Message
Economy of Scale Matters
Just think, we have 53 girl members and over 100 parents/guardians, 20 non-parent volunteer leaders who regularly assist and 4 adults from our chartered organization church who regularly help us. I run into these 177 people all the time at the store, walking down the street and in other places. When we need 5 people to help with something, we have it immediately. We have 10-15 new girls join each year and a number who graduate from us and move on. The group will continue long after I cease my involvement, because when there is that scale of activity and personnel, there is momentum and things move forward more easily. I have learned that having a bigger organization is a lot easier than having a small group dependent on a few key adults. Finally, it is undeniably more enjoyable.
Just think, we have 53 girl members and over 100 parents/guardians, 20 non-parent volunteer leaders who regularly assist and 4 adults from our chartered organization church who regularly help us. I run into these 177 people all the time at the store, walking down the street and in other places. When we need 5 people to help with something, we have it immediately. We have 10-15 new girls join each year and a number who graduate from us and move on. The group will continue long after I cease my involvement, because when there is that scale of activity and personnel, there is momentum and things move forward more easily. I have learned that having a bigger organization is a lot easier than having a small group dependent on a few key adults. Finally, it is undeniably more enjoyable.
I’m generally aware of the Chevy Chase Scouts BSA Troop for Girls and understand they have a great program. When our Scouts BSA Troop goes to camp we meet many of the other all-girl Troops in our council and really enjoy sharing thoughts on what works well. This summer at our council’s Camp Olmstead, we were one of the four all-girl Troops present the week we were there. A commonality of these Troops is the monthly campout and significant leadership by adult women, including the outdoor program.
On fundraising, please do not infer criticism of other youth organization fundraising strategies when I share what works for our particular Scout BSA Troop for Girls. Children who successfully sell products and simultaneously fund a good part of their local, council and national organization expenses are doing something that works for those organizations. I just know there would be a different feel to our Troop if we dedicated a significant portion of our time and volunteer activity focused on product sales. At this point in our 4-year history, our parents would not go along with it even if I wanted to do it.
The annual budget for our 53-girl organization is well over $25,000, and every penny of that is directly spent on program in our Troop for our girls. This means we are continuously doing things like rafting, rock climbing, camping and boating, as well as enjoyable indoor things. This budget does not include summer camp and extraordinary summer travel experiences, which are done with stand-alone budgets. Product sales would just never generate sufficient revenue to fuel this girl-led-extravaganza.
On fundraising, please do not infer criticism of other youth organization fundraising strategies when I share what works for our particular Scout BSA Troop for Girls. Children who successfully sell products and simultaneously fund a good part of their local, council and national organization expenses are doing something that works for those organizations. I just know there would be a different feel to our Troop if we dedicated a significant portion of our time and volunteer activity focused on product sales. At this point in our 4-year history, our parents would not go along with it even if I wanted to do it.
The annual budget for our 53-girl organization is well over $25,000, and every penny of that is directly spent on program in our Troop for our girls. This means we are continuously doing things like rafting, rock climbing, camping and boating, as well as enjoyable indoor things. This budget does not include summer camp and extraordinary summer travel experiences, which are done with stand-alone budgets. Product sales would just never generate sufficient revenue to fuel this girl-led-extravaganza.
To the PP on the positive tone of this thread, thanks for this observation. I've also noted the sometimes-harsh and unnecessary tone used in discussing these programs. I'm glad that both programs exist and believe they both do a great job providing very different services for girls. Both programs have come under harsh criticism over the past decade for a variety of reasons (some justified). I just avoid unnecessary comparisons between these programs because they are so different and not really in competition with each other. We just share what has worked for our group and keep things positive. By the way, we have postponed our Open House from this Saturday to the 15th due to the severe weather (see the event postings).
Sorry I have not been able to get to this thread for the past few days, all due to business. It looks like most questions have been answered except for ones from the PP who asked about our fundraising practices.
