• Steven Wertz, President
• Adam D., VP for Administration
• Nickolas M., VP for Program
• Stephen Poorman, Crew Advisor

First Baptist Church
Troop One
Pack 3001

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Troop One is organizing a Boy Scouts of America (BSA) Venturing Crew aligned with the Troop One program. Its name will be CREW ONE.

Purpose

Troop One’s primary reason in forming a Venturing Crew is to provide a means for continued participation as a Youth by Troop One Scouts after they reach 18 years of age. 

Additional benefits include:

• Providing a college age experience of scouting allowing youth to remain registered as part of the BSA even while they are away at college. 
• Providing a Youth registration that aligns with the Order of the Arrow Youth/Adult delineation.
• Extending participation in the Troop One program of Scouting activities and learning opportunities to young women.
• Provide increased Youth leadership opportunities.
• Increase the number of Youth participating in the BSA program.
• Adding the Venturing program advancement program to the Troop One program and as a major focus of the Venturing Crew.

Definitions

• Venturing and Venturing Crew – The proposed program of the BSA for older youth Senior in HS and up to 21 as restricted by this organization.  Most of the members in this crew will be primarily registered as Venturers in Crew One.
• Venture and Venture Patrol – The older scout program within Troop One for those scouts 14-17.  Members in the Venture Patrol are primarily registered as Boy Scouts in Troop One.
• Chartered Organization – First Baptist Church
• Scoutmaster – Top program adult in the Boy Scout Program
• Crew Advisor – top program adult in the Venturing Program

Organizational Intent

It is the intent that this BSA Venturing Crew will exist as an integral part of the First Baptist Family of Scouting adding to the successful Troop One and Pack 3001 programs.  For those associated with Troop One the Venturing program provides an extension of, and a complement to, the established BSA Troop One “older Scout” program. The Venturing Crew will consequently run most activities in conjunction with Troop One according to the published Troop One schedule.

The Venturing Crew will typically meet on the same evening as the monthly Venture Patrol meetings.  Their primary yearly activities will consist of a superactivity usually in the summer, a winter break event and joining with the periodic “Venture split” campouts that are scheduled in the Troop One calendar.   It is our intent that much of the activities of the Venturing Crew and the Venture Patrol will be jointly attended.

This is a different approach than that applied to the Troop’s organizational relationship with Cub Scout Pack 3001, which while closely affiliated with Troop One, is intended to be a separate unit with its own schedule.  The different approaches to the Troop’s relationship with Pack 3001 and the proposed Venturing Crew is based upon the BSA-created separation between Scouts and Cubs based upon age, and the intended overlap between Scouts and Venturing based upon age.

The Venturing Crew may at times operate separate activities and events. These “extraordinary” high adventure treks, such as Philmont, and will schedule such activities in a manner that minimizes conflict with the Troop One calendar.  Of course this close tie with Troop One contemplates a small membership and limited resources of Crew One.  As this changes, this tight relationship will be reviewed and modified.

Joining Requirements

BSA Venture Crew joining requirements will be observed with the following restrictions:

1. Youth, male and female, need to have reached the age of 18 or be a senior in High school.
2. Some youth on a case by case basis may be accepted into the Crew at 17 or as a Junior in High School if they are joining primarily to prepare for an adventure that will occur after they have reached the age or schooling requirements in point 1.
3. Exceptions to this may be made only by petition to the Crew Committee and on advice of the Crew Adviser

Troop One Scouts will be expected to maintain a primary registration in the Troop until they turn 18.  Once 18, Scouts may maintain a primary registration with the Troop as a Scouter, or choose to maintain a primary registration in the Venturing Crew and a secondary registration in the Troop.  Either way, dual registration is mandatory.

