The Crew spent a wintery Saturday afternoon in Silverdale with a round-robin ethical controversies forum.  What's that, you ask?

An important goal of Venturing is to help young adults be responsible and caring persons, both now and in the future. Venturing uses ethical controversies to help young adults develop the ability to make responsible choices that reflect their concern for what is a risk and how it will affect others involved.  Because an ethical controversy is a problem-solving situation, young adults should employ empathy, invention, and selection when they think through their position and work toward a solution.  Consider it like participating in a debate, but you don't get enough time to prepare and have to think quickly on your feet.  It may not be the most popular activity for a Crew that prefers to hang in the wilderness, but it's certainly the most thought provoking.

It's great to have a lot of Crew traditions, and one of the best is the annual holiday party.  Given the theme from the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy that was so integral to their mindset when they formed the unit 6 years ago, that annual party has become known as their Pan-Galactic Gargleblaster Brew Off.  The 2012 version was just as fun as ever, and some of our college vets were home on break to share it, too.  Obviously, we needed a group shot, right?

Hello Fellow Venturers and Sea Scouts,

As the year ends, we want to let you know about a number of upcoming event dates and other information that you can share with the other members of your crews and ships. Starting with this message, we'll be sending out periodic messages and newsletters with important updates. Here's some of the highlights to know now:

Monthly VOA Meetings- Every 3rd Tuesday, 7 PM
These meetings are open to all Venturers, Sea Scouts, or adult leaders, and are usually held at the Chief Seattle Council Service Center in Seattle. We'll be discussing upcoming events, program and training opportunities, best practices, trip ideas, and more. Our December 18th meeting will be holiday-themed and feature a white elephant exchange. Bring a gift ($5 or less) and get a gift!

Venturing Winter Challenge- February 1-3
We'll be returning to Ensign Ranch near Cle Elum for a weekend of winter fun! Registration will be online before Christmas.

Western Region Venturing Conference- April 19-21
The Western Region comes to Camp Pigott this April. This is an event you won't want to miss. More details will be released in the coming weeks, but be sure to mark your calendars now.

Website and Multimedia
You can find the latest information on our webpage, www.seattlebsa.org/venturing. In the next few weeks we'll be launching a brand new website, www.seattleventuring.org, with a bunch of cool new features. You can also join our Facebook page, Chief Seattle Council Venturing, if you haven't already, and watch our videos on YouTube.