Venture Scouts in Scouting Ireland are aged between 15 and 17 years of age. The awards scheme of Venture Scouts is called Rogha, an Irish word meaning Choice. Although many groups use Gaisce, the President's Award, as part of their programme also. Each group has a Venture Scout Executive which, under the guidance of an adult Scouter, designs and implements activities.
A National Venture Forum Committee (NVFC) represents Venture Scouts on national administrative bodies - in line with the association's Youth Participation Policy. The NVFC meet to discuss matters of importance to Venture Scouts, and a nine-member committee is elected annually at the National Youth Forum which meets at Larch Hill.
Programme
Venture Scouts are scouts aged 15 and a half to 18. They are encouraged to plan, organise and participate in events. Scouters, also known as leaders, only act in an advisory capacity. The Scout method drives the programme. Most Groups meet on a weekly basis, though some meet less frequently. Common activities include hiking, rockclimbing, mountaineering and Scout skills like camping and pioneering. Another common part of the programme is leadership, with Venture Scouts assuming a leadership role in the younger sections of Scouting Ireland. In Venture Scouting the only limit to the range of activities is the limit on the group's own imagination, so programmes vary widely from group to group.
In recent times the number of Venture Scouts has decreased sharply, causing many groups to evaluate their programme in order to make it attractive to young people. It has become common for Scout Counties to form County Venture Groups when it wasn't viable for a Venture Group to exist within an individual Scout Group.
Venture Sea Scouts operate almost exclusively on the sea, especially in areas on the east coast and in Dublin Bay.
Rogha
Rogha (the Irish word for choice) was the Venturer Programme of CSI. It was rewritten in 2003. Rogha is an individual award scheme for Venture Scouts made up of two challenges, Silver and Gold. Upon successful completion of the Silver challenge members are awarded a Silver pin. A Gold pin is awarded for successful completion of the Gold challenge.
There are 5 categories (physical, mental, cultural, social and spiritual) and approximately 50 modules. Each module is in one or more categories (e.g. Art is in Cultural, Social and Mental).
To complete the Silver Challenge, participants must complete one module from each category. They must then complete the focus module with their Scouter. Focus is an evaluation of what participants have done, what participants have learned etc. The gold challenge is similar. After completing the five modules, participants need to complete Focus, as well as Horizons, an evaluation of participants' time in ventures and a look ahead at the future. Each challenge should take a year.
Although not as popular now, Rogha is still used by some groups.
Explorer Belt
The Explorer Belt was the most prestigious award of the Venture Scout Section until the introduction of ONE Programme, at which point the award became a Rover Scout activity.
Venture Scout Challenge
Challenge is an event often referred to as the "Mini-Explorer Belt." Challenge (now in its 20th year) was founded by Brian O'Connor from Cork- today the Spirit of Challenge Trophy is named after him. Like the Belt, it involves teams of two Venture Scouts of the same sex (in recent years different sex teams have also been allowed on the Challenge) walking 100 km in 5 days while living on a budget of 4 euro per person per day in Ireland. The teams get dropped off in a previously unknown location with a map of the area, their budget money, a list of challenges to complete along the route and (in recent years) a mobile phone for checking in each evening. Each participant also has their own Special Interest Badge to complete. This is a challenge that the participant has planned independently, to complete along the route, before the trip. Once back at base camp, the participants also take part in an activity to do with the Adventure Skills Badges. The participants then get assessments at the base camp over 3 days and their assessors decide which standard award the participants are awarded. Successful entrants receive the Challenge woggle, a challenge badge and a certificate of completion for their efforts.