Core Venturing Awards (New as of January 1, 2015)



If the areas of program emphasis - Adventure,  Leadership, Personal Growth, and Service ("ALPS") -  are the "what ya doin" of Venturing, the benchmarks of adventure (awards) are the "how ya doin".  Each of the ALPS are requirements contain progressively more challenging levels.  Each level is designed to help you learn and practice new skills, and to track your success.  Each challenge you meet will put you closer to the next award, providing you a well-rounded program and a path forward as you progress.  The relationship between the areas of program emphasis and the levels of proficiency is laid out in the table below. 

	Adventure and Activities	Leadership	Personal Growth	Service
Summit	Mentoring and participation	Ongoing leadership and development	Goat-setting and personal growth	Leading others in service
Pathfinder	Leading and participation	Leading others	Goal-setting and personal growth	Participating in service
Discovery	Participation	Preparing to lead	Goal-setting and personal growth	Participating in service
Venturer	Initial participation, orientation to crew, Personal Safety Awareness training, induction into the crew

The new Venturer, Discovery, Pathfinder, and Summit awards replaced the former Silver, Gold, and Bronze awards, after a transition period from May through December, 2014.  Summit includes a service project, similar to Eagle Scout.  "Double-dipping" (using one service project for both awards) is not accepted. Specific requirements of the new core awards are summarized in the file attached below.  More information for the Core Venturing Awards is found in the Handbook for Venturers, a publication of BSA available for purchase at the Sam Houston Area Council scout shop, 2225 North Loop West Freeway, Houston, TX 77008.  

Supplemental Venturing Awards

The TRUST, Ranger, and Quest awards are skill development recognition that are supplements to the core Venturing awards system.  They may provide additional activity and enrichment opportunities.  More information for the Supplemental Awards (see below) is found in Venturing Awards and Requirements, a publication of BSA available for purchase at the Sam Houston Area Council scout shop, 2225 North Loop West Freeway, Houston, TX 77008.

The Ranger Award

High adventure and the outdoors have always been of interest to young Americans as well as an important part of the BSA program. Because of the attraction of high adventure, the Ranger Award is available to all Venturing youth members of the Boy Scouts of America.

The purpose of the award is to encourage Venturers to achieve a high level of outdoor skills proficiency; recognize achievement of this high level of outdoor skills proficiency; provide a path for outdoor/high-adventure skills training; and establish Rangers as a highly trained leadership resource for crews, Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, and the community.

The Ranger Award exemplifies a challenging high-level outdoor/high-adventure skills advancement program. Once earned, it will identify a Ranger as a person who is highly skilled at a variety of outdoor sports and interests, trained in outdoor safety, and ready to lead or assist others in activities. Rangers can be a great program asset to Cub Scout packs, Boy Scout troops, and others.

The Quest Award

In the years since Venturing started, the program has been defined by the activities Venturers do. Sports have become a very important activity within crew programs. The resounding popularity of the Ranger Award for the outdoor emphasis caused the need to create a similar challenging award program for Venturing's sports emphasis.

Statistics throughout the United States are showing that Americans as a nation are overweight and out of shape. Heart disease and diabetes, diseases which are the results of being overweight, are rampant. These diseases, historically found in older people, are now being found more and more in the youth. Young Americans are not being encouraged to watch their diets and start an exercise program.

While working on the Quest Award, Venturers will be required to learn more about what makes up a nutritional diet as well as design their own personal exercise plans based upon lifestyle, fitness levels, and desires for a healthy and long life. Hopefully this program will introduce Venturers to a sport or sports that they will enjoy the rest of their life. As with many other requirements throughout the Venturing program, Venturers will be required to share what they learn with others. This sharing may be done through various sports clinics and presentations with other groups. In the electives section, Venturers will be required to choose at least one sport in which to become proficient.

The TRUST Award

Trust is an essential aspect of our relationship with others - both personally and corporately. Learning to trust is the challenge. Today young people live in an increasingly pluralistic society made up of multiple nationalities, cultures, and religions. One way to work toward a safe future is to learn to get along and work together. Understand is a good start toward trust.

While working on the TRUST award, Venturers will learn more about themselves, their communities, their religion and culture, as well as those of others. As with many other requirements throughout the Venturing Program, Venturers will be required to share what they learn with others.