One of the greatest concerns in Scouting is that we lose too many good Scouts once they earn their Eagle and have held all the leadership positions they can. They should make good youth leaders for your unit, but they often lose interest because they feel they've "Done it all" or because new concerns in High School prevent them from participating fully in the Troop's activities. There are also some kids in the program who don't view rank advancement as a critical need to enjoy the activities. Yet these youth still deserve Scouting in some form. All of these youth are great candidates for Learning For Life and Venturing!

These two programs are a way to keep these youth in the program and keep them involved with your troop. By creating a co-ed high adventure program or directing them to a career post or hobby, these kids have what they want ... and good kids stay in the program.

Take a moment to think of youth in your Troop or neighborhood who could benefit from a Learning For Life / Venturing experience. The minimum age is 14 and no prior experience is required. And if you think having your older boys move to Venturing will make you lose their experience and expertise, you should know that all of the Venturing awards contain a requirement where Venturers are to share the knowledge they have gained with another group, whether it be the rest of their Crew, a Troop, or a Pack. So your older youth will be getting a deeper knowledge of some high adventure programs and will also be required to share that knowledge.