Question for Cub Scout parents

[Anonymous]

Agree that BSA and GS need to merge but keep troop activities single sex. Badge requirements should be the same, with slight modifications for teen girls who do not have the same upper body strength.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The girl who is trying to make scouts coed wants to be an Eagle Scout.

Why don't the Girl Scouts work to create a similarly rigorous and comprehensive elite scouting achievement like Eagle that the girls start working towards as Junior scouts?

If they have one they do not publicize or promote it very well. I do not remember one when I was a Girl Scout (through 7th grade). The only thing Girl Scouts publicize and promote well is cookies, and perhaps that is where the problem lies.

I refused to do cookies with my troop after the first year. The money goes to national, none to individual troops. We asked for contributions from family and employers for troop activities. Many employers will match contributions. Cookie sales are supposed to be required but no one enforces this. It's a racket. We focused on boating, hiking, camping, team building games and not the often-silly badges.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Agree that BSA and GS need to merge but keep troop activities single sex. Badge requirements should be the same, with slight modifications for teen girls who do not have the same upper body strength.

Actual Boy Scouts do not want to merge with Girl Scouts, even if their leader feels outside pressure to do so.

That should carry more weight than anything.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The girl who is trying to make scouts coed wants to be an Eagle Scout.

Why don't the Girl Scouts work to create a similarly rigorous and comprehensive elite scouting achievement like Eagle that the girls start working towards as Junior scouts?

If they have one they do not publicize or promote it very well. I do not remember one when I was a Girl Scout (through 7th grade). The only thing Girl Scouts publicize and promote well is cookies, and perhaps that is where the problem lies.

I refused to do cookies with my troop after the first year. The money goes to national, none to individual troops. We asked for contributions from family and employers for troop activities. Many employers will match contributions. Cookie sales are supposed to be required but no one enforces this. It's a racket. We focused on boating, hiking, camping, team building games and not the often-silly badges.

Good on you. I bet your girls love girl scputing more than the average tween/teen.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Agree that BSA and GS need to merge but keep troop activities single sex. Badge requirements should be the same, with slight modifications for teen girls who do not have the same upper body strength.

Girl Scouts USA are not talking about merging with Boy Scouts.

Boy Scouts of America is talking about opening up the Cub Scout program to girls. Yes, they are interviewing current members this summer to get their perspective, especially as pertains to Cub Scouts (the younger kids), probably because of the family oriented aspect of a Cub Scout pack (pack camping with all the siblings, pack activities with all the siblings).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
I refused to do cookies with my troop after the first year. The money goes to national, none to individual troops. We asked for contributions from family and employers for troop activities. Many employers will match contributions. Cookie sales are supposed to be required but no one enforces this. It's a racket. We focused on boating, hiking, camping, team building games and not the often-silly badges.

Good for you! But that's rally weird that National (You mean national council?) stole your cookie money!! How did that happen? You should definitely report the theft.

Our troop got something 55 cents per box, and the rest of the profit went to our local council. National got none of our cookie profits. Why did National take yours? We usually earn about $500 to $800 per year through selling cookies and that's not by working too hard.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Agree that BSA and GS need to merge but keep troop activities single sex. Badge requirements should be the same, with slight modifications for teen girls who do not have the same upper body strength.

Actual Boy Scouts do not want to merge with Girl Scouts, even if their leader feels outside pressure to do so.

That should carry more weight than anything.

Cub Scouts, not Boy Scouts.

See minute 17:44

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFDpe7GIuEk

85% of Cub Scout parents think Cub Scouting is relevant for girls and boys.

68% of current Cub Scout parents would be interested in registering their daughters if a Cub Scout program was available to them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Agree that BSA and GS need to merge but keep troop activities single sex. Badge requirements should be the same, with slight modifications for teen girls who do not have the same upper body strength.

Actual Boy Scouts do not want to merge with Girl Scouts, even if their leader feels outside pressure to do so.

That should carry more weight than anything.

Cub Scouts, not Boy Scouts.

See minute 17:44

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFDpe7GIuEk

85% of Cub Scout parents think Cub Scouting is relevant for girls and boys.

68% of current Cub Scout parents would be interested in registering their daughters if a Cub Scout program was available to them.

