Hi everyone! I'm new to scubaboard so please give me a little leeway.
What I was wondering if it is common for a LDS to give support to a youth group? I recently started a Venturing Crew that focuses on SCUBA. The kids LOVE it but we can't afford to do it very often as a group.
I'm sure others see Scouts differently than I do, but I see it as a way for kids to get to try new things and do things they couldn't normally do on their own (or with their families). However, the majority of the kids in Scouts in my area come from families having a tough time paying the electric bill. Those are the ones that need to enjoy the adventure of Scouting the most. But unfortunately unlike other aspects of Scouts (Camping, Hiking, Canoeing and etc.) SCUBA has a high price barrier to entry.
We have a good number of fundraisers that allow the newly joined youth to get the money put together to get OW certified but what I'm more concerned with is the actual dive trips themselves.
The single largest cost factor on all of our trips (since we live in Florida) is gear rental. I can get everything else pretty well down to nothing (We can camp in Youth Camping Areas, we get fuel donated by a church to drive them to the location).
A weekend of normal camping with the Scouts (with our group) costs about $10 per youth. Well as we all know that will just get you one tank rental for one day.
Does anyone have any ideas on how I can get the cost down to truly achieve my goal of giving every youth who is interested in SCUBA the opportunity to participate?
What I was wondering if it is common for a LDS to give support to a youth group? I recently started a Venturing Crew that focuses on SCUBA. The kids LOVE it but we can't afford to do it very often as a group.
I'm sure others see Scouts differently than I do, but I see it as a way for kids to get to try new things and do things they couldn't normally do on their own (or with their families). However, the majority of the kids in Scouts in my area come from families having a tough time paying the electric bill. Those are the ones that need to enjoy the adventure of Scouting the most. But unfortunately unlike other aspects of Scouts (Camping, Hiking, Canoeing and etc.) SCUBA has a high price barrier to entry.
We have a good number of fundraisers that allow the newly joined youth to get the money put together to get OW certified but what I'm more concerned with is the actual dive trips themselves.
The single largest cost factor on all of our trips (since we live in Florida) is gear rental. I can get everything else pretty well down to nothing (We can camp in Youth Camping Areas, we get fuel donated by a church to drive them to the location).
A weekend of normal camping with the Scouts (with our group) costs about $10 per youth. Well as we all know that will just get you one tank rental for one day.
Does anyone have any ideas on how I can get the cost down to truly achieve my goal of giving every youth who is interested in SCUBA the opportunity to participate?