scouting, and the three areas may not interact; such interaction can benefit everyone. Spend some time discussing what could be the challenges or roadblocks to supporting Cub Scouting, Boy Scouting, and Venturing equally. At the council level, the size of your Venturing committee depends on the number of districts and
Option 1: Incorporating Venturing into Existing Operating Committees Many guidebooks designed for council and district committees recommend organizing committees on the basis of function. For example, advancement committees handle all advancement-related activities for all Scouting units; activities committees plan and run council or district activities to help supplement what Scouting units offer. This is the recommended approach for districts: supporting Venturing through your normal district operations. A good reason for this approach at the district level is numbers. Most districts don’t have enough available staff members, volunteers, or energy to run separate district-level committees. Therefore, volunteers are recruited to represent Venturing on each of the standing committees at the district level: Advancement and recognition Camping and other activities Marketing Commissioner service Training Finance Membership A concern associated with this option is that Cub Scouting or Boy Scouting, which may be the strongest areas of your Scouting program and have the most membership, could take all the attention of the committee members and resources of the council or district, leaving Venturing shortchanged. People you have recruited for Venturing could become discouraged and quit. Two keys to avoiding this issue will be to have a chair who personally gives attention to all three areas and to recruit members who can effectively support Cub Scouting, Boy Scouting, and Venturing. Option 2: Stand-Alone Venturing Committee A stand-alone Venturing committee might have the same functions as outlined above (advancement and recognition, camping/activities, marketing, commissioner service, training, finance, and membership), but at your committee meetings, you would discuss only Venturing. Many councils have found this method attractive for council-level support. The stand-alone committee usually cover all the functions of other council committees except unit service, which is best covered by the commissioner service. There are pros and cons with this option. An advantage is that volunteers are immersed in Venturing and all their energies go to that one area. One report or action easily leads into another, creating continuity. But a disadvantage is that Venturing may be seen as essentially separate and different from Cub Scouting and Boy Scouting, and the three areas may not interact; such interaction can benefit everyone. Spend some time discussing what could be the challenges or roadblocks to supporting Cub Scouting, Boy Scouting, and Venturing equally. At the council level, the size of your Venturing committee depends on the number of districts and
VOA_Administration_Guide.docx