Question for Cub Scout parents

[Anonymous]

I have two cub scouts. I like that its boys only. The boys are more comfortable this way. There are girls that attend as siblings and they rarely participate. They go off into their own corner and do their own thing. I'm certain that if I asked my 10 yr old he would say no to adding girls.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

That's great. Why would the girls need to branch off from Girl Scouts and have a Cub Scout/Boy Scout troop? What is the Girl Scout program missing for these girls?

Again, the Girl Scouts aren't doing anything. they aren't trying to branch off and certainly aren't trying to merge with boy scouts.
This is all driven by Boy Scouts. My guess is that a PP is right and that they're seeing lots of drop offs in numbers and are trying to figure out ways to expand.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have two cub scouts. I like that its boys only. The boys are more comfortable this way. There are girls that attend as siblings and they rarely participate. They go off into their own corner and do their own thing. I'm certain that if I asked my 10 yr old he would say no to adding girls.

Why are the girls there? Would they partipate if someone created a den for them? Seems pointless to just hang out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have two cub scouts. I like that its boys only. The boys are more comfortable this way. There are girls that attend as siblings and they rarely participate. They go off into their own corner and do their own thing. I'm certain that if I asked my 10 yr old he would say no to adding girls.

Why are the girls there? Would they partipate if someone created a den for them? Seems pointless to just hang out.

My daughter goes because she has to. I can't leave her at home. For cub scouts, I have to stay. I'm hoping that by boy scouts it is drop off.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have two cub scouts. I like that its boys only. The boys are more comfortable this way. There are girls that attend as siblings and they rarely participate. They go off into their own corner and do their own thing. I'm certain that if I asked my 10 yr old he would say no to adding girls.

Why are the girls there? Would they partipate if someone created a den for them? Seems pointless to just hang out.

My daughter goes because she has to. I can't leave her at home. For cub scouts, I have to stay. I'm hoping that by boy scouts it is drop off.

So if you have to stay, and you have to bring your girls, and other parents do too.... how can your boys say they like that cub scouts is boys only? Obviously there are girls there, just not really doing anything.

Why would it be any skin of their noses if the girls were off in their own girl-only cub scout den at the same time that the boys were in their boy only cub scout den?

Wouldn't that make it easier for you as a parent?

[Anonymous]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fk6LL7LHZng

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a girl scout and a cub scout. I am much more impressed by the organization of cub scouts. Each den in cub scouts is embedded in a larger pack, so even if the leaders of your particular den aren't strong, you still have the rest of the pack to provide a good experience. With girl scouts, if you have an uninspired leader (like we do) you're really stuck. My son does much more interesting stuff than my daughter.

You're not stuck. Volunteer to help or sign up to be the leader. That's how it works.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No, I wouldn't want my girl to go to cub scouts. There are a lot of boys in our cub scout troop without father figures, and I think the single-sex aspect of it is good for them. I don't think boys should be in girl scouts, either. I'm fine with transgender kids. I think girls can be explorer scouts later on in scouting.

This.

Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts is a boy organization.

Having girls involved would change the whole dynamic.

Look for a coed organization for your daughter.

+1,000

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have two cub scouts. I like that its boys only. The boys are more comfortable this way. There are girls that attend as siblings and they rarely participate. They go off into their own corner and do their own thing. I'm certain that if I asked my 10 yr old he would say no to adding girls.

Why are the girls there? Would they partipate if someone created a den for them? Seems pointless to just hang out.

My daughter goes because she has to. I can't leave her at home. For cub scouts, I have to stay. I'm hoping that by boy scouts it is drop off.

So if you have to stay, and you have to bring your girls, and other parents do too.... how can your boys say they like that cub scouts is boys only? Obviously there are girls there, just not really doing anything.

Why would it be any skin of their noses if the girls were off in their own girl-only cub scout den at the same time that the boys were in their boy only cub scout den?

Wouldn't that make it easier for you as a parent?

DP but that's not how it works. The dens all meet at different times and places so even if there was a girls' den, it wouldn't help with the childcare problem. this is another difference with GS, actually--with GS, the expectation is that you will drop off because they are trying to foster girls' independence. With cub scouts, parents are expected to stay so you end up with a bunch of younger sibs (girls and boys) playing on iPhones or tablets.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a girl scout and a cub scout. I am much more impressed by the organization of cub scouts. Each den in cub scouts is embedded in a larger pack, so even if the leaders of your particular den aren't strong, you still have the rest of the pack to provide a good experience. With girl scouts, if you have an uninspired leader (like we do) you're really stuck. My son does much more interesting stuff than my daughter.

You're not stuck. Volunteer to help or sign up to be the leader. That's how it works.

