1. 2011 Program & Training Conference
Working with Youth Leaders
“The Secret to Success”
Chief Seattle Council
Boy Scouts of America
“Ask: How many of you are now, or have worked with Venturing Crews? How many never have?
Jerry Johnson & Scott Eliason

2. Who Leads? Youth Advisors advise Consultants consult
Adults = Safety / Policy
ASK: “Who leads a Venturing Crew or Sea Scout Ship?” Expect many different answers, writing them on an available white or chalk board. Steer the discussion toward the youth being the leaders of their units, with the adults in the role of ensuring the safety of the group, and that the policies of the Boy Scouts of America are followed. Guide the participants toward understanding their role in the development of the older youth toward increased independence and more advanced social relationships. Allow sufficient time to allow everyone to contribute to the discussion. (Avoid ‘war stories’ and personal experiences, if at all possible.)

3. Why Don’t Youth Lead? Shy Reluctant Waiting for adults Not allowed
Don’t have permission
Don’t know how
ASK: “If the crew or ship’s leaders are the youth, then why don’t they lead?” Discuss the reasons that youth don’t seem to lead. They are shy. They are waiting for the adults to lead. They are not allowed to lead, by the adults. They don’t have permission to lead, OR don’t believe they have that permission. One of the biggest reasons is that they don’t know how.

4. Advisor’s / Adults’ Roles
Safety
Policy
What else??
ASK: “What is the role of the adult in Venturing?” Solicit ideas about the Advisor’s role in a Venturing Crew or the Skipper in a Sea Scout Ship. Look for ensuring safety and following policy for the primary roles. Then, look to advising on possible alternative procedures or where to look for ideas and how to find consultants.
Trainer Tip: Prepare to write answers on the available white or chalk board, after the “What Else?” question.

5. The Teaching Process Learn from adults Take on more responsibility
Ultimately organize and DO
There are few, if any, born leaders. We can be taught leadership skills. So it is with youth. Some of them may have been through a number of leadership courses, including training in troops, Boy Scout, Girl Scout, and Campfire. Or possibly they will have learned some leadership skills through their school or various athletic camps. In Venturing, the Advisor EMPOWERS the youth to take the lead, but soon turns the teaching of these skills over to the youth leadership of the Crew or Ship. In short, youth learn from adults (Click for fly in). They then take on more responsibility (Click for fly in). Ultimately, the youth plan and organize the program and make it happen, while practicing their skills and teaching the youth coming along behind them (Click for fly in).

6. Leadership Training Officers’ Briefing
Officers’ Seminar (annual planning)
Introduction to Leadership Skills – Crew (ILSC)
National Youth Leader Training (NYLT)
NAYLE (National Advanced Youth Leadership Experience)
Kodiak
Point out the steps of leadership training as shown on the chart. Go through the listing fairly quickly, and point out we will discuss each in turn in much more detail.
Crew Officers’ Briefing
Crew Officers’ Seminar
Introduction to Leadership Skills Crew (ILSC)
National Youth Leader Training (NYLT) at the council level
National Advanced Youth Leadership Experience (NAYLE) Done Nationally or by region/area
Kodiak (Can happen anytime after the Seminar, or ILSC)

7. Crew Officers’ Briefing
Set tone for officers
Advisor’s expectations
Review Bylaws
President and Advisor share leadership
ASK: “How do we teach the youth how to lead?” It starts with the Crew Officers’ Briefing. A suggested agenda is on page 32 of the Venturing Leader Manual. It sets the tone for the newly elected officers (Click for fly in) and gives them the Advisor’s expectations (Click for fly in). This is a good time to review the Crew’s bylaws(Click for fly in), get up to speed on the upcoming events of the next three to four months. The Advisor explains (or reviews) the Program Capability Inventory (PCI) and the Venturing Activity Interest Survey (AIS). Program ideas are gathered the crew learns or is re-introduced to their responsibility to design the crew’s long-term program. Preview the Crew Officer’s Seminar, and give guidance. The Crew President and Advisor share the leadership of this meeting, as outlined in the suggested agenda (Click for fly in).
This is where the initial training happens and the officers earn their “Trained” strips.

