Do you miss Venturing Roundtables or Venturing Forums where you can get together and learn and share ideas to make Venturing Stronger? Well they are back and stronger than ever. Just twice a year and they are not to be missed.

Save the date now for the

GTC Venturing Spring Forum

Either April 7 or 14, 2019 watch for an announcement.
This event is for all youth and adults in Venturing.

It will include

• Adult Roundtable / Venturing Forum / Fellowship / Training
• Youth program time, e.g., Shooting or Climbing
• Venturing Officer Association meeting
• VOA Officer Selection at the spring forum
• Long term plans to be made.

A Fall Forum will be held during the Fall Fun Event currently scheduled for November 2019.

Get a copy of our flyer below.

A course created in Great Trail Council for presentation to the 2018 University of Scouting. Its target is youth and adult participants of Venturing Crews. A companion course for adults: Seven Habits of Highly Successful Crews.

Or send the council advisor an email to Advisor@GTCVenturing.org.

• All details about the Weekend is in this special addition of Venturing News.
• Also news about Venturing Training for Adults.
• How to get involved with the Council Venturing Support Team.
• Consider being a Venturing Unit Commissioner
• Tell who your crew president is.
• Notes from the Luau.
• Future events.

Online Registration for the Superheroes Fun Weekend, Nov 2-4,

closes at Midnight October 31, 2018

What do I need to do to attend?

1. A Program registration online at $20
2. A tent, or commute for free, or add $10 at time of registration for a bunk in a cabin.
3. A Class A and B Medical form (advisors can show these and keep them, individuals turn them in)
4. Under 18 Individuals without an advisor or parent attending need to bring an Activity Consent Form.

Can I walk-in on Friday?

Yes, bring all the above.

A scout is kind. Let us know as early as possible.

What do I do when I get there?

Park near the Dining Hall and come to the Lewis Family Conference Center in the lower level to check-in or register and find out where you are tenting or to what cabin you are assigned. You do not have to check in with the Campmasters, and if tenting you do not have to have a separate campsite reserved. We got you covered.

Once we know you are here, then you can go set up your tents or join in the Friday night Program or both.

What is the Schedule for the weekend?

See below

Super Heroes Fun Venturing Weekend

Sponsored by: Great Trail Council Venturing Officers Association

For: Venturing Crews from Great Trail Council and beyond

When: From 7:00 PM Check in Friday November 2, 2018 to 10:00 AM Check out Sunday November 3, 2018

What:    A Venturing Fun Weekend – for youth 14 and over based on a Super Heroes theme with optional costumes and events games tied to the theme.  More info below.

Where: Camp Manatoc at Lewis Conference Center. Heated cabins available.

Why: A fun and informative time for Venturers and the adults that support them to come together and enjoy the late fall at Camp Manatoc in the beautiful Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

How much for the program only?  $20 regular price starts October 14, 2018.

How much for camping/housing? Free of $10 – your choice.

All tent camping is free.

Add $10 at the itme of registration for a bunk in a heated cabin.

Indoor housing is assigned in the fours sleeping groups

(1) male, under 18,

(2) female, under 18,

(3) male, 18 and over, and

(4) female, 18 and over.

What paperwork do I need?

Signups can be done by individuals or as a crew.

Every person who camps with us must bring a Class A and B Medical form. https://filestore.scouting.org/filestore/HealthSafety/pdf/680-001_AB.pdf

Every minor (Venturer under 18) who attends without a parent or crew Advisor also attending for the weekend needs to complete a Activity Consent Form.  https://filestore.scouting.org/filestore/pdf/19-673.pdf

Highlights of the weekend

(All of the below have been proposed, but not yet confirmed. Details will be added as everything is updated.  Check back on GTCVenturing.org/events for updates). If you want to comments please email president@GTCVenturing.org with a CC to advisor@GTCVenturing.org.

Adventure including

• Spiderman wall climbing and web-slinging clinic at the climbing tower,

• Captain America’s Ultimate Frisbee,

• The Heroes’ Journey throughout camp (an orientation competition),
• Hawkeye Archery competition.
• A Marvel movie Saturday night that you will vote on

Leadership development including

• What training is available and how to put it on in your crew.
• How to get your crew ready to hold Order of the Arrow elections.

