"Area youth seek fun and adventure"

By: Rick Sheehan - Dyersville Commercial
Wednesday February 25, 2009
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For generations, youth have complained about not having anything to do. Whether they live in a small town or a big city, a common cry of youth is - "I'm bored!"

There were of course things to do, but by the time most children reach their teen years, they feel they have outgrown the traditional activities that Boy and Girl Scouts offer. Many children begin to become active in sports during their teen years, but most sports only run for a few months leaving them bored again.

About 10 years ago, an organization was formed to provide more age appropriate activities for 14 to 20-year-olds. Venture Crew is an extension of the Boy Scouts of America. Crew members can participate in more challenging activities than the average scouts.

The fact that Venture Crew is co-ed helps teens socialize in a non-threatening setting as well. Boys and girls can take part in everything from outdoor orienteering to canoeing to rock climbing and rappelling.

Like the scouting organizations, Venture Crew members have a code of conduct and take an oath, in which they promise to do their duty to God, to help strengthen America, to help others, and to seek truth, fairness and adventure in their world. The crew's motto is: "The adventure of knowing only that in the end you will have found what you were seeking."

Also like scouts, crew members work toward awards. These awards are given for completing a variety of requirements in fields ranging from first-aid to community service to leading crew activities. An adult recommendation is required for the higher-ranking awards.

Some of the Venture awards are titled bronze, gold and silver. The Venturing Silver award is the highest award. To earn it, a crew member must achieve both bronze and gold awards by demonstrating an outstanding performance in the areas of leadership, citizenship, social, outdoor, service and fitness.

The biggest difference between Boy and Girl Scouts and the Venture Crew organizations is that the Venture Crew is co-ed, and the skills the youth learn are more advanced.

"It's a good way to stay active after scouting," Crew 61 member Alec Walls said.

Crew 61 is the local entity of the organization. The Dyersville Sportsman's Club sponsors the local Venture Crew, which was formed in 2003. Crew members meet twice monthly and attend events ranging from hockey games and skiing in the winter to canoeing, spelunking and hiking in the summer.

In August, Crew 61 will attend Venturepalooza II. This event has many activities for crew members such as geo-caching, a shooting range and orienteering.

Each year the crew tries to go on a long trip around the country. In the past few years, the crew has explored places such as Arches National Park in Utah, the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, and this summer, they are planning on canoeing the Boundary Waters with the Boy Scouts in Minnesota, and in 2010, the crew will be going to Glacier National Park.

The organization tries to keep the cost of outdoor adventures low, but the high adventure trips to distant attractions can be costly. The crew tries to budget for such events at least a year in advance so participants can make monthly payments to reduce the cost burden. Fundraising is another option crew members use to help defer costs.

The bi-weekly meetings resemble those of a regular scout troop. They are informal and relaxed. Plans are made, reminders of coming events are given out, and friendly banter abounds. It is clear by their interaction that these youth are more than co-members in an organization; they are friends.

Crew members have a variety of reasons for participating in the activities.

"It's fun, and you do high adventure things," Brent Fangman said. "It's fun and a good way to get out and explore the outdoors," according to Megan Redmond.

Jake Heim adds, "The (National Riffle Association) instructor let me shoot several weapons at the Venturepalooza shooting range." The leaders of the Venture Crews are called advisors. One of the advisors for Crew 61 is Terry Demmer.

When Demmer decided to start Crew 61, he saw a need to provide youth with a way to get involved with nature and their community. A little adventure was the bait to draw the youth away from their technology overloaded world to experience the wonders of the natural world. On Crew 61's Web site, Demmer states that, "The only true way to develop an appreciation for our natural world is to know first hand how valuable it is.

Demmer, an Eagle Scout himself, stayed actively involved with the Boy Scouts. He said the more he gave to the organization, the more he got back. He carried that outlook into the Venture Crew. Demmer said he wanted to provide high adventure experiences for the older youth.

"And myself, of course," he added.

Seeing youth experience things that would not be available to them in any other way is the most rewarding part of the experience for Demmer. He said the confidence he sees building in the crew members is very satisfying.

The crew has several other advisors as well. All of them have had previous experience as scouts or as leaders. They all share an appreciation of the outdoors and want to share that appreciation with today's youth.

The advisors help facilitate trip planning. Crew members research an area and decide what they would like to do when they visit. They try to leave the schedule open in case they discover something they would like to experience when they arrive at their destination.

"The goal is that they will experience something unique," Demmer said. "You can look at a lot of mountains from a car and it looks pretty cool, but when you can camp on a single mountain and go to the summit, that's really cool."

Planning these trips helps the crew members build skills they will use throughout their lives. They learn persevering, budgeting, teamwork, and the value of taking time to enjoy themselves.

On a canoe trip last year on the Upper Iowa River, crew members used not only paddling skills, but also camping and cooking skills. Advisor Mike Puetz said the youth learn and develop many skills that are useful when they move out into the working world. Puetz said it is humbling for him to teach these skills to the youth in Crew 61, and then go on a high adventure and see them put those skills to use.

"You will learn things you can't learn anywhere else," Walls said. "It's a great time. You won't forget it."

The many outings crew members partake in provide opportunities for them to develop leadership skills as well. They may supervise younger members in setting up camp or oversee them while preparing meals. Puetz said these skills are "invaluable."

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