Tyrone teenagers can get a taste of the outdoors and good wholesome fun by “venturing” with a co-ed twist.
Venturing is a youth development program of the Boy Scouts of America for young men and women who are 14 (and have completed the eighth grade) through 20 years of age. Venturing’s purpose is to provide positive experiences to help young people mature and to prepare them to become responsible and caring adults.
The methods of Venturing include positive interactions between youth and adults, ethical decision-making, group activities, recognition of achievement, utilization of the democratic process, plus curiosity, exploration and adventure.
Venturing is based on a unique and dynamic relationship between youth, adult leaders and organizations in their communities. Local community organizations establish a Venturing crew by matching their people and program resources to the interests of young people in the community.
The result is a program of exciting and meaningful activities that helps youth pursue their special interests, to grow, to develop leadership skills and to become good citizens. Venturing crews can specialize in a variety of avocations or hobby interests.
Since January of 2002, the Bald Eagle Methodist Church established Venture Crew 103 for Tyrone area youths between the ages of 14-20. Presently, twelve co-ed youth and five co-ed adult leaders are involved with Venture Crew 103. Crew 103 is the first originally chartered Venture Crew in the Tyrone area. It is open for anyone who wants to get out in the wilderness and have a good time.
Crew 103 is organized for the older kids in the Tyrone area to provide a high adventure atmosphere, such as backpacking and backcountry travel. It provides young people the opportunity to learn many skills that our valuable for the outdoors and many things that apply to the everyday experiences in life.
Venturing is a great way to meet people and to get out and do something constructive, interesting and new. The activities for the crew are provided by the suggestions of the youths involved.
Venture Crew Advisor, Justin Geiger, elaborated on the activities and focus of the crew in Tyrone. “Our main focus is high, outdoor adventure,” said Geiger. “We’ve done several backpacking trips going ten miles into the woods, camping out, exploring nature, compass orienteering, fire building and other outdoor things scouts do but on a more experienced level.”
Geiger continued, “We’re open for any adventure really. We’ve gone caving, we’re going to Ohiopyle for a whitewater rafting and backpacking trip August 16-19 and Wednesday we’re going to an Altoona Curve game. This weekend the crew is going hiking at J.P. Saylor State Park” He added, “Activities are unlimited. Hopefully in a year or two, we will be able to take a trip to Philmont, New Mexico or another large Boy Scout related type of adventure.”
Crew 103 enhances the highly-successful existing Scouting programs traditionally offered by Bald Eagle Methodist Church, namely Pack 103 (for boys 8-11 years of age) and Troop 103 (for boys 11-18 years of age). What is different about Venture Crew 103 is that it is co-ed, so that young men and women can interact socially in a positive atmosphere.
Funding for the Venture Crew is important because food, gas and hiking gear are provided for its members. Geiger commented, “We’re always welcoming donations, but right now we’ve been doing mostly fund raisers.” He added, “We had a garage sale, a construction sale thanks to Mike Yeaton and The Renovators and we’re planning several other fund raisers to earn funds for our programs.”
Venture Crew 103 meets every other Tuesday evening from 7-8 p.m. at the Bald Eagle Methodist Church, which is located on Bald Eagle Pike. Boys who meet the age requirements and are already Boy Scouts in Troop 103, or any other local Troop within Penn’s Woods Council, can carry a dual registration in both the Crew and Troop at no extra charge.
There are dues for the co-ed Venture Crew 103 of Tyrone. A cost of $39 for non-boy scout members and a $27 fee for youths enrolled in scouts, solely for the purposes of insurance liability and things of that nature. Special activity charges will vary depending on the activities organized. Most activities are low cost to keep people interested and involved.
If any Tyrone area youth are interested in joining Venture Crew 103 they can come to a meeting or contact Crew Advisor Justin Geiger at (814) 684-5052. Geiger’s e-mail address is also accessible at GeigerJustin@hotmail.com. An application will need to be filled out giving basic information and meeting the required age.
Venture Crew 103 is another intriguing opportunity for Tyrone teenagers (male and female) to become involved in a positive, worthwhile activity. With anything, parental involvement is key to keeping alive organizations such as Crew 103. But youths equally must be willing to try different things and simply get involved.
