Venturers Badges and Awards

Scouts Canada's Venturer program emphasizes activities which encourage Venturers to:

• show that they can care and live according to their personal values and religious beliefs
• develop and use the skills of communicating, solving problems and making decisions
• explore vocational opportunities
• participate in a variety of social, cultural and spiritual activities
• become aware of and respond to needs of the community and the environment

Activity Awards

There are six Activity Awards:

Personal Fitness Award

1. After researching at least two (2) of the following, creatively share what you learned with others (i.e. Company, Scout Troop, Youth group):
   1. personal health, nutrition and hygiene needed to keep in good condition
   2. effects of drugs, including nicotine and alcohol
   3. the long term effects of high protein, high fat diets, excessive use of salt and sugar, and artificial sweeteners and such preservatives as monosodium glutamate, sodium nitrate and nitrite
   4. understand the need for physical conditioning.
2. In season, play regularly on a team for at least two (2) sports (one winter, one summer), such as hockey, rugby, soccer, baseball, basketball, football, water polo, lacrosse, floor hockey, volleyball - or one (1) team sport and one (1) solo sport such as swimming, gym program, track & field, etc. Understand and be able to interpret the rules and regulations of the chosen sport, OR Plan a personal active program of at least one (1) year's duration involving two individual sports such as tennis, golf, bowling, curling, boxing, judo, karate, kayaking, swimming, cycling, skiing (water or snow), ice or roller skating, aquatics (canoeing, sailing, rowing). Understand and be able to interpret the rules and regulations of the chosen sport, OR With a friend or another Venturer, physically prepare for and take part in an outdoor expedition of at least three (3) days duration and forty-eight (48) kilometres by bicycle or canoe. Share your physical fitness program with your company.
3. Along with the Company Executive, set up and have the Company participate in an inter-company sports activity. This could be a team or an individual challenge, such as table tennis, basketball, bowling, curling, soccer, tennis, baseball.

Personal Interest Award

1. Working with someone knowledgeable in your personal interest, set your own list of acceptable standards.
2. Work on your personal interest project for a period of not less than 12 months.
3. Show that genuine effort and progress has been made.
4. Demonstrate proficiency in the interest on which you have been working.

Service Award

1. Select a Service Skill and complete the required training, either with your Company or individually. Then with your Company or individually, select a service project which uses your new skill and complete at least twenty-five (25) hours of service in that project.
   OR
2. Select a number of service projects and complete at least fifty (50) hours of combined service.

Social, Spiritual and Cultural Needs Award

1. Complete at least one (1) activity within each Area (Social, Cultural, Spiritual) which interests you.
2. With your Advisor, determine what you wish to discover, where you will look for answers, and just how you plan to make an investigation into each topic.
3. Upon completion, make a presentation to your Company on one (1) topic. The presentation should include the purpose of your activity, the work you did on it, and your conclusions. The presentation should be creative, possibly including photos, slides, tapes, movies, or a guest speaker.

Exploration Award

Section 1 - Discovery

1. Complete any two (2) of the following in this section:
   1. Visit a place of interest involving an overnight stay and at least a total of twenty-four (24) kilometres walking; OR sixty-four (64) kilometres cycling; OR one hundred and ninety-four kilometres by car, train, or bus; OR at an equivalent level by means of your own choosing.
   2. Participate in the planning and organizing of an overnight of the Company's choosing to a Venturer Company at least eighty (80) kilometres away from your headquarters. Participate in the organization and execution of a joint activity with the Venturer Company visited.
   3. Over a winter, spring, summer or autumn season, practise an outdoor hobby (no sports), e.g. photography, sketching, bird watching, leaf collecting, and make a report or visual presentation of at least fifteen (15) minutes to the Company describing the hobby.