I'm an outdoor GS leader. I'm camp certified, have the FA certification, kayaking, ropes, and archery. My issue is not that I won't step up but rather the way GS forms troops is by school not interest. My DDs troop is interested in arts and crafts not camping. DD and I end up volunteering to go with other troops who are lacking a certified adult. Its fine and it gets my DD the outdoor experience she wants but she doesn't have a troop of friends that share her interest. We've tried to join some of these troops but meeting time/location often prevent it especially if they meet right after school. I can't get my kid to the other side of the county 15 min after school ends.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
DP but that's not how it works. The dens all meet at different times and places so even if there was a girls' den, it wouldn't help with the childcare problem. this is another difference with GS, actually--with GS, the expectation is that you will drop off because they are trying to foster girls' independence. With cub scouts, parents are expected to stay so you end up with a bunch of younger sibs (girls and boys) playing on iPhones or tablets.

Oh, that's not how it worked in my son's pack. All the dens met at the same time in different rooms at the same church.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: My issue is not that I won't step up but rather the way GS forms troops is by school not interest. My DDs troop is interested in arts and crafts not camping. DD and I end up volunteering to go with other troops who are lacking a certified adult. Its fine and it gets my DD the outdoor experience she wants but she doesn't have a troop of friends that share her interest. We've tried to join some of these troops but meeting time/location often prevent it especially if they meet right after school. I can't get my kid to the other side of the county 15 min after school ends.

Does it have to be by school? In our town and Service Unit, troops are just formed by whoever wants to form them. Our troop is a neighborhood troop and has girls from 7 different schools (and homeschoolers).

Could you start your own evening troop that had girls interested in camping?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: My issue is not that I won't step up but rather the way GS forms troops is by school not interest. My DDs troop is interested in arts and crafts not camping. DD and I end up volunteering to go with other troops who are lacking a certified adult. Its fine and it gets my DD the outdoor experience she wants but she doesn't have a troop of friends that share her interest. We've tried to join some of these troops but meeting time/location often prevent it especially if they meet right after school. I can't get my kid to the other side of the county 15 min after school ends.

Does it have to be by school? In our town and Service Unit, troops are just formed by whoever wants to form them. Our troop is a neighborhood troop and has girls from 7 different schools (and homeschoolers).

Could you start your own evening troop that had girls interested in camping?

Where would I find the girls?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: My issue is not that I won't step up but rather the way GS forms troops is by school not interest. My DDs troop is interested in arts and crafts not camping. DD and I end up volunteering to go with other troops who are lacking a certified adult. Its fine and it gets my DD the outdoor experience she wants but she doesn't have a troop of friends that share her interest. We've tried to join some of these troops but meeting time/location often prevent it especially if they meet right after school. I can't get my kid to the other side of the county 15 min after school ends.

Does it have to be by school? In our town and Service Unit, troops are just formed by whoever wants to form them. Our troop is a neighborhood troop and has girls from 7 different schools (and homeschoolers).

Could you start your own evening troop that had girls interested in camping?

Where would I find the girls?

Word of mouth, invite-a-friend, parents at other kid events, blurb in church bulletins, bulletin at nearby library/community center, table at neighborhood fair, blurb in local neighborhood parent listserve, register your troop in the Troop Catalog as being interested in camping/outdoor activities http://girlscouts.force.com/girl/GirlCatalog_TroopGroupRoleSearch

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: My issue is not that I won't step up but rather the way GS forms troops is by school not interest. My DDs troop is interested in arts and crafts not camping. DD and I end up volunteering to go with other troops who are lacking a certified adult. Its fine and it gets my DD the outdoor experience she wants but she doesn't have a troop of friends that share her interest. We've tried to join some of these troops but meeting time/location often prevent it especially if they meet right after school. I can't get my kid to the other side of the county 15 min after school ends.

Does it have to be by school? In our town and Service Unit, troops are just formed by whoever wants to form them. Our troop is a neighborhood troop and has girls from 7 different schools (and homeschoolers).

Could you start your own evening troop that had girls interested in camping?

Where would I find the girls?

Word of mouth, invite-a-friend, parents at other kid events, blurb in church bulletins, bulletin at nearby library/community center, table at neighborhood fair, blurb in local neighborhood parent listserve, register your troop in the Troop Catalog as being interested in camping/outdoor activities http://girlscouts.force.com/girl/GirlCatalog_TroopGroupRoleSearch

There is a GS membership coordinator assigned to your council that will help you with this. You can also look at the online troop catalog and find troops nearby based on when they meet that might fit your daughter's interest better. I am a little dumb-founded, though, that your daughter's troop is rejecting the camping and other outdoor activities. If you plan a camping trip or kayking outing, will they really not come? My troops are desperate for this stuff, but my problem is always finding a weekend that the girls are available (since most of them are in multiple sports year-round), finding the camp certified folks, and getting other parents who are willing to drive and help with gear, etc. If that's really the case, then you just found a dud troop -- that's not the GS fault. Their troop formation is actually MORE free flowing than cub scouts -- cub scouts need to have a community sponsor (like a church or the rotary club) and an affiliation with a boy scout pack. With girl scouts, all you need is 2 people willing to act as leaders, and at least one girl, and you've got a troop that anyone can join. Leaders can't close out a troop unless it has at least 12 girls in it, so until that point, it is open to any girl that registers.