Personal Development including

• Meeting real-file Super Heroes like Lockjaw’s hero friends from the Big Creek Search Dog Team. Demonstration.

• How to do a structural personal reflection
• Participate in an ethical controversy

Service

• Learn about crew sustaining service projects
• Participate in service to camp or others

Here is the Schedule as we planned it:

Friday:

7:00 PM check in

7:00 PM to 9:00 PM – Activities in Lewis, including

Fellowship

Make your own Superhero Mask

Cracker barrel at Lewis

9:00 PM to 11:00 PM

Superhero Jeopardy

Tomorrow’s schedule review

11:30 PM Lights out

Saturday

7:00 AM Get up

8:00 AM Breakfast in Lewis

Announce vote on movie

Training: How to do a Structured personal reflection

Overview of the day’s schedule

Adult training announcement

9:00 AM Adult Training Begins in two locations

9:00 AM – 11:00 AM Archery and Captain America Ultimate Frisbee

Divide all in to two groups and switch at 10:00 AM

(half does Archery)

(half does Ultimate frisbee)

10:00 AM Switch groups Archery and Ultimate Frisbee

11:00 AM-12:00 AM Infinity Stone Orienteering

12:00 PM-12:45 PM Lunch in Lewis  

1:00 PM – 2:30 PM Big Creek Search Dogs

3:00 PM – 5:00 PM Climbing Tower

5:30 PM – 6:00 PM Training: Ethical controversy

6:00 PM – 7:00 PM Dinner at Lewis

7:00 PM – 7:20 PM Training: Becoming OA eligible

7:20 PM – 7:30 PM Training: Scouts BSA Eagle Requirements

8:00 PM The winning Superhero Movie

9:00 PM Cracker barrel at Lewis

11:00 PM Dismiss

11:30 PM Lights out

Sunday

8:00 AM – 8:30 AM Breakfast at Lewis

8:30 AM – 10:00 AM Clean up all buildings

10:00 AM Pick up Health forms and turn in the survey

10:00 AM Head home after the great fun weekend.

Tell us your Crew President so we can stay in touch.

Go to http://GTCVenturing.org/crewpresident and answer a few questions.

For Adults:

Adult training courses at Venturing Fun Weekend

Adults can add training with and without the program or housing for the weekend.

Cost of training is zero dollars but requires advance signup at GTCVenturing.org/events. Sign up for the fun weekend and training or just training.

• Venturing Advisor Position-Specific Training (required for Advisors and Associate Advisors to be fully trained)
• Crew Committee Challenge—Crew Committee Position-Specific Training (required for Committee members to be fully trained)
• Building Stronger Crews – hints and discussion for building stronger crews.

Become a member of the Council Venturing Support team

We are constantly open to new members to serve in a variety of adult support positions including advisors, committee members and unit commissioners. Maybe you are a few years out of being a member, perhaps you have been away from Venturing for a while. Talk to Dennis or email Chair@GTCVenturing.org for more information.

Be a Venturing Unit Commissioner

We really need help here and will train you. In fact, the College of Commissioner Science on November 10 will feature a half day of focus on being a unit commissioner of a Venturing Crew.  Interested? Email Info@GTCVEnturing.org.  Register for the College of Commissioner Science and get more info at https://sites.google.com/site/gtccommissioners. If you can’t make the college and want to talk to someone about serving, get in touch.

Venturing Luau was a huge success.

Members of many crews across two councils came together to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of Venturing, founded in August 1998. Highlights included shooting sports earlier in the day, great food, lots of swimming, a hysterical cardboard boat race, a dive-in movie, birthday cake and more.

The 2018-2019 Central Region Area 4 Venturing President, Max Chandler, visited and inducted our own Adelaide White as the 2018-2019 Great Trail Council Venturing President and is shown presenting her Area VOA patch, as she will serve at the area representing our council Venturing program.

Joining Adelaide and Max for the 20^th anniversary Bash and Splash, were Katelyn Keckler (left), the 2015-2016 GTC VOA President, and Anna Grund (right), the 2016-2017 GTC VOA president.

Future Events

Game Night – typically in January or February

We will announce this as soon as the current VOA make a decision on this.

