This document is my contribution to Jeff Cazier as he prepares for the Philmont Training Center course on LDS Venturing. I want to explain what I would have liked people to tell me as I have been trying to understand how to implement Venturing in my ward. I imagine that the course will have participants of a variety of backgrounds and purposes. Some participants may be Scouting volunteers/professionals that are not affiliated with the Church, but who want to help market the advantages of Venturing to wards and stakes that are not using Venturing. Some participants may be stake or ward leaders who will not be directly implementing the Venturing programs, but will give guidance to the actual leaders. And of course, I would hope there would be some actual leaders who work in the trenches.
With this audience for the training program in mind, I see the program needing to address a few basic needs. First, it needs to explain emphatically why Venturing is needed by Priests quorums, and what it has to offer. Second, it needs to go over enough of the details of the different aspects of Venturing so that there is a solid sense of what the program can provide, in a very broad sense, from high adventure opportunities and Venturing awards, to leadership experiences and ethical controversies. Third, it needs to address the unique aspects of Venturing in LDS units. Finally, I would hope that it would give some concrete approaches to directly implement Venturing in a quorum (ie ideas on a Fast Start for Priests Quorum Venturing).
I have come to really love the Venturing program. I'm still working on getting the young men I work with to understand the program as well, so that they'll have a similar level of excitement. I'm personally convinced that this program has a lot to offer our priests quorums, and I believe that it will work well with the new Duty to God program. I hope that my posting of this information helps someone else gain an appreciation of the program.
I hope I get feedback from others. I'm certainly no expert on the topic, particularly when it comes to implementation. It's taken me quite a while to put this vision together. Now, I'm trying to put the idea into action. Of course, the dynamics of the young men always makes this an interesting and never-ending challenge. If anyone reading this has questions or suggestions, please let me know.
I use the term Scouting to represent the programs of the Boy Scouts of America and the term Boy Scouting to refer to the Boy Scout and Varsity Scout programs. In this sense, I consider Venturing to be a form of Scouting.