Our Scouts BSA Troop for Girls does not conduct product sales because that is the overwhelming preference of our parents and girl members. The reasons they provide include a desire to have girls spend 100% of their time on program and not fundraising activities. Many believe product sale fundraising does not raise a sufficient amount to do the “big things” the girls want to experience. We could not conduct monthly campouts and our annual week at summer camp for 53 girls if we had to rely entirely on product sales fundraising.
I have never coordinated a youth product sales fundraising effort, but several of our parents have. These people believe youth product sales fundraising is not a “good deal” because of what they believe are insufficient profit margins that are disproportionate to the efforts required. They still want the girls to have opportunities to interact with adults in a safe environment, so they arrange for our girls to participate in an annual food drive, during which our girls are outside food stores and ask for food pantry contributions. The resulting mountain of food contributions (and, I really mean a mountain) are a testament that the girls are able to be entrepreneurs in this different manner.
We know that we are an outlier with our policy, but after four years of operation, I have come to believe that this is a great way to go. It respects everyone’s interest to concentrate their time on Scouting. And, our dues are reasonable, a great value, and confidentially reduced for our under-resourced families.
Over the past four years I had one (rather wealthy) parent suggest to me that I run a product sales campaign so she could pay less dues for her girl. When I said I would consider it if she were the chair of the effort, the look of horror on her face said it all! Nobody in our group wants to do product sales if there is another way to go.
Our Scouts BSA Troop for Girls does not conduct product sales because that is the overwhelming preference of our parents and girl members. The reasons they provide include a desire to have girls spend 100% of their time on program and not fundraising activities. Many believe product sale fundraising does not raise a sufficient amount to do the “big things” the girls want to experience. We could not conduct monthly campouts and our annual week at summer camp for 53 girls if we had to rely entirely on product sales fundraising.
I have never coordinated a youth product sales fundraising effort, but several of our parents have. These people believe youth product sales fundraising is not a “good deal” because of what they believe are insufficient profit margins that are disproportionate to the efforts required. They still want the girls to have opportunities to interact with adults in a safe environment, so they arrange for our girls to participate in an annual food drive, during which our girls are outside food stores and ask for food pantry contributions. The resulting mountain of food contributions (and, I really mean a mountain) are a testament that the girls are able to be entrepreneurs in this different manner.
We know that we are an outlier with our policy, but after four years of operation, I have come to believe that this is a great way to go. It respects everyone’s interest to concentrate their time on Scouting. And, our dues are reasonable, a great value, and confidentially reduced for our under-resourced families.
Over the past four years I had one (rather wealthy) parent suggest to me that I run a product sales campaign so she could pay less dues for her girl. When I said I would consider it if she were the chair of the effort, the look of horror on her face said it all! Nobody in our group wants to do product sales if there is another way to go.
Thanks for the questions on the scope of Scouts BSA programming.
The Scouts BSA purpose is to teach good decision making and leadership skills. Scouting has chosen the outdoors as its principal classroom, so our girls naturally become quite confident in the outdoors and camping overnight is part of that. However, our experience is that girls arrive at our Troop without much camping experience and with an amount of fear of being outdoors overnight. Most take to it pretty quickly, but this is mainly because they are put into a small “patrol” with other girls who teach them how to do it – and to not be afraid.
I believe girls come to understand the duality of the outdoors. It is impossibly beautiful yet threatening at the same time. They overcome the fear as they follow the examples of the older girls and acquire skills and practices to become physically and psychologically comfortable. There is always a sense of tremendous accomplishment when this happens. Once confidence and competence arrives, the girl next becomes familiar with how to be a leader of others when leading things as simple as the cooking of a patrol’s meal to planning and leading an evening campfire involving 40 other girls. The same process of learning and fine-tuning decision-making and leadership skills take place in meetings, on hikes, during service projects and eventually through exercising elected leadership.
It is probably true that girls who will not camp and become involved in the outdoors will not enjoy being in Scouts BSA. Not every group is for every girl.