Lots of youth and adult training at this great event. You can see our offerings last year at University of Scouting

Earlier today, the National Order of the Arrow Committee approved some exciting updates to the Order of the Arrow program and its new relationship to Scouts BSA, Venturing and Sea Scouting. Here is the text of that announcement which you can also access at oa-bsa.org…2018-membership-update. Check the OA website for further updates.

Beginning February 1, 2019, unit elections will be permitted in Scouts BSA, Venturing and Sea Scout units. The new Order of the Arrow membership requirements are as follows:

• Be a registered member of the Boy Scouts of America.
• Have experienced 15 nights of camping while registered with a troop, crew, or ship within the two years immediately prior to the election. The 15 nights must include one, but no more than one, long-term camp consisting of at least five consecutive nights of overnight camping, approved and under the auspices and standards of the Boy Scouts of America. Only five nights of the long-term camp may be credited toward the 15-night camping requirement; the balance of the camping (10 nights) must be overnight, weekend, or other short-term camps of, at most, three nights each. Ship nights may be counted as camping for Sea Scouts.
• At the time of their election, youth must be under the age of 21, hold the Scouts BSA First Class rank, the Venturing Discovery Award, or the Sea Scout Ordinary rank or higher, and following approval by the Scoutmaster, Crew Advisor or Sea Scout Skipper, be elected by the youth members of their unit.
• Adults (age 21 or older) who meet the camping requirements may be selected following nomination to and approval by the lodge adult selection committee.

Our commitment to our unchanging mission and purpose remains steadfast, and we are excited to welcome others who share that commitment by extending membership in Scouting’s National Honor Society to participants of all older youth programs. We look forward to having female members in 2019 and know that, like all of our OA members, they will serve as role models and inspirations to others – both within the Boy Scouts of America and beyond.

We anticipate that you may have some questions. Please be sure to read the FAQ section below. We will have more information at the National Order of the Arrow Conference, which will be held July 30 – August 4, 2018, and we will continue to release additional information as it becomes available in order to assist our lodges with implementation.

We look forward to sharing what the OA has to offer with more young people and appreciate your support of this exciting new direction.

FAQs

Q. Will camping be counted retroactively for those currently in Venturing and Sea Scouts?

Yes. Camping that has taken place within the two years immediately prior to the election will be counted beginning February 1, 2019. This camping must have taken place while an individual was registered with the BSA as a program participant and must be while participating with a BSA Venturing Crew or Sea Scout Ship.

Q. Can I be elected into the OA if I am over the age of 18?

Yes. As long as you are under the age of 21 at the time the election is held. If you are over 21, you will need to go through the adult selection process.

Q. Will there be any opportunities for Venturers to learn more about the OA and Venturing?

Yes. We will provide high-level information and the opportunity to gather feedback from youth Venturing participants at VenturingFest 2018, which will be held July 1-6, 2018.

Q. When will the OA literature be updated to reflect these changes?

We are planning that all literature will be updated by Summer of 2019.

Q. Will we still be able to wear lodge flaps on any female uniforms that may be created?

Yes. We continue to work with BSA National Supply to help ensure that the current OA lodge flap shape and size will be accommodated.

2018 Venturing Programming Binder

Updated July 14, 2018

All registration and updated info is at GTCVenturing.org/events

CONTENTS

Current information and things to share:

April 2018 VOA Newsletter 2
May 2018 Venturing Update 4
*updated* Flyer: 20th Birthday Bash and Splash, August 10-12 7
*updated* Flyer: Crew Officer Training at the VOA Retreat (September 29-30, 2018, Stambaugh) 8
Flyer: Super Heroes weekend, November 2-5, 2018 9
*updated* Flyer: VenturingFest (removed after event ended)
ALPS (from Venturing.org) 10

Supplemental Training Materials (GTC developed courses)

Seven habits of a highly successful crew (slides, target: Adults in Venturing) 12
Seven habits of a highly successful crew (1 page handout, target: Adults in Venturing) 24
Ten insights for Venturers in a youth-led, adult-guided program (slides, target: youth) 25
Why your troop needs a crew (slides, target: Scoutmasters) 54
Why your troop needs a crew (2 page handout, target: Scoutmasters) 80

Other material

VOA Officer Wanted Poster 82
VOA Officer Application (for Great Trail) 84
Journey to Excellence guidebook for Crews 87-114

[[download this document as a pdf]