Section 2 - Challenge

1. Working in small groups or as a Company, complete any two (2) of the following:
   1. Plan, organize and participate in an overnight hiking, canoeing, or cycling camping expedition to explore and map a trail, stream, etc., On return, present your findings to the Company.
   2. Plan, organize and participate in an overnight camping expedition utilizing lightweight or a minimum of equipment to a point of interest chosen by the Company. Use transportation available to the Company. On return, present your learnings to the Company.
   3. Build and furnish an igloo or winter shelter and live in and around the shelter for twenty-four (24) hours. Hike, snowshoe or ski at least 1.6km each way into an area in which the igloo or shelter is to be located, carrying or sledding all necessary equipment. On return, present your learnings to the Company.

Section 3 - Skills & Knowledge

1. Complete one (1) of the two:
   1. Select a campsite, pitch and erect a tent and stow gear. Select and set up a food presentation area; plan, cook and serve a camp meal; gather and chop or saw wood if appropriate; remain in this location over two (2) nights; leave a clean campsite. Upon return, describe to others how you were environmentally friendly.
   2. Assemble, describe and display winter and summer survival kits and explain their use. Develop the skill of identifying and gathering edible roots and berries, and constructing winter and summer shelters with a minimum number of tools. Describe and explain what to do if lost in the wilderness.
2. Complete any one (1) of the following:
   1. Name the main parts of a hand and felling axe, explain the care of axes and how to replace an axe handle. Name the parts and care of a hunting knife or pocket knife. Demonstrate ability in the uses of axes and knives in the construction of a natural shelter.
   2. Construct a home or camp weather station consisting of a reliable thermometer correctly mounted away from the direct sun; a homemade rain gauge, a homemade anemometer, or wind gauge. Take daily observation of cloud formations, precipitation, temperature and wind for sixty (60) days.
   3. Demonstrate the tying and practical and use of ten (10) knots, bends, lashings or whippings by making a model of a simple camp tower or bridge.
3. Complete any one (1) of the following:
   1. Be able to describe and identify ten (10) birds, their eggs and nesting habits. Birds selected should be native to your own province or region.
   2. Be able to identify ten (10) animals (excluding domestic animals), the size of their litters and the means of feeding their young. Animals selected should be native to your own province or region.
   3. Be able to describe and identify ten (10) species of trees and their bark, leaves and fruit (where applicable) in your own province or region, and commercial usage, if any.

Section 4 - Conservation

1. Investigate a make a presentation to the Company on any two (2)of the following subjects. The presentation must be of at least ten (10) minutes duration and can be illustrated by any means of your choosing. A group of Venturers can investigate and make a joint presentation; However, it would then have to be of at least twenty (20) minutes duration and should be illustrated.
   1. Animal conservation or plant conservation
   2. Air conservation
   3. Water or sea conservation
   4. Soil conservation
   5. Mineral conservation
   6. Ecology
   7. Governmental conservation measures
   8. Volunteer conservation groups
   9. What any industry or company is doing about conservation
   10. A subject of your own choosing which deals with any aspect of conservation or ecology.
   NOTE: You might want to submit your findings in some kind of presentation to an organization, whether government, business or community association that has a direct interest in your field of study.

Vocational Award

1. Select two (2) occupations which are of interest to you and for each:
   1. Visit a location where people in these occupations are employed.
   2. Discuss the occupation with at least two (2) people presently employed in each occupation to discover its purpose and other points of interest to you.
2. Investigate the training required for for each occupation in terms of:
   1. Various locations where training is available (if more than one).
   2. The course of study required.
   3. The subjects taken.
   4. Cost of tuition
   5. Cost of living accommodation and travel if the source of training is away from home.
   6. Sources of financial assistance, if available (student loans, scholarships, bursaries).
   7. Approximate starting salary.
3. Investigate present and future opportunities for employment in each of these occupations.
4. Following your investigation, share your findings with your Company.

Additional Awards

Scout to Venturer Link Badge

Purpose: To recognize a Scout that has performed a link with the Venturer company. This badge may be worn by a Venturer as recognition that they have been part of a linking activity when they were in their third year of a Scout Troop.

To earn this badge, the Venturer must have participated in a linking activity or "move-up" ceremony during their final year in Scouts. This badge is usually presented during the Venturer investiture ceremony.

