Offering a variety of activities ranging from backpacking and sailing to service projects like environmental restoration, Venture Crew, a program inside the Boy Scouts of America, helps venturers learn exclusive skills from their outdoor endeavors and leadership roles. According to Venture Crew advisor, Chris Keller, Venture Crew allows scouts to participate in high adventure activities that are geared towards high school and college-age scouts.
“Venture Crew is targeted towards the older group of scouts. They get to do their own activities. Scouts can start BSA in 5th grade, [but] it’s clear 5th graders can’t do the same things that 12th graders can. I mean, we’ve done hiking trips where we hike up to 10 miles a day. This branch gives the scouts an opportunity to take part in more challenging, riskier activities,” Keller said.
Venture Crew tackles demanding outdoor activities while strengthening leadership skills, such as communication and organization.
“We take on all different adventurous activities. It could be hiking, backpacking, doing water sports—we do so much. Right now, though, the Venture Crew is planning a South Bay ‘campery.’ It’s a type of camp where all troops in Los Angeles are invited to work alongside each other and explore the outdoors together,” freshman Hailey Elias, a second-year member, said.
Bringing once-in-a-lifetime opportunities to the scouts, like visiting different countries and camping in several states, Venture Crew guides young people to build on life skills and explore personal interests.
“Last summer, the girls’ troop took a trip to Norway to go sailing for a week. It wasn’t just about traveling and exploring, there was so much preparation leading up to the experience. Practicing my sailing here in Redondo is what led me to start competitive sailing for the Redondo Team at King Harbor. [The experience] opened my mind to the different opportunities all over the world,” Elias said.
Now in her second year with the crew, she reflects on all that the program has brought to her.
“When I first joined, it was more comfortable because we had several girls in the troop, Venture Crew has fewer girls now though. We have camping measures where boys and girls separate in terms of tents, but during the day we’re a joined group and do all our activities together. I haven’t felt excluded, they’re all really good people,” Elias said.
Involved with the crew since 2021, senior Paul Carson has implemented his own goals to the group. Concerned with the recent increasing frequency and intensity of the California wildfires, Carson wanted to help forest services who have felt a strain to keep the trails maintained for the public to enjoy.
“We went out to the San Gabriel Mountains and did volunteer trail restoration work. The opportunity came together when we were backpacking and met a Forest Ranger, by chance. With their contact, I took the initiative in organizing a trail maintenance day with my Venture Crew and the San Gabriel Mountain Trail Builders. We spent the day clearing out fallen and overgrown bush, it was slow work but very rewarding,” Carson said.
Venture Crew has a high involvement with risky outdoor activities as well as giving back to the community, through these experiences, Carson has found a deeper connection with the environment.
“You could say that in Redondo Beach we’re a little disconnected from our national environment, from forests and parkland. Being able to have an outlet that helps me explore the world has been really great, it’s one of the things that makes me love the program most,” Carson said.
Venture Crew provides experiences and lessons that not many programs can match.
“I’ve been given the amazing opportunity to lead and to serve at the same time, throughout my exploring,” Carson said. “Growing my skill set and being able to organize events from the ideas stage, to the planning stage, to the execution stage—all while being able to serve the community and also my fellow scouts. Venture Crew has brought so many opportunities for me and many experiences to grow from.”