As for the remainder of the questions, the BSA “advancement program” provides the service, cultural, career, and hobby side of Scouts BSA programming. When a girl starts out, her first 2 years are generally spent mastering the outdoor, citizenship and Scoutcraft program. When she earns the rank of “First Class Scout”, she has completed the basic curriculum and is able to be self-sustaining in the outdoors. This includes the ability to survive, save lives (first aid, lifesaving, etc.) and be confident as a person. First Class Scouts are neither bullies nor bullied. They are confident, informed young women who stand up for themselves and others. Service projects are required each time a girls wishes to advance a “rank”.
The stem, career and educational side of Scouting is through the merit badge program. Girls earn several “required” merit badges that teach advanced life skills and citizenship. They also earn a number of “optional” merit badges that directly expose them to the broadest array of careers. The curriculum of a merit badge is written by nationally-credentialled non-scouting leaders of an industry or profession. The girls participate in classes and relevant practical experiences. For example, girls in the railroad merit badge actually experience riding in the engine of a train. There are 135 merit badge covering all major careers.
Well, I have probably exhausted you with this explanation, but that is how the program works and “fits together”. When a girl does it all (21 merit badges and a big Eagle Scout project), she becomes an Eagle Scout.
We could easily run this program if we were subsidizing 50% of out youth. This is not a “rich person” program and it is impossibly cheap to operate. And, there are many community leaders who understand it who are willing to step forward with contributions when needed. However, I will share that most of the families I think might be under resourced pay the full dues and fees and do not step forward for a discount. For those families, Troop 248 is all their girl does outside of school and family. These parents have prioritized what their girls are doing. They, more than well-off parents, show up and listen to what we are doing.
The Scouts BSA purpose is to teach good decision making and leadership skills. Scouting has chosen the outdoors as its principal classroom, so our girls naturally become quite confident in the outdoors and camping overnight is part of that. However, our experience is that girls arrive at our Troop without much camping experience and with an amount of fear of being outdoors overnight. Most take to it pretty quickly, but this is mainly because they are put into a small “patrol” with other girls who teach them how to do it – and to not be afraid.
I believe girls come to understand the duality of the outdoors. It is impossibly beautiful yet threatening at the same time. They overcome the fear as they follow the examples of the older girls and acquire skills and practices to become physically and psychologically comfortable. There is always a sense of tremendous accomplishment when this happens. Once confidence and competence arrives, the girl next becomes familiar with how to be a leader of others when leading things as simple as the cooking of a patrol’s meal to planning and leading an evening campfire involving 40 other girls. The same process of learning and fine-tuning decision-making and leadership skills take place in meetings, on hikes, during service projects and eventually through exercising elected leadership.
It is probably true that girls who will not camp and become involved in the outdoors will not enjoy being in Scouts BSA. Not every group is for every girl.
As for the remainder of the questions, the BSA “advancement program” provides the service, cultural, career, and hobby side of Scouts BSA programming. When a girl starts out, her first 2 years are generally spent mastering the outdoor, citizenship and Scoutcraft program. When she earns the rank of “First Class Scout”, she has completed the basic curriculum and is able to be self-sustaining in the outdoors. This includes the ability to survive, save lives (first aid, lifesaving, etc.) and be confident as a person. First Class Scouts are neither bullies nor bullied. They are confident, informed young women who stand up for themselves and others. Service projects are required each time a girls wishes to advance a “rank”.
The stem, career and educational side of Scouting is through the merit badge program. Girls earn several “required” merit badges that teach advanced life skills and citizenship. They also earn a number of “optional” merit badges that directly expose them to the broadest array of careers. The curriculum of a merit badge is written by nationally-credentialled non-scouting leaders of an industry or profession. The girls participate in classes and relevant practical experiences. For example, girls in the railroad merit badge actually experience riding in the engine of a train. There are 135 merit badge covering all major careers.
Well, I have probably exhausted you with this explanation, but that is how the program works and “fits together”. When a girl does it all (21 merit badges and a big Eagle Scout project), she becomes an Eagle Scout.
