The first step in any journey is the courage to begin. The Venturing awards program is designed to help Venturers grow in the areas of adventure, leadership, personal development, and service (the ALPS model). Awards serve as benchmarks that give Venturers a structure for developing their own personal vision into manageable goals that lead to recognition by their peers, mentors, and the larger community.
The Venturing awards program has four levels:
- All Venturers should earn the Venturing Award soon after formally joining the program.
- Venturers then proceed by earning the Discovery and Pathfinder Awards.
- Finally, Venturers earn the Summit Award, in which a young person formally serves as a mentor to other Venturers in his or her crew.
Venturing is a flexible program, and the awards program is designed to help all Venturers, no matter what their crew specialty, to grow and develop.
Venturing Award
The first step in any journey is the courage to begin. At this level, the new crew member makes a commitment to join and move forward into the experience of Venturing.
Discovery Award
The adventure of participating with the crew unfolds, and each Venturer begins to discover his or her interests and talents. As the Discovery Award recipients develop new skills and competencies, their eyes are opened, and the world expands for them.
Pathfinder Award
The Venturer’s capabilities and skills expand, and with them come increased responsibility for defining their own way forward in life, service to others, and formal planning and leadership of the crew toward its goals.
Summit Award
The highest award of Venturing, the Summit Award, goes to those Venturers who have matured in their personal direction, skills, and life competencies, and who have accepted the responsibility to mentor others and serve their communities in a lasting way.