Start an Adventure Club at your high school

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Start an Adventure Club at your high school….

We went to an Eagle Scout teacher (not required, but helps)….and formed the "Black River Adventure Club."  The Crew President, a DE, and I, after going over details and potential issues with the teacher, had the teacher present to the principal and Vice Principal-for-student-activities the idea of our Adventure Club.  We explained that we use the umbrella of the BSA for insurance, youth protection, Guide to Safe Scouting, and that the club is entirely student run with adult guidance.  Explained that the obvious trappings of Scouting were optional and not over emphasized (uniform, advancement, etc), but that using the Scouting resources was an advantage for providing fun safe adventures to the teens.  Teen development, character building, etc was to be the emphasis as the teens plan adventures.

There was a little balking at the time about the gay thing, but I emphasized that we don’t promote homosexuality, and we don’t promote heterosexuality; that sexuality was not a part of Scouting, and all students will be welcome.  

The fact we were sponsored by a Catholic church didn’t seem to matter (they do Young Life already at the school)… While we made it clear to the teacher, not sure he even brought it up at the meeting with the Principal.

So now, after 5 years, as a school club, we’re in the year book, and get to go to all the school club promotion events, and make presentations about the “Adventure Club” at home rooms.  We do this at one particular school, but we have teens from 5 high schools in the Crew.  We don’t meet at the school, and no one has been taken aback that this is some sort of bait and switch….we tell everyone upfront that we operate under the guidelines of the Boy Scouts for youth protection, and everyone is fine with it.

The teacher isn’t involved much at all.  I do send him an email once a year at recharter time with a list of all the activities and service hours the teens did.  (This high school requires 80 hours of community service, and all Crew service hours are double-dipped by the teens for advancement, if interested, and with the school toward its requirements)

So don’t go in as a unit trying to be recognized, but rather as starting an Adventure Club…and make sure it’s a couple teens doing the preliminary inquiry…as it should be, anyway.

PLEASE DON”T SPREAD THIS AROUND…it may start to become difficult to get Venturing items from the Scout store if everyone starts joining.

Mark

Advisor - Holland, MI