We could easily run this program if we were subsidizing 50% of out youth. This is not a “rich person” program and it is impossibly cheap to operate. And, there are many community leaders who understand it who are willing to step forward with contributions when needed. However, I will share that most of the families I think might be under resourced pay the full dues and fees and do not step forward for a discount. For those families, Troop 248 is all their girl does outside of school and family. These parents have prioritized what their girls are doing. They, more than well-off parents, show up and listen to what we are doing.
Great additional questions.
The financial arrangements on running a Scout BSA Troop are pretty much up to the people involved in forming and operating it. They open their own bank account and obtain and spend revenue in a normal manner. There aren’t many restrictions on how to raise or spend money as long as the adult Troop Committee oversees the process. Very simple and common sense.
Our Troop Committee carefully added up the many costs involved in running a “best practices” Troop, with the intention that the amount would be recovered on an annual basis through dues. We are a big and very active Troop that provides a rigorous program year-around. So, we developed an “all in” budget that includes: equipment acquisition, maintenance and replacement; cost of tours and special projects; annual national re-registration dues; patches and other advancement recognition items; flags, rope, batteries, plastic storage boxes, snacks for meetings, Scout Handbooks and other Scout program literature, and hundreds of other costs we could remember. Our parents’ thinking is that we do not want to be continuously asking members for small fees and do not want the most involved volunteers (called “Scoutmasters” in Scouts BSA) to be personally paying for things. The actual cost to operate over the course of a year is about $400 per Scout, so we collect this in two installment (in the fall and spring). Families with more than one girl get a 50% discount after the first child.
In addition, we charge $40 for our weekend campouts. This pays for all program, camping fees, and food (Friday snack, Saturday meals and Sunday breakfast). Some of these campouts cost more than and some cost less, but we keep the fee the same to keep things simple.
In total, if a girls attends six campouts and is a member, her annual out of pocket cost will be $640. When I share this figure, some people think it is just outrageous, because they compare this to Scout Troops that only charge minimal national dues (“My girl pays only $47 to our Troop!”). Of course the error in that logic is that they are comparing apples to oranges and not valuing the time not spent doing product sales. I am perfectly proud of our management of the program and would challenge anyone to show where a girl can get an equal best practices experience for anywhere near this figure. I sometimes chuckle when I learn that families often spend more than that in a single weekend on a travel team road trip. So, we are satisfied that we are delivering great value.
As for under-resourced families, all of our families are encouraged to contact either the pastor of our Chartered Organization (sponsor) church or the adult Chair of our Troop Committee if they desire financial assistance with these fees. The answer is always yes and the amount is often to discount the fees by 50% (more if needed). Decisions are made in confidence and the only people who know who receives help are the pastor, Troop Committee Chair, our adult Treasurer and me.
Big, special trips like the one our 14 Scouts and six adults took to New Mexico this summer are done on a special stand-alone budget. These optional, extraordinary opportunities cost upwards of $1,500 each and the participating Scouts involved do special fundraising activities for that specific event. But, this never involves product sales. The Scouts earned about half of the New Mexico fees through their efforts, leaving the remainder to be paid by families. Still, two girls needed financial assistance, which was gladly provided. The BSA also has scholarship monies (called “camperships”) that help with these fees.
The financial arrangements on running a Scout BSA Troop are pretty much up to the people involved in forming and operating it. They open their own bank account and obtain and spend revenue in a normal manner. There aren’t many restrictions on how to raise or spend money as long as the adult Troop Committee oversees the process. Very simple and common sense.
Our Troop Committee carefully added up the many costs involved in running a “best practices” Troop, with the intention that the amount would be recovered on an annual basis through dues. We are a big and very active Troop that provides a rigorous program year-around. So, we developed an “all in” budget that includes: equipment acquisition, maintenance and replacement; cost of tours and special projects; annual national re-registration dues; patches and other advancement recognition items; flags, rope, batteries, plastic storage boxes, snacks for meetings, Scout Handbooks and other Scout program literature, and hundreds of other costs we could remember. Our parents’ thinking is that we do not want to be continuously asking members for small fees and do not want the most involved volunteers (called “Scoutmasters” in Scouts BSA) to be personally paying for things. The actual cost to operate over the course of a year is about $400 per Scout, so we collect this in two installment (in the fall and spring). Families with more than one girl get a 50% discount after the first child.
