Scouts BSA DC Troop 248 for Girls Resumes This Week - Scoutmaster Answers Your Questions

[cburkhardt]

I am the Scoutmaster of Scouts BSA Troop 248 for Girls in the District of Columbia. This is the same program formerly known as "Boy Scouts" for youth age 11-17 but implemented in our Troop in an all-girl setting and led by girls. Like the many other Scouts BSA Troops for Girls in the Washington metropolitan area, we are re-starting our program operations in September. We have posted the invitation to our open house in the events section of this site and encourage you to check it out. You can learn details about our Troop at: http://ScoutsBsaDcGirls.org.

Since Troop 248 formed in February of this year we have registered 30 Scouts and 19 adult women and men volunteers (majority of whom are female) and anticipate growth to upward of 45-60 girl members over the next year or two. We have gone on four weekend campouts, a week of summer camp in the Shenandoah Mountains (Goshen Scout Reservation) and many of our Scouts have participated in a wide variety of optional hikes, service projects and trips -- including the massive World Scout Jamboree in West Virginia. Our Scouts have been earning the iconic Scouting ranks, merit badges and other awards. And, there are now over 50 Scouts BSA Troops across the DC metropolitan area. You can find where they are at: http://www.BeAScout.org.

Regular readers of this site recall an extensive posting early this year in which I answered questions about how Scouts BSA was expected to work. I am happy to answer questions again for parents considering a Scouts BSA Troop for Girls for your child this fall -- based on our actual experience. Simply put, our Troop's experience is that the former Boy Scout program is perfectly applicable to and popular with girls. Our Scouts have been welcomed into the local BSA organization in a great way. The support for our Scouts from the DC community and All Souls Episcopal Church has been overwhelming.

I'm not encouraging postings from people who want to discuss whether girls, gay/lesbian people or transgender people should have been allowed into the BSA. Those issues are now well in the past and I am very happy the BSA is now entirely welcoming to everyone. I admire the Girl Scouts and believe they are a fine organization, but am not an expert on their program and am unable to comment or provide information on GSUSA matters. I suggest people start separate postings if they want to discuss these matters.

I'll take a peek at your questions a couple of times each day and promise to give you detailed responses and suggestions.

[Anonymous]

Why are you separating the girls from the boys? Ours keeps all the kids together and it works well.

[cburkhardt]

Scouts BSA Troops are either all-girl or all-boy. Some organizations that are chartered in Scouting have both boy and girl troops and have them meet at the same locations. They can even share the same adult Troop Committee, but not the Scoutmaster. Our chartered organization only has a girl Troop, and there are already many all-boy Troops in DC. However, our Scouts still participate with boys at multi-troop events like camporees and at summer camp.

[Anonymous]

My daughter joined BSA Troop 248 in February and has had a stellar experience so far. Scoutmaster Burkhardt and the other volunteers have done a great job setting the troop up for success and I'm excited to see what's ahead!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why are you separating the girls from the boys? Ours keeps all the kids together and it works well.

Cub Scout Packs (K-5th) and Venture Scouts (Older teens, I want to say high school through college) can be mixed genders but all of the Scout BSA Troops are unisex. National set the rules and Troops are required to follow them.