Outventure - F A Q

1. No membership fees ?? ... how does membership work?

2. Do I have to attend every event, or how often?

3. How many members attend a typical event?

4. Why a group of guys?

5. Will I need all the adventure equipment for events?

6. Who are the Outventure members, and what are they like?

7. How will I know if this group is for me or not?

Q1. No membership fees ?? ... how does membership work?
A. We all enjoy a wide range of adventure stuff, and having others to share the good times with makes it that much more fun. The benefits of sharing travelling costs, accommodation fees, etc. and getting group discounts can then be enjoyed, without missioning to get people together.

Therefore we have no club fees and we don't put any mark-up on event costs. Since no one is making money out of this, it is expected that every member will do his share in organising and assisting with the planning of an event (during the good and challenging times).

Guys wanting to join the group meet with 2 of our members beforehand, over drinks, to ensure that they fit the profile and understand what it's all about (get them up to speed and get all their questions answered) before they join on their first adventure.

Should a member at any stage during his membership misbehave or cause other members to feel unwelcome, his membership can at any stage be withdrawn - with or without notice. Usually we will approach him about his behaviour first, depending on the seriousness and whether he's willing to listen to reason and discuss the matter in a mature manner.

Where possible, we share costs and plan events to suit the average budget. Events are planned collectively when we meet monthly for drinks, movies, or whatever we impulsively decide on - the aim is to keep planning simple and effective with the emphasis on maximising fun!

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Q2. Do I have to attend every event, or how often?
A. Due to the hectic nature of city life, we don't expect members to attend every event.

Since we understand modern lifestyles, our database of members is much bigger to cater for busy schedules, business traveling, different interests and other priorities. Some guys also only prefer to join us on certain types of events, hence the broad range of activities we explore.

Obviously we like to see our buddies as often as possible, and we believe it's quite achievable and fair that every member attend at least one event every 3 months. You'll also see that, after a while, you won't want to miss the great adventures.

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Q3. How many members attend a typical event?
A. Experience has shown that a group of between 7 - 15 guys make for good dynamics on an event and ensures manageable logistics. This allows everyone time to mingle and avoids the schlep of having to tag an extra bus along with food and luggage for the event.

It also ensures that the group doesn't split up during an event and that we all stick to one game plan, encouraging team spirit.

If we see the amount of bookings gets way too high for an event, we work on a first-come-first-serve basis or create a second adventure for the same time.

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Q4. Why a group of guys?
A. We've all seen how the dynamics change when girls come into the arena ... guys try to impress them, get overly competitive and put these "I'm all sweet and innocent" masks on (not the girl's fault and we have nothing against our beautiful female counterparts).

The typical profile of guys joining Outventure is based on the fact that we enjoy adventures and don't stand back for a challenge or a dare. Sexual orientation is not important for selection, provided candidates are straight looking and behaving guys who are neither narrow-minded, nor afraid to break a fingernail. Just to make it clear ... Outventure is not a sex or dating club (as some may incorrectly assume).

Yeah, experience has shown that now and then we get stuck in the mud with the 4X4, and once we dug it out, we're all muddy, strip off the kit and go skinny dip in the dam while our clothes are drying...BOYS WILL BE BOYS!

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Q5. Will I need all the various adventure equipment for events?
A. Having all the equipment and gear for events is not necessary. Some of our members have a lot of kit, but we usually find ways around any obstacles, such as:

Finding event organisers that have the equipment we need
Often Outventure members who can't be there let us use their kit
Renting equipment where necessary
Networking with other adventure clubs and groups
Allowing sponsors to let us take their equipment and name out there
Building up an equipment & gear pool in the group of stuff often used

Hence, you won't need to have a load of stuff before you can join Outventure

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Q6. Who are the Outventure members, and what are they like?
A. Members come from different walks of life (23-37 year old guys, mostly from Gauteng). As for the typical personality & character traits of guys getting involved in Outventure, the following comes to mind:

We're Innovative - we don't sit around and wait for things to happen or focus on others to make them happen. As a group of individuals, we suggest, plan and do things together. This goes from planning each event to having great fun and games during events.

We're Flexible - if we plan things and they don’t work out due to work pressure or other commitments, we move on and plan another!

We're Impulsive - we decide to do things on the spur of the moment and we do them.

We challenge each other on various aspects, but yet stand together as a group and look out for our buddies to the best of our ability.

We're Daring - we push each other's comfort zones and always keep the pressure on to explore and grow, yet respecting each other's limitations and without causing harm.

We're Respectful - we aim to provide a safe environment where everyone feel they can share the "things we don't talk about" around the campfire, without being judged or made fun of in a derogative manner.

We stick to proper protocol ... this is a trusting environment where we let our buddies into areas of our lives we would not want any stranger to just stumble into! Thus, what happens at Outventure, stays at Outventure and is not discussed with outside people (unless they have proper authority and due sense of confidentiality)

In summary, we're the 'In-Crowd' without the bad reputation. We're the group that people look at and think "what a great bunch of guys ... I'd really like to be one of them ... "

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Q7. How will I know if this group is for me or not?
A. Here are some pointers:

You will get the most out of this group if :
o You like what you've read so far
o You are adventurous
o You like the outdoors
o You like to meet new people
o You’re easy to get along with
o You’re interesting conversation
o You’re interested in a wide variety of things
o You have a sense of humour and can handle a bit of harmless mocking
o You’re selfless
o You can take initiative and help plan interesting events
o You’re impulsive, open-minded and you can take a challenge
o You can move into others' personal space and challenge them a bit
o You don’t mind getting wet and dirty

You will probably not enjoy being a member of our group if :
o You need to use any illegal drugs!
o You have baggage, hang-ups, pretences and other socially undesirable traits
o You expect other people to entertain you
o You are actually hoping to find a sex / dating club
o You keep a big personal space, which you don't allow people into
o You place unnecessary high value to peoples' income and possessions
o You are obsessed with yourself and look down at others' shortcomings