In addition, we charge $40 for our weekend campouts. This pays for all program, camping fees, and food (Friday snack, Saturday meals and Sunday breakfast). Some of these campouts cost more than and some cost less, but we keep the fee the same to keep things simple.
In total, if a girls attends six campouts and is a member, her annual out of pocket cost will be $640. When I share this figure, some people think it is just outrageous, because they compare this to Scout Troops that only charge minimal national dues (“My girl pays only $47 to our Troop!”). Of course the error in that logic is that they are comparing apples to oranges and not valuing the time not spent doing product sales. I am perfectly proud of our management of the program and would challenge anyone to show where a girl can get an equal best practices experience for anywhere near this figure. I sometimes chuckle when I learn that families often spend more than that in a single weekend on a travel team road trip. So, we are satisfied that we are delivering great value.
As for under-resourced families, all of our families are encouraged to contact either the pastor of our Chartered Organization (sponsor) church or the adult Chair of our Troop Committee if they desire financial assistance with these fees. The answer is always yes and the amount is often to discount the fees by 50% (more if needed). Decisions are made in confidence and the only people who know who receives help are the pastor, Troop Committee Chair, our adult Treasurer and me.
Big, special trips like the one our 14 Scouts and six adults took to New Mexico this summer are done on a special stand-alone budget. These optional, extraordinary opportunities cost upwards of $1,500 each and the participating Scouts involved do special fundraising activities for that specific event. But, this never involves product sales. The Scouts earned about half of the New Mexico fees through their efforts, leaving the remainder to be paid by families. Still, two girls needed financial assistance, which was gladly provided. The BSA also has scholarship monies (called “camperships”) that help with these fees.
Great questions.
The Troop acquired all tents, stoves and other non-personal equipment over the last three years from dues money, contributions from our church and other sources. All girls have to bring is their personal sleeping bag, ground pad and clothing. The bags and pads are inexpensive and of reasonable quality at Wal Mart. Under-resourced families can get free equipment through a local group of BSA volunteers who maintain a warehouse of donated used equipment.
We are a “stand alone” girl Troop, meaning we are at a church where there is no boy Troop. We did this on purpose to assure the focus would be on having a successful all-girl operation. We recruit the girls during open houses and find only about 20% have a brother in an all-boy Troop. Some of our girls are also in Girl Scouts.
We have no problem recruiting adult volunteers, including many with outdoor experience. I believe this is because we are large-scale. Just think of it – we have over 100 parents, so a good number are going to have whatever talent or capability the girls might need. Small Troops with 10 members and a few adults are vulnerable organizations that lack the depth. We also do not over-use our volunteers. People are asked to do only one thing. We never “double-up” assignments with our people. We also start our monthly adult Zoom call precisely on time, so we never, ever waste anyone’s time.
We have no problem recruiting girls at age 10 – 12, which is our ideal “joining age”. I think this is because our families tell us that 10-Noon on Saturdays is open time for these girls.
We started our Troop by conducting 4 focus groups in the District of adults we thought had children who should be interested in joining. We recruited 12 adults from those gatherings and have maintained a reasonable growth since then. It was driven by a few individuals, but soon became a multi-family effort. Today we have over 30 of our families contributing to the operations in some meaningful way beyond our minimal requirements (see below). A few are deeply involved, but the rest just do their part a couple of times a year. Girl Troops that are affiliated with Boy Troops need to operate as separately as possible, including different campouts and events. Otherwise the adult committee gets combined into a big blob that sometimes favors the interests of the boys. The committee can be shared, but the programs are supposed to be operated separately.
Our typical weekend campout usually has about one adult for every 5 youth. In Scouts BSA, there is no particular ratio required, but there must be female leaders. We are a majority female group of volunteers, so this is not a problem.