8. Crew Officers’ Seminar
Planning tool
Team building
Venturing Leader Manual
Next is the Crew Officers’ Seminar. This is the crew’s planning process for the upcoming year (Click for fly in). It must be carefully planned and run by the President with assistance from the Advisor. The agenda on page 47 of the Venturing Leader Manual is a good guide for making this happen. It will help in developing the leadership team for the crew (Click for fly in). It acquaints the officers with their responsibilities, the contents of the Venturing Leader Manual and Venturing leadership skills (Click for fly in). The youth should have a good time with this and take the time to do a good job.
A small crew may well want ALL members of the crew attend and be involved in planning their crews activities. It helps build a wider ownership of the program.

9. Introduction to Leadership Skills Crew (ILSC)
Three Modules
Unit Organization
Tools of the Trade
Leadership and Teamwork
A new course has replaced Venturing Leadership Skills Course, called Introduction to Leadership Skills Crew Training (ILSC). This course is organized into three modules (Click for fly in): Unit Organization (Click for fly in), Tools of the Trade (Click for fly in), and Leadership and Teamwork (Click for fly in). A beta test version was fielded in March of 2010, and will be required for Venturing youth to attend National Youth Leader Training (NYLT) and National Advanced Youth Leadership Experience (NAYLE). These are all part of the Youth Training Continuum.
Again, there is nothing to preclude every member of the crew attending ILSC.

10. Kodiak Service and Servant Leadership
Five Commissions (Leadership Skills)
The Effective Team
Values/Vision
Communications
Decision Making
Planning
To enhance the leadership skills the crew may run or attend a Kodiak Course. Kodiak MUST be approved by the local Council. Kodiak combines leadership and service in the concept of the ‘servant leader’ (Click for fly in). Servant leadership teaches that the leader works with and through a team to accomplish the mission. Kodiak teaches usable, relevant leadership skills that every teen can use. Kodiak may be taken at any time in a Venturer’s time with the crew.
This is done through teaching five commissions (or skills) (Click for fly in):
The Effective Team (Click for fly in);
Values/Vision (Click for fly in);
Communications (Click for fly in); Decision Making (Click for fly in);
and Planning (Click for fly in). It is run as a six day week-long trek or two three day weekends.
It must be done outdoors. Kodiak was phase 2 of Venturing’s Nature of Leadership Program, and is an important supplement to Venturing’s part in the Youth Training Continuum.

11. When do they start to lead?
Now What???
When do they start to lead?
ASK: “Now that they have been taught, when do they start to lead the crew/ship?” Lead a discussion of this topic. Divide the group into smaller groups and have them take time (watch your allowed time) to discuss this and then present oral reports to the class. If time allows, compare and contrast the reports. Allow the groups to assess each other’s work.
END BY SAYING SOMETHING LIKE: The lesson that we hope you have all learned is that the youth start when the crew starts. The extent to which they effectively lead is determined by how quickly this training is done and how well the advisors do at training the youth to take charge. The youth members of your crew are and will be mostly teens. They are very capable, especially if no one tells them otherwise. Help them learn, mentor them, teach them and then get out of their way. They CAN run and lead their own crew. Let them
Trainer Tip: Instructors lead a reflection at this point.
Evaluation
Listen carefully to the class’s responses during the period and work on areas that seem to be misunderstood or incompletely understood.
Trainer Tip: This happens as the class does their buzz groups.

12. Summary Youth lead They must be trained
Advisor starts then youth train youth
Follow the structure
Summary (or key points)
All Youth lead and must be trained
They must ALL be trained
Advisors start the training, but youth eventually train the new youth
Follow the structure
Officers’ Briefing
Officers’ Seminar
ILSC
Kodiak (at any time)
NYLT
Nationally, NAYLE