VENTURING TRAINING PROGRAMS
Training is an integral component to both the youth and adults involved in the Venturing Program. Like the other program areas of Scouting, there is a training spectrum that Venturing follows to develop its youth Venturers and adult Advisors.
For youth Venturers, training begins at the unit (crew or ship) level with the Venturing Leadership Skills Course. In this course, basic leadership skills are reviewed and enacted to help the youth of the crew take on the responsibility of officer positions. In addition, the Crew Officer’s Seminar is available to help define the roles of leadership in a Venturing crew. The next step on the youth Venturing training segment is Kodiak, which can be done at the Crew, District, or Council level. This five-day training course centered around a superactivity incorporates experiential learning and leadership commissions alongside the fun activities that Venturers like to do. Upon completion of Kodiak, a youth may complete the final stage of the youth training continuum, Kodiak X, which is to be administered by the District or Council.
For adult Advisors, the training continuum is very similar to that of the other programs of Scouting. Leaders should begin with Venturing Fast Start, which can be found on the online training center. After completion of Fast Start, leaders should take (if they have not already completed it) “This is Scouting,” which is the next step on the training spectrum. Finally, all adults in the Venturing program should complete Venturing Leader Specific Training, which is a 6-hour course designed to train Venturing adult leaders about how to conduct the Venturing program at the crew level. If the adult leader is a Crew Advisor or Associate Advisor in a crew whose focus is high adventure, he or she should also complete Introduction to Outdoor Leader Skills.
In addition, there are two key supplemental training opportunities for Venturing leaders – Powder Horn and Wood Badge. Powder Horn is a resource course designed to help Boy Scout and Venturing leaders use the resources necessary to conduct a high adventure program in their unit through the use of consultants. Wood Badge is the premier adult training program focused on leadership development that is open to leaders of all programs of the Boy Scouts of America.
For more information on Venturing training programs, please visit the following sites:
Youth Training:
http://ntl-sitecorepd.netbsa.org/About/FactSheets/YouthMemberTraining.aspx
Adult Training:
http://scouting.org/training/adult.aspx
