By Lisa Stukel, Contributing Writer
Northborough– Northborough and Southborough teens have a new option for outdoor adventure, called Venture Crew 11. This unit is different from other Boy and Girl Scouts in town because it is co-ed, and its core focus is adventure and even high-adventure. Venture Crew 11 activities include sailing, canoeing, zip lining, backpacking, or whatever the crew decides to tackle.
Jeffrey Somers, of Northborough, along with McKinley Hackett, of Southborough, came up with the idea at a BSA training event last year. The two got to talking and found that they had similar situations with daughters in high school who were interested in doing a variety of outdoor activities, and were looking for an organization that would provide that. They then formed a group of like-minded adults and teenagers and have reformed Crew 11 Venture as a joint Northborough/Southborough unit.
According to Somers, venturing is a relatively new co-ed program from the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) that has become one of the fastest growing program the BSA offers. Venture Crew is open to people from age 13 to 20 and also has a service element to it by participating in events like Scouting for Food that occurs in the fall.
The crew meets twice per month during the school year for about an hour each time, although trip planning may take the place of a meeting as appropriate. The meetings are where the group chooses, plans, and learns the skills required for the trips. There is an upcoming recruiting meeting scheduled for Monday, May 21 from 7 to 8 p.m. at St. Bernadette's Parish Center.
For more information about the Venture Crew 11, visit www.crew11venture.org.