If you love exploring your passions, making new friends, and discovering the world, then Venturing is for you. Every activity that is part of Venturing provides an opportunity to shine and learn more about yourself and the world around you. Venturing is youth-led and youth-inspired. You’ll acquire life skills and gain experiences that will prove to be valuable regardless of where your future takes you, all while having a blast: leadership, event-planning, organization, communication, responsibility – the list goes on!
Venturing is an inclusive program through the Boy Scouts of America for males and females aged 14-21 (or 13 and completed the 8th grade). It’s operated through Venturing Crews, units of youth and advisors that meet on set schedules and plan activities and events for youth like you!
Find a crew near you and join the fun!
The Venturing program provides recognition for the accomplishments of its Crew members. There are various levels and types of awards, each tailored to where Venturers would like to go within their units and with their own individual adventures and leadership goals.
Since Venturing is a youth-led program, the it is essential that our leadership structure above the unit is youth-inspired and youth-led. A Venturing Officers’ Association, or VOA, consists of a team of youth officers who are supported by advisors. It provides leadership opportunities and gives them a voice to help strengthen the Venturing program in the council.
The Venturing program has training opportunities providing youth and adult advisors a wealth of information about the “A-L-P-S” program model providing a framework for a dynamic program of Adventure, Leadership, Personal Growth, and Service and other Venturing program topics. Advanced youth training courses include ILSC (Introduction to Leadership Skills for Crews), National Youth Leadership Training (NYLT), National Advanced Youth Leadership Experience (NAYLE), among many others.
Scouting America Tidewater Council provides programs for young people in Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake, Portsmouth, and Northeastern North Carolina.
Tidewater Council is a certified United Way agency, partnering with United Way of South Hampton Roads and Albemarle Area United Way.