Our typical 2-hour meeting is structured so that our youth “Senior Patrol Leader” leads it all with her eight appointed assistants. This includes program skill instruction, meetings of the sub-group “patrols” to plan how each sub-group will cook on the next campout, games, presentations by visitors, and planning time to determine upcoming events. We also present awards for Scouts who have advanced ranks or earned merit badges. Girl Troops have the capacity to meet for longer time periods and should. That is why we meet twice each month for a longer time. Our elected youth leaders show up to our meetings at 9 AM once a month to have their leadership and planning meeting.
53 girls is not a lot. This is because we break them into four sub-groups called “patrols”. Each patrol has adult advisors and does some things independently of the other patrols. We often have competitions between them. The patrols are scrambled in every way. We mix ages and schools so everyone learns to get along with others. The older girls become role models.
Most girls attend about 2/3 of our camping events. When you are putting on an event every month (except December and August), you get on a roll and it becomes a system. Again, this is something that larger groups can pull off more easily than 10 youth and a few adults. It would just not work without wearing out the involved people.
Parents are required to help run two events per year (meeting, campout or service project). They are required to car pool. They are required to pay dues and event fees. They are required to make some contribution (the amount I up to them) to help pay for our under-resourced girl participants.
The Troop acquired all tents, stoves and other non-personal equipment over the last three years from dues money, contributions from our church and other sources. All girls have to bring is their personal sleeping bag, ground pad and clothing. The bags and pads are inexpensive and of reasonable quality at Wal Mart. Under-resourced families can get free equipment through a local group of BSA volunteers who maintain a warehouse of donated used equipment.
We are a “stand alone” girl Troop, meaning we are at a church where there is no boy Troop. We did this on purpose to assure the focus would be on having a successful all-girl operation. We recruit the girls during open houses and find only about 20% have a brother in an all-boy Troop. Some of our girls are also in Girl Scouts.
We have no problem recruiting adult volunteers, including many with outdoor experience. I believe this is because we are large-scale. Just think of it – we have over 100 parents, so a good number are going to have whatever talent or capability the girls might need. Small Troops with 10 members and a few adults are vulnerable organizations that lack the depth. We also do not over-use our volunteers. People are asked to do only one thing. We never “double-up” assignments with our people. We also start our monthly adult Zoom call precisely on time, so we never, ever waste anyone’s time.
We have no problem recruiting girls at age 10 – 12, which is our ideal “joining age”. I think this is because our families tell us that 10-Noon on Saturdays is open time for these girls.
We started our Troop by conducting 4 focus groups in the District of adults we thought had children who should be interested in joining. We recruited 12 adults from those gatherings and have maintained a reasonable growth since then. It was driven by a few individuals, but soon became a multi-family effort. Today we have over 30 of our families contributing to the operations in some meaningful way beyond our minimal requirements (see below). A few are deeply involved, but the rest just do their part a couple of times a year. Girl Troops that are affiliated with Boy Troops need to operate as separately as possible, including different campouts and events. Otherwise the adult committee gets combined into a big blob that sometimes favors the interests of the boys. The committee can be shared, but the programs are supposed to be operated separately.
Our typical weekend campout usually has about one adult for every 5 youth. In Scouts BSA, there is no particular ratio required, but there must be female leaders. We are a majority female group of volunteers, so this is not a problem.
Our typical 2-hour meeting is structured so that our youth “Senior Patrol Leader” leads it all with her eight appointed assistants. This includes program skill instruction, meetings of the sub-group “patrols” to plan how each sub-group will cook on the next campout, games, presentations by visitors, and planning time to determine upcoming events. We also present awards for Scouts who have advanced ranks or earned merit badges. Girl Troops have the capacity to meet for longer time periods and should. That is why we meet twice each month for a longer time. Our elected youth leaders show up to our meetings at 9 AM once a month to have their leadership and planning meeting.
53 girls is not a lot. This is because we break them into four sub-groups called “patrols”. Each patrol has adult advisors and does some things independently of the other patrols. We often have competitions between them. The patrols are scrambled in every way. We mix ages and schools so everyone learns to get along with others. The older girls become role models.
