The Venturing Gold Award program is designed to permit adaptation of certain phases of the program so that *all*  Venturers may work for and achieve the award. In order to offer a challenge to youth, and in the interest of maintaining a standard of qualification, *minimum* requirements have been established that must be met before the Gold Award can be presented to a Venturer.

To earn the Gold Award, complete the following requirements:

1. The candidate must have at least 12 months tenure as an active, registered Venturer before final qualification.
2. The candidate must have been an active member of the Venturing crew, and served in one or a combination of leadership roles within the past 12 months (roles may be concurrent) as follows:
   For leadership roles within the crew a candidate might be

   1. a crew officer
   2. A Venturing officers' association member or committee member
   3. an activities chairman for one of the crew's two-day activities or superactivity

   For leadership roles outside the crew, a candidate might be:

   1. an elected youth officer of a church or school organization
   2. an elected or appointed team leader

3. The candidate must have participated in a district/Venturing division, council, area, region, or national event.
4. The candidate must, in consultation with the crew Advisor or a member of the crew committee, set one personal growth goal related to each of the six experience areas of Venturing, in which the Venturer certifies completion of the goals.
   For personal growth, a candidate might:
1. Complete a cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) course or an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) course.
2. Plan and carry out a personal exercise program over a four-month period, i.e., jogging, running, swimming, weight reduction, or physical conditioning.
3. Practice for, and attain, the Presidential Physical Fitness Award.
4. Complete a reading program of the scriptures, classic literature, historical series, etc.
5. Serve for six months as a reading counselor for a child with reading problems.
6. Visit a nursing home, on a regular basis, over a four-month period, to help write letters or to read to patients or provide personalized services.
5. The candidate must plan, prepare for, and lead to completion two or more crew activity projects that relate to at least two of the six experience areas; suggested crew activity projects are listed separately below.
   For crew/ship activities, the action should involve at least five Venturers, and it should require a minimum of four to six months from inception to completion; the project should be approved and the goals of the project set by the crew Advisor and/or member of the crew committee and the Venturer candidate. Both parties should certify the completion of the project(s). Activities should be arrantged to fit into normal crew programming. Qualifying crew/ship activities include, but are not limited to the following:
   1. Plan and, with the help of at least four other Venturers, carry out a conservation project that is approved by an agency of the federal, state, or local government, such as the National Park Service, the Department of the Interior, the Bureau of Land Management, state division of parks and recreation, city or county parks department, etc.
   2. Plan and chair a committe that stages a major social activity involving crew members and their parents, or crew members and their entire family.
   3. Plan and carry out a series of crew activities over a four- to six-month period, related to an interest of crew members. Professional or volunteer consultants could be asked to present information regarding their specialty, profession, or occupation.
   4. Help organize or a new Venturing crew, or revitalize an inactive crew; coordinate activity with BSA local council staff members.
   5. Organize a receruitment drive to add members to your own crew or to other crews in the district/council. The drive should last at least one month, and the recruitment plan should include specific activities oriented toward recruiting new members, goals, methods of publicity, etc.
6. The candidate must be able to recite the Venturing Oath.
7. The candidate must submit three letters of recommendation to the crew Advisor that confirm he or she lives in accordance with the principles of the Venturing Oath. The letters should come from adults outside the crew, such as school or church leaders, employers, or community leaders.
8. After completing all other requirements, the candidate should prepare evidence of completion of the work and submit it to the crew Advisor. The crew president, in conjunction with the crew Advisor, should then appoint a review committee of four to six people including Venturers and adults. The committee should review the candidate's written presentation and interview the candidate to determine whether that person grew as a result of the pursuit of the Gold Award.
9. Finally, the candidate must have qualified for the Gold Award before his or her 21st birthday.

SUGGESTED QUALIFYING ACTIVITIES

Because of the designed, flexible nature of the program, crew Advisors and crew committee members are permitted a reasonable degree of latitude in approving activities that serve to meet the qualifying requirements for the Gold Award in the areas of leadership, personal growth, and crew activity projects. Likewise, crew Advisors, crew committee members, and Venturers are encouraged to seek out additional appropriate activities, bearing in mind the purpose of the Gold Award program.

Above information from Silver Award Guidebook (25-015), 1998 printing.

Contributed by:  Craig Bond

Page updated on: September 17, 1998