Advancement in Venturing

What this page is

Sections 4.3.0.0 through 4.3.1.4 of the Guide to Advancement, with 7.0.2.5 for consultants. Every item cites the topic it came from.

Venturing is for young people who are 14 through 20, or 13 and have completed the eighth grade. Ranks and other recognition are available only to registered Venturers, and all of it has to be finished before the 21st birthday.

The ladder, and the rank that is not on it

Four ranks: Venturing, Discovery, Pathfinder, Summit. Every requirement for every one of them falls under one of the four ALPS areas: Adventure, Leadership, Personal Growth, Service.

The thing that surprises people who come from Scouts BSA is that the Venturing rank has no board of review. Boards are involved with Discovery, Pathfinder and Summit only. A new Venturer earns the first rank by learning what the crew does and committing to the principles of the program, and nobody sits a board for it.

What a Venturer may count twice

A Venturer may take multiple credit for requirements completed toward ranks and merit badges while registered in Scouts BSA or Sea Scouts. The Guide's own example: a Backpacking merit badge already earned may also count toward the backpacking Ranger elective, and a Red Cross Emergency Response course may satisfy the Ranger first aid requirement and the first aid and lifesaving electives at once.

What may not be counted twice is a review, a discussion or a presentation relating to the specific requirement and topic. And certifications such as Scuba Open-Water Diver or Red Cross Standard First Aid may be used regardless of when they were earned, which is a genuinely useful thing to know.

The three service projects that must stay apart

With one exception, any work done while a Venturer may count toward Scouts BSA, Sea Scouts and Venturing advancement at the same time. The exception is the Eagle, Quartermaster and Summit service projects, which must be separate and distinct from each other. One project cannot serve two of those awards.

Who oversees Scouts BSA advancement in a crew

A Venturer who earned First Class while registered in Scouts BSA is qualified until the 18th birthday to carry on with Scouts BSA advancement, and does not need to be registered in a troop to do it. The Scoutmaster and the crew Advisor decide with the youth who will oversee it, and that decision also decides which committee holds the Star and Life boards of review. Eagle boards follow the council's established procedure either way.

How to read the graph

The four ranks run in order down the middle. Nested items are part of the item above them. Dashed lines apply only in the case written on the arrow, and the two questions above the plan decide which of those you see.