The Venturer Award

1. The Venturer Award is presented to a Venturer upon the decision of the Venturer Company executive and the advisor, having satisfied themselves that the Venturer:
2. Has earned all six of the Activity Awards.
3. Has taken an approved course of leadership training, such as one of the following:
   1. Scouter-in-Training course - Scouts Canada
   2. Ministry or Department of Education leadership course
   3. YM/YWCA leadership training course
   4. Church Councillors' course
   5. Junior Achievement Program, or equivalent alternative
4. Has successfully acted as a member of the executive for one (1) term, or as a project chairman for at least one event.

The Outdoorsman Award

The Outdoorsman Award is particularly demanding. It is awarded to a Venturer upon the decision of the Venturer Company executive and the advisor, having satisfied themselves that the Venturer has completed the requirements in each of the four (4) sections below:

Section 1 - Discovery

1. Complete the first plus any other two (2) in this section. Projects may be carried out in groups. In each case participate in the preparation of a written, sketched, taped or photo log of the trip.
   1. Visit a place of interest on foot involving an overnight stay and at least a total of 32 km walking, OR 64 km cycling, OR 320 km by car, train or bus OR a similar trip at equivalent level by means of the Venturer's own choosing.
   2. In ten (10) hours walk 32 km, OR cycle 120 km, OR swim 1.5 km non-stop, OR jog/run 4.5 km non-stop OR complete an endurance test at equivalent level of the above of your own design.
   3. Visit a place of interest on foot involving a total of 16 km walking, OR involving a total of 40 km by cycling, OR involving a total of 240 km by car, train or bus OR a similar trip at equivalent level by means of the Venturer's own choosing.
   4. Participate in the planning, organizing and carrying out of a Company overnight trip to a Venturer Company in another District or Region. Participate in the organization and execution of a joint activity with the Venturer Company visited and participate in the preparation of a log covering the event.
   5. Over a winter, spring, summer or autumn season, practise an outdoor interest such as: plant collection, photography, forestry, meteorology, sketching, bird watching, leaf collection, survival training, animal tracking, or another interest of your choice. Study a stream or lake and state what condition it is in and what, if any, proposals are needed to correct bad situations. Make a report or visual presentation to the Company describing the study.

Section 2 - Challenging Activities

1. Complete one (1) of the first two projects, AND both the third and fourth projects. Projects must be carried out in groups of three to five Venturers.
   1. Utilizing a minimum of survival equipment, camp forty-eight (48) hours in a bush or wilderness area involving hiking a minimum of 3 km each way. On return, prepare a report to the Company.
   2. Build and furnish an igloo or winter shelter and live in and around the shelter for thirty-six (36) hours. Hike, snowshoe or ski into the area in which the igloo or shelter is to be located, carrying or sledding all necessary equipment. On return, prepare a report to the Company.
   3. Plan, organize and participate in an overnight back-pack hiking trip or canoe or cycle trip with your Company, to explore and map a trail, stream or similar area of interest not before visited by the Venturers. On return, prepare a report to the Company.
   4. Plan, organize and participate in an overnight camping expedition, utilizing lightweight or minimum amount of equipment and minimum rations to a point of interest chosen by the Company utilizing transportation available to the Company. On return, make a presentation about the trip to the Company. Some experimenting should be done before making this trip in order to determine the minimum requirements for survival equipment.

