Are Girl Scouts the mean girls?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I agree with PPs that it will vary with any given group of girls and the culture set by the troop leader. Some are lovely, some are not. That said, my daughter joined Scouts BSA because she's more interested in camping and outdoor activities. My impression so far is those kinds of activities inspire collaborative skills and teamwork. For example, they have to work together to put up and take down a campsite, cook meals, plan and navigate a hike, help an injured person etc. Even if there are smaller friend groups within the larger one, they all seem to be positive and work well together. There must be challenging social dynamics in some Scouts BSA girls troops, but that has not been DD's experience so far.

My dd's middle school GS troop is all about camping and hiking.

In elementary school the troop that formed was pretty random. By fifth/sixth grade most of the "mean girls" quit because they thought it wasn't cool. That made it easier to chaperone the hiking and camping trips because there wasn't as much complaining. The girls that stayed aren't BFFs but they generally are "nice kids" who lean nerdier than popular. Our leaders are ridiculously nice and patient people.

I know a lot of girls who've done GS. Many in ES, some in MS, and a few continued into HS. A number of them have never gone camping, or maybe went once. Your troop is rare.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:At our school, Girl Scouts account for probably 30% of the girls in the grade. The parents are often the pta moms, the swim team moms, soccer moms, dance moms, etc. The moms and girls are cliquey. My daughter just joined. I have heard from other parents how some kids call the girls mean girls. They are called the Girl Scouts as a clique. I have seen some not kind behavior at the meetings.

70% of the girls in the grade have other interests. Think about that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I agree with PPs that it will vary with any given group of girls and the culture set by the troop leader. Some are lovely, some are not. That said, my daughter joined Scouts BSA because she's more interested in camping and outdoor activities. My impression so far is those kinds of activities inspire collaborative skills and teamwork. For example, they have to work together to put up and take down a campsite, cook meals, plan and navigate a hike, help an injured person etc. Even if there are smaller friend groups within the larger one, they all seem to be positive and work well together. There must be challenging social dynamics in some Scouts BSA girls troops, but that has not been DD's experience so far.

My dd's middle school GS troop is all about camping and hiking.

In elementary school the troop that formed was pretty random. By fifth/sixth grade most of the "mean girls" quit because they thought it wasn't cool. That made it easier to chaperone the hiking and camping trips because there wasn't as much complaining. The girls that stayed aren't BFFs but they generally are "nice kids" who lean nerdier than popular. Our leaders are ridiculously nice and patient people.

I know a lot of girls who've done GS. Many in ES, some in MS, and a few continued into HS. A number of them have never gone camping, or maybe went once. Your troop is rare.

Then why do all available GS camps book within minutes of reservations opening?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PTA moms until mid-brownies, nerds thereafter.

Side note - I am really hoping my daughter ends up being a nerd.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I agree with PPs that it will vary with any given group of girls and the culture set by the troop leader. Some are lovely, some are not. That said, my daughter joined Scouts BSA because she's more interested in camping and outdoor activities. My impression so far is those kinds of activities inspire collaborative skills and teamwork. For example, they have to work together to put up and take down a campsite, cook meals, plan and navigate a hike, help an injured person etc. Even if there are smaller friend groups within the larger one, they all seem to be positive and work well together. There must be challenging social dynamics in some Scouts BSA girls troops, but that has not been DD's experience so far.

My dd's middle school GS troop is all about camping and hiking.

In elementary school the troop that formed was pretty random. By fifth/sixth grade most of the "mean girls" quit because they thought it wasn't cool. That made it easier to chaperone the hiking and camping trips because there wasn't as much complaining. The girls that stayed aren't BFFs but they generally are "nice kids" who lean nerdier than popular. Our leaders are ridiculously nice and patient people.

I know a lot of girls who've done GS. Many in ES, some in MS, and a few continued into HS. A number of them have never gone camping, or maybe went once. Your troop is rare.

The beauty of Girl Scouts is that it's a really flexible program! I'm glad those girls found experiences within girl scouts they enjoyed, and I'm glad other troops find other and different types of experiences they enjoy!

[Anonymous]

Some people are just exclusive and they may or may not realize they are doing it. Usually, they don't know they are doing it because that takes alot of awareness to understand the position of others. If you have been excluded, you will know. You might not care at times but it will bother you at some point.

[Anonymous]

We had a troop of 22 girls and there a few that were mean girls. It was problematic and made certain events like campouts difficult. But most of those girls quit after a few years because girl scouting wasn't "cool" and things got easier.

[Anonymous]

My daughter’s troop is a motley crew too. Some artsy, some love sports, some are musically inclined, some love Harry Potter. They are quirky, smart, some are a little nerdy. But they are definitely not mean girls. They are not BFFs but get along well when together. Find a new troop or be a Juliette.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My girls are in Cub Scouts/Scouts because we couldn’t get a call back from Girl Scouts, despite multiple calls and emails to several different branches. One branch did call us, but it was well after we had already signed up for Cub Scouts. I chalk that more up to busy/high demand, maybe I wasn’t calling at the right time of year.