I am calling BS on those numbers.

They did not survey parents or curent cub scout families about making cub scout coed.

My husband is very involved in the leadership of scouts and cub scouts and BSA has not once broached this topic on a scout wide level nor have they surveyed families.

[Anonymous]

Okay, I watched the entire video posted.

What they are proposing will destroy the single gender aspect of Boy Scouts.

In the majority of areas, there will not be enough interest in single gender female packs or troops to make viable female organizations. The boy only groups will be forced to become coed to accomodate the few interested girls, from cub scout to boy scouts level. This will ensure the end of single gender boy scouting in a few short years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
I am calling BS on those numbers.

They did not survey parents or curent cub scout families about making cub scout coed.

My husband is very involved in the leadership of scouts and cub scouts and BSA has not once broached this topic on a scout wide level nor have they surveyed families.

It's the Scout CEO in the video stating the survey. I assume he knows what he is talking about.

And yes, BSA is right now, this month, broaching the topic on a council wide level. Google "Making Scouting Accessible to Families" -- that's what these meetings everyone is having are about.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Okay, I watched the entire video posted.

What they are proposing will destroy the single gender aspect of Boy Scouts.

In the majority of areas, there will not be enough interest in single gender female packs or troops to make viable female organizations. The boy only groups will be forced to become coed to accomodate the few interested girls, from cub scout to boy scouts level. This will ensure the end of single gender boy scouting in a few short years.

My take on it is the opposite of yours. I think there will be plenty of girls interested in a decent, vibrant program. In my son's pack, the best dens were the ones run by the women. If those women start just running girl only cub dens, the dads trying to run the boy only den will very likely want to mix their boys with her girls, to take advantage her ability to better run a den!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Or we could fix what's wrong with Girl Scouts, which has become 95 percent about "creating little business ladies" and "sharing our feelings while making useless crafts."

I would love it if there was a girl den! My son is a Bear and I love the activities and organization. The girl scouts at our school is so BORING and my 6 year old would hate it. She loves doing things with her brother's bear den.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Agree that BSA and GS need to merge but keep troop activities single sex. Badge requirements should be the same, with slight modifications for teen girls who do not have the same upper body strength.

Girl Scouts USA are not talking about merging with Boy Scouts.

Boy Scouts of America is talking about opening up the Cub Scout program to girls. Yes, they are interviewing current members this summer to get their perspective, especially as pertains to Cub Scouts (the younger kids), probably because of the family oriented aspect of a Cub Scout pack (pack camping with all the siblings, pack activities with all the siblings).

I would love this. My son is in cub scouts and its an amazing program. How great if his sister could do it too. Girl scouts seems much more dependent on the den leader, much less a sure thing.. Are there still camp fire girls?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
I refused to do cookies with my troop after the first year. The money goes to national, none to individual troops. We asked for contributions from family and employers for troop activities. Many employers will match contributions. Cookie sales are supposed to be required but no one enforces this. It's a racket. We focused on boating, hiking, camping, team building games and not the often-silly badges.

Good for you! But that's rally weird that National (You mean national council?) stole your cookie money!! How did that happen? You should definitely report the theft.

Our troop got something 55 cents per box, and the rest of the profit went to our local council. National got none of our cookie profits. Why did National take yours? We usually earn about $500 to $800 per year through selling cookies and that's not by working too hard.

Absolutely. If your troop and local council didn't get any of the cookie money, there is serious embezzlement going on in your leadership structure. You should absolutely go to national GS and report it. And if that doesn't get a response, go to your local media.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The girl who is trying to make scouts coed wants to be an Eagle Scout.

Why don't the Girl Scouts work to create a similarly rigorous and comprehensive elite scouting achievement like Eagle that the girls start working towards as Junior scouts?

If they have one they do not publicize or promote it very well. I do not remember one when I was a Girl Scout (through 7th grade). The only thing Girl Scouts publicize and promote well is cookies, and perhaps that is where the problem lies.

Girll Scouts has the Gold Award which is absolutely as elite an achievement as Eagle Scout. I have my own theories for why everyone has heard of Eagle Scouts but not Gold Award winners, but that's for a different thread.