Section 3 - Outdoor Skills & Knowledge

1. Complete all of this section.
   1. Select a campsite and setup a no-trace camp. Meals may be individual or group, using minimum pots, pans and dishes. Understand and explain reasons for selecting the site. Why was the camp considered a "no-trace" one? Was "no-noise" included?
   2. Participate in a number of overnight camps to a total of forty (40) days, at least seven (7) of which must be consecutive. A maximum of ten (10) days (which must be in temporary shelter) may be undertaken with your family or another group outside of the Company. Give evidence of having practised an outdoor interest on at least two (2) of your camping trips.
   3. Assemble, display and describe winter and summer survival kits and explain their use. Know how to identify and gather edible roots and berries and construct a summer and winter shelter with a minimum number of tools. Explain what to do if you become lost in the wilderness.
   Optional: Explain the theory and snaring, skinning and cooking wild game.
2. Complete any three (3) of the following:
   1. Name the main parts of a hand and felling axe, explain the care of axes and replace an axe handle in a camp environment. Name the parts and care of a hunting knife or pocket knife. Demonstrate practical ability in the use of axes and knives in the cutting of deadfall and the carving of wood figurines. Demonstrate how to sharpen a knife and an axe.
   2. Plan, purchase, prepare and serve for a group of at least three (3) Venturers on a weekend camp, and also build, start and maintain the fire used for cooking; or show that you know how to use and take care of a backpacking stove.
   3. 1. Maintain a weather log for a period of sixty (60) days, noting cloud formations, wind strength and direction, precipitation and barometer pressures. Be able to explain warm and cold fronts and the cloud formations associated with each front. OR
      2. Construct a device for measuring wind strength and barometric pressure. At a camp, try to forecast the weather on a day-to-day basis.
   4. Demonstrate the tying and practical use of ten (10) knots or bends, four lashings and one whipping. Explain the construction of a simple camp tower and bridge and construct either the bridge or tower.
   5. 1. With the aid of a compass, carry out a journey over a 5 km cross-country course using written instructions requiring a minimum of fifteen (15) separate changes of direction. Complete accuracy is required, and the whole journey must not take more than sixty (60) minutes. OR
      2. Journey for one full day with only a map. Keep compass in pack and use only if necessary. If you use the compass, the trip doesn't count.
   6. Practise survival camping for a weekend, eating off the land.
3. Complete any two (2) of the following:
   1. Acquire a new outdoor skill, e.g. if you can't swim, learn to swim. Similarly, learn to sail, canoe, climb, fly model airplanes, go-cart, photograph wild birds or animals.
   2. Demonstrate ability to deal with first aid situations which might arise in an outdoor situation (approximate level - St. John Ambulance Standard Certificat
   3. or demonstrate ability to deal with water safety situations arising from water activities (Bronze Medallion or Red Cross Leader Patrol).
   4. Be able to describe and identify fifteen (15) birds, their eggs and nesting habits. Birds selected must be native to your province or region, or to be selected through personal experience.
   5. Be able to describe and identify fifteen (15) animals - excluding domestic animals - the size of their litters and the means of feeding their young. Animals selected must be native to your province or region, or to be selected through personal experience.
   6. Be able to describe and identify fifteen species of trees, moss or lichens and their leaves and fruit where applicable, and identify their commercial use, if any. You should select trees you have personally observed.
   7. Describe and identify five (5) major constellations and name their principal stars. Demonstrate one method of determining direction by the stars on a night hike for each compass direction. Demonstrate a method of telling time by the sun and directions by the sun

Section 4 - Conservation

1. Investigate and give a report to the Company on any one (1) of the following subjects. The report must be at least twenty (20) minutes long and may be illustrated by any means of your own choice. A group of Venturers can investigate and make a report, but this report would have to be at least thirty (30) minutes long and would need to be illustrated.
   1. Animal conservation or plant conservation
   2. Air conservation
   3. Water or sea conservation
   4. Soil conservation
   5. Mineral conservation
   6. Ecology
   7. Governmental conservation measures
   8. Volunteer conservation groups
   9. What any industry or company is doing about conservation
   10. Any subject of your own choice dealing with some aspect of conservation or ecology.

Canadian Trailcraft Award

This award is for participation in adventurous outdoor activities that involve careful advance planning, the use of camping skills and an interest in historical investigation. It is granted to the members on the decision of the Venturer Advisor. In a group setting, members must participate in at least two (2) of the three (3) required activities. Requirements must be completed in any twelve (12) month period.