That said, thinking about the little girls I know how are in Girl Scouts—or ANY elementary kid—I would never in a million years label any child as a “Mean Girl.” If you want to have a go at the parents, have a go at the parents. But take a look at your thread title. My goodness.

I am a Girl Scout leader and on my local Service Unit team (the collection of troops in the area) and I genuinely have no idea how Scouts BSA does it! They seem to have an endless supply of spots for new kids, meanwhile we ***always*** have more girls that want to join than available troops and struggle so much getting new leaders to volunteer. Does Scouts BSA just not have the same adult/child ratio requirements? Are parents more willing to volunteer for their sons than their daughters? Do paid staff step up and run troops if they don't have volunteers? I would love to know how they do it.

I don’t know, but here’s what I know: even if you don’t have a spot, you do have a duty to promptly call back the inquiring parent and tell them you don’t have a spot. Or at the very least have some automated email or text script you can send. Not replying is unacceptable. If you can’t promptly respond to inquiries, you have no business being a troop leader.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My girls are in Cub Scouts/Scouts because we couldn’t get a call back from Girl Scouts, despite multiple calls and emails to several different branches. One branch did call us, but it was well after we had already signed up for Cub Scouts. I chalk that more up to busy/high demand, maybe I wasn’t calling at the right time of year.

That said, thinking about the little girls I know how are in Girl Scouts—or ANY elementary kid—I would never in a million years label any child as a “Mean Girl.” If you want to have a go at the parents, have a go at the parents. But take a look at your thread title. My goodness.

I am a Girl Scout leader and on my local Service Unit team (the collection of troops in the area) and I genuinely have no idea how Scouts BSA does it! They seem to have an endless supply of spots for new kids, meanwhile we ***always*** have more girls that want to join than available troops and struggle so much getting new leaders to volunteer. Does Scouts BSA just not have the same adult/child ratio requirements? Are parents more willing to volunteer for their sons than their daughters? Do paid staff step up and run troops if they don't have volunteers? I would love to know how they do it.

I don’t know, but here’s what I know: even if you don’t have a spot, you do have a duty to promptly call back the inquiring parent and tell them you don’t have a spot. Or at the very least have some automated email or text script you can send. Not replying is unacceptable. If you can’t promptly respond to inquiries, you have no business being a troop leader.

As a former troop leader, I don't know if or how I would get that email or phone call directly. There should be someone at the council who could help connect you to a membership manager who should work with you to help find a placement.

But it is true that a lot of troops are full. Ours was hosted at the school so we weren't allowed to bring in kids from outside the school community as a condition of being able to use classroom space.

It might make sense to reach out in the spring because it's hard to reach GS staff in the summer because so many are all about camp. On the flip side, spring is when they do the big membership drive, so it's possible a leader wouldn't know how many spots they have open until current girls renew.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I agree with PPs that it will vary with any given group of girls and the culture set by the troop leader. Some are lovely, some are not. That said, my daughter joined Scouts BSA because she's more interested in camping and outdoor activities. My impression so far is those kinds of activities inspire collaborative skills and teamwork. For example, they have to work together to put up and take down a campsite, cook meals, plan and navigate a hike, help an injured person etc. Even if there are smaller friend groups within the larger one, they all seem to be positive and work well together. There must be challenging social dynamics in some Scouts BSA girls troops, but that has not been DD's experience so far.

My dd's middle school GS troop is all about camping and hiking.

In elementary school the troop that formed was pretty random. By fifth/sixth grade most of the "mean girls" quit because they thought it wasn't cool. That made it easier to chaperone the hiking and camping trips because there wasn't as much complaining. The girls that stayed aren't BFFs but they generally are "nice kids" who lean nerdier than popular. Our leaders are ridiculously nice and patient people.

I know a lot of girls who've done GS. Many in ES, some in MS, and a few continued into HS. A number of them have never gone camping, or maybe went once. Your troop is rare.

Then why do all available GS camps book within minutes of reservations opening?

Because they're cheap and there are limited spots available.

[Anonymous]

Regarding not requiring parental involvement - at first blush, I agree that there should be a requirement that there is parental involvement - especially with the younger girls.

But my daughter was a GS in a Title I school
that had a ~70%+ immigrant population. Several of our troop members were very happy to be involved, but their parents had minimal time to be involved or experience with scouts. They were all lovely people, and brought snacks and stayed for meetings, but they were not comfortable taking the lead on organizing or planning due to language differences and other responsibilities.

Our troop leaders now (in a very different socioeconomic area) have basically made it clear that they will plan one meeting a month, but they need parents to step up and plan badges or other activities. And enough parents do.