Membership and participation in the Venturing Crew by other individuals, either as a Youth or an Adult, is dependant upon four points. Everyone desiring membership in the Venturing Crew must

1. Meet BSA National Council joining requirements as restricted above
2. Understand and accept Troop One’s reasons and intent for forming the Crew, as defined in this document, and a desire to align tightly with the program and intent of Troop One.
3. Understand and accept the values expressed in the Scout Law and Scout Oath and as expressed in the Venturing Code.
4. Desire to participate in Scouting and be willing to mentor youth of other groups as part of their advancement.

Program Intent

The Venturing Crew will run a program in parallel with the Troop, generally following the Troop schedule.  Opportunities for Venturing Crew activities within Troop events will be identified and included in event planning where feasible and appropriate to the event.  For example, when on a weekend campout the Crew may camp with the Troop, but have a separate hike or other activity during part of Saturday.  The traditional Venture Patrol “split” campout would likely include both the Venture Patrol and the Venturing Crew. 

The Troop and Crew will adhere to the BSA Guide to Safe Scouting in all aspects of the program.  Inclusion of female Venturing Crew members adds a new level of planning to the Troop/Crew program logistics, primarily providing separated male/female quarters and the requirement for at least one 21 year-old female Adult at any activity attended by female Youth.  Scouts and Venturers will be expected to live up to the word and spirit of the Scout Law in their behavior. 

Venturing Crew membership is not available to any Troop One Scout; rather it is optional program extension for youth who have reached the age of 18 (or meet other joining requirements).  Venturing Crew members who are also in the Troop as Youth may be in any Troop Patrol, not necessarily the Venture Patrol.  The Venture patrol will continue as the primary older Scout program in the Troop, with the Crew functioning as a method of involving in Scouting the Troop One Scouters ages 18-20.

Officers
Five officers as noted in the Venturing Handbook:  President, Administrative VP, Program VP, Secretary, and Treasurer.  Elections are held in June to be for a one-year term.  The Venturing Leadership Skills Course will be put on immediately after the election.

Primary Officers
 

	Troop One	Crew One
Top executive	SPL	President
Administrative officer	ASPL	VP of Administration
Older youth program officer	ASPL-V	VP of Program
Activity leaders	PL-V & VCC	Activity Chairs

 

Planning:
Annual Planning should begin in July and be completed by the last Venturing Meeting preceding the Troop One Annual Planning Conference – PLC.  Results of the venturing plan will then be added to the Troop One calendar.  All dates and use of facilities at First Baptist will be cleared in the same manner as currently done by Troop One.

Advancement for non-Venture members:  Venture Patrol members and Guests.
Since the Venturing Crew will work so closely with the Venture Patrol in Troop One and guests may from time to time attend Venturing Activities, it is the intent that wherever possible advancement credit will be recorded by these non-members and will be banked until which time these members join the Crew.  Exceptions handled in the same way early members are handled: consent of the advisor and approval of the Crew Committee.

Uniform Intent

The Unit-appropriate BSA “Class A” uniform is the standard uniform of both the Troop and Crew. This means the full Class A, including Scout pants and Scout socks.

In general, members, both Youth and Adult, carrying a primary membership in the Troop will wear the Boy Scout uniform and members, both Youth and Adult, carrying a primary membership in the Venturing Crew will wear the Venturing uniform.

Wearing of Troop/Crew “Class B” uniforms will be determined by the PLC on joint activities.  The Venture Crew officers will make the determination for Crew-only activities.

Adult ties between Troop One and Crew One

The IH (institutional head) and CR (chartered representative) are the same.

The CC (committee chair) and many MC (members of committee) are identical.  Some MCs will serve only Troop One and some MCs will serve only Crew One.

The SM (scoutmaster) leads Troop One with an ASM-V (assistant SM for Venture) responsible for the older boy program.
The NL (Crew Advisor) will be the ASM-V and the SM will be an NL (associate crew advisor).

Unit number

All Venturing Crews are numbered in the 2000-2999 range.  We are unable to get 2001 as that number is the crew at the Akron Police Department.  We have been offered the number 2100, but told to just wear the ‘1’ on our shirts.  The First Baptist Family of Scouting should be 1, 2001, and 3001.