1. Hike no less than 120 km on an historic or backwoods trail, taking a minimum of five (5) days to complete the trip. Camp en route carrying all camping equipment and rations. On the hike complete a conservation project such as trail or campsite improvement.
2. 1. Cycle to and visit a point of historical interest at least 160 km round trip. Camp overnight on the trip and carry all camping equipment and rations on the bike. Return to base point by bike, OR
   2. Canoe to and visit a point of historical interest at least 60 km round trip. Camp overnight on the trip and carry all camping equipment and rations on the bike. Return to base point by canoe.
3. Complete a total of at least thirty-six (36) hours of hiking, snowshoeing, or skiing in winter snow conditions, camping overnight, and practising winter survival skills. All equipment and rations are to be carried or sledded (no snowmobiling).

World Conservation Award

What constitutes the natural environment? As a group, discover the answer with your advisor and / or a specialist in the field, and find out the effect that mankind has on this environment. Explain how man is disturbing the balance of nature, and what we must do to regain the essential balance. Include some of these discussion points:

1. the meaning of such terms as ecology conservation, environment, balance of nature, life cycle, food chain, biocides, recycling, photosynthesis, organic and inorganic material, biodegradable materials, humus, carrying capacity, and non-renewable material,
2. the effects of fire, deforestation, overgrazing, soil erosion, water pollution, air pollution, and the effects of man in general (over population, tourism, etc),
3. how the extinction of animal and plant species affects the ecological balance,
4. the benefits of predatory birds or mammals,
5. the impact of human hunting activities and that of predators (analyze and evaluate any differences),
6. how oxygen moves in a cycle through nature,
7. Take part in at least two environmental activities, including studying an environmental problem, its cause and possible remedial action. (you may co-operate with other agencies.) Support your field work report with photographs, maps, sketches, and other evidence,
8. draw up a map of legal garbage dumps in your community, and make this map generally available to thepublic,
9. find an area with "natural green" in your community, and identify and evaluate its particular features,
10. obtain, adopt and develop a piece of land as a nature reserve, or help the owner of a reserve to manage it,
11. play an active role in a local, national or international conservation project,
12. take part in a project that improves or beautifies a local area,
13. carry out a camera safari, then display your evidence of animal life or interesting vegetation,
14. carry out a boat expedition that studies wild fowl or pollution,
15. carry out a conservation information project including, for example, gathering public opinion, printing of handouts, arranging a public display, or making exhibitions, or
16. Become aware of major conservation organizations and institutions in Canada and in the world. On a map show and learn about the major nature reserves in Canada, and why they have been created. Know where to obtain information on federal and provincial conservation laws.

Queen's Venturer Award

To be eligible for the Queen's Venturer Award you must choose and complete to the satisfaction of the Company and the Advisor, one (1) of the alternatives set out in Section "A", and ALL of the requirements set out in Section "B".

Section A

1. Hold the Venturer Award, OR
2. Demonstrate the equivalent skills and knowledge.
   (Qualifications earned while attaining these awards may be counted in the next section.)

Section B

1. Be a currently registered member of Scouts Canada.
2. Hold a current St. John Ambulance or Canadian Red Cross Society Standard First Aid Certificate.
3. Hold the World Conservation Award.
4. Hold an award for service skill (i.e. Bronze Medallion, YMCA Life Saving Certificate, Canadian Ski Patrol Certificate, Mountain Rescue Certificate, Search & Rescue, Power Squadron). Equivalent alternatives such as being qualified as a youth camp counsellor, or as a staff member at a camp for handicapped children, or having the qualifications to operate a children's traffic safety program, or a program of alcohol and drug education will also qualify.
5. Complete a minimum of fifty (50) hours of service of your choice for which you receive no monetary reward. NOTE: The service time given toward earning the Service Activity Award or the Duke of Edinburgh's Award (Silver level) may be applied to this total requirement.
6. Act as an Activity Leader or Scouter-in-Training at no less than eight (8) meetings or activities of a Beaver Colony, Cub Pack, or Scout Troop. Where there is no Colony, Pack or Troop, a Boy's or Girl's Club, 4H Club, YM/YWCA or similar youth club or organization may be substituted. Twelve hours service at a Beaver, Cub or Scout camp actively working with youth may be substituted.
7. Demonstrate leadership in a peer environment by being involved with a decision making body (i.e. Youth Forums, Student Council, other groups)