[Anonymous]

The biggest problem is the service unit. I lead a troop in a service unit that doesn't have enough volunteers, everyone is stretched thin, they don't have the time to respond to everyone, so they don't. It's a real hassle.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My girls are in Cub Scouts/Scouts because we couldn’t get a call back from Girl Scouts, despite multiple calls and emails to several different branches. One branch did call us, but it was well after we had already signed up for Cub Scouts. I chalk that more up to busy/high demand, maybe I wasn’t calling at the right time of year.

That said, thinking about the little girls I know how are in Girl Scouts—or ANY elementary kid—I would never in a million years label any child as a “Mean Girl.” If you want to have a go at the parents, have a go at the parents. But take a look at your thread title. My goodness.

I am a Girl Scout leader and on my local Service Unit team (the collection of troops in the area) and I genuinely have no idea how Scouts BSA does it! They seem to have an endless supply of spots for new kids, meanwhile we ***always*** have more girls that want to join than available troops and struggle so much getting new leaders to volunteer. Does Scouts BSA just not have the same adult/child ratio requirements? Are parents more willing to volunteer for their sons than their daughters? Do paid staff step up and run troops if they don't have volunteers? I would love to know how they do it.

I don’t know, but here’s what I know: even if you don’t have a spot, you do have a duty to promptly call back the inquiring parent and tell them you don’t have a spot. Or at the very least have some automated email or text script you can send. Not replying is unacceptable. If you can’t promptly respond to inquiries, you have no business being a troop leader.

As a former troop leader, I don't know if or how I would get that email or phone call directly. There should be someone at the council who could help connect you to a membership manager who should work with you to help find a placement.

But it is true that a lot of troops are full. Ours was hosted at the school so we weren't allowed to bring in kids from outside the school community as a condition of being able to use classroom space.

It might make sense to reach out in the spring because it's hard to reach GS staff in the summer because so many are all about camp. On the flip side, spring is when they do the big membership drive, so it's possible a leader wouldn't know how many spots they have open until current girls renew.

My kid (age 11) was rejected on inquiry last year so we gave up. I don't understand how a Girl Scout troop can be full based on the leader ratios posted online. Are troops allowed to decide on their own that they are closed? A whole new mean girl group that happens to be paid for by cookies.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My girls are in Cub Scouts/Scouts because we couldn’t get a call back from Girl Scouts, despite multiple calls and emails to several different branches. One branch did call us, but it was well after we had already signed up for Cub Scouts. I chalk that more up to busy/high demand, maybe I wasn’t calling at the right time of year.

That said, thinking about the little girls I know how are in Girl Scouts—or ANY elementary kid—I would never in a million years label any child as a “Mean Girl.” If you want to have a go at the parents, have a go at the parents. But take a look at your thread title. My goodness.

I am a Girl Scout leader and on my local Service Unit team (the collection of troops in the area) and I genuinely have no idea how Scouts BSA does it! They seem to have an endless supply of spots for new kids, meanwhile we ***always*** have more girls that want to join than available troops and struggle so much getting new leaders to volunteer. Does Scouts BSA just not have the same adult/child ratio requirements? Are parents more willing to volunteer for their sons than their daughters? Do paid staff step up and run troops if they don't have volunteers? I would love to know how they do it.

I don’t know, but here’s what I know: even if you don’t have a spot, you do have a duty to promptly call back the inquiring parent and tell them you don’t have a spot. Or at the very least have some automated email or text script you can send. Not replying is unacceptable. If you can’t promptly respond to inquiries, you have no business being a troop leader.

As a former troop leader, I don't know if or how I would get that email or phone call directly. There should be someone at the council who could help connect you to a membership manager who should work with you to help find a placement.

But it is true that a lot of troops are full. Ours was hosted at the school so we weren't allowed to bring in kids from outside the school community as a condition of being able to use classroom space.

It might make sense to reach out in the spring because it's hard to reach GS staff in the summer because so many are all about camp. On the flip side, spring is when they do the big membership drive, so it's possible a leader wouldn't know how many spots they have open until current girls renew.

My kid (age 11) was rejected on inquiry last year so we gave up. I don't understand how a Girl Scout troop can be full based on the leader ratios posted online. Are troops allowed to decide on their own that they are closed? A whole new mean girl group that happens to be paid for by cookies.

It's so weird to jump to the assumption that it's "mean girls" and not just organizational issues, ratio issues, etc. Maybe the ratios online aren't up to date? Not everything that rejects your kid is a personal attack, you're setting your kid up for a lifetime of playing the victim. Immediately giving up is also not setting a stellar example.

FWIW, my daughter's troop is genuinely full and in my experience 11 is a tough age to join, a lot of troops disband around that age. We lost a lot of girls after elementary and gained back a bunch who came from other troops that disbanded.