Most girls attend about 2/3 of our camping events. When you are putting on an event every month (except December and August), you get on a roll and it becomes a system. Again, this is something that larger groups can pull off more easily than 10 youth and a few adults. It would just not work without wearing out the involved people.
Parents are required to help run two events per year (meeting, campout or service project). They are required to car pool. They are required to pay dues and event fees. They are required to make some contribution (the amount I up to them) to help pay for our under-resourced girl participants.
Dear Friends,
Regular readers of DCUM know I occasionally post a comment to answer questions about the all-girl program known as “Scouts BSA”. I’ve been the Scoutmaster of our all-girl Scouts BSA Troop for Girls since it was formed in 2018. There are no co-ed Troops in the BSA, only all-girl or all-boy Troops. Our Troop has become a well-known and large (53 girls) organization that meets on Saturday mornings at All Souls Episcopal Church, near the National Zoo. We have our annual Open House this Saturday posted in the events section of this site, so I will not discuss that. The purpose of this posting is to answer any questions you have about what is available in Scouts BSA for girls in particular and how it works. My responses may refer to what our group does, but I will also generalize to what the 85 other Scouts BSA Troops for Girls do in the DMV.
To summarize, our group meets on two Saturday mornings each month and goes on a Friday – Sunday campout every month, except for December. We go to a week-long summer camp near the Shenandoah Mountains in late June as a group. Some of our most-experienced girls go backpacking instead, such as the 14 who backpacked 75 miles through the historic Philmont Scout Reservation this just-completed summer. We have 26 women and men who volunteer to assist this girl-led group and we strictly follow the youth protection regulations of the Episcopal Church and BSA. Our parents choose not to have their girls engage in product sales, so we are funded entirely on break-even dues and event fees that pay the cost of operations. We hold a simple coffee reception each year to raise funds to help under-resourced families pay the cost of their participation.
Girls follow the identical iconic BSA advancement system. After nearly four years of operation, I can share from experience that the program perfectly serves the interests of girls. Four of our girls have earned the Eagle Scout Rank, and I expect we will have a similar number this academic year.
Girls can join Scouts BSA Troops for Girls from age 11 through 17 (or, they can join at age 10 if they have finished 5th grade). Our group has an even representation from age 11 through high school, which provides older girl examples to follow.
There are many other organizations and activities serving the interests of girls. There are also many historic downfalls and mistakes of the BSA and other organizations. Because those topics have been exhaustively discussed on postings these past several years, I’m asking that this posting focus on what we do and how we do it. I invite those who want to debate the relative merits of organizations and review the tragedies of the past to start their own postings.
I’ll try to check in on questions a couple of time a day for as long as there is interest.
Regular readers of DCUM know I occasionally post a comment to answer questions about the all-girl program known as “Scouts BSA”. I’ve been the Scoutmaster of our all-girl Scouts BSA Troop for Girls since it was formed in 2018. There are no co-ed Troops in the BSA, only all-girl or all-boy Troops. Our Troop has become a well-known and large (53 girls) organization that meets on Saturday mornings at All Souls Episcopal Church, near the National Zoo. We have our annual Open House this Saturday posted in the events section of this site, so I will not discuss that. The purpose of this posting is to answer any questions you have about what is available in Scouts BSA for girls in particular and how it works. My responses may refer to what our group does, but I will also generalize to what the 85 other Scouts BSA Troops for Girls do in the DMV.
To summarize, our group meets on two Saturday mornings each month and goes on a Friday – Sunday campout every month, except for December. We go to a week-long summer camp near the Shenandoah Mountains in late June as a group. Some of our most-experienced girls go backpacking instead, such as the 14 who backpacked 75 miles through the historic Philmont Scout Reservation this just-completed summer. We have 26 women and men who volunteer to assist this girl-led group and we strictly follow the youth protection regulations of the Episcopal Church and BSA. Our parents choose not to have their girls engage in product sales, so we are funded entirely on break-even dues and event fees that pay the cost of operations. We hold a simple coffee reception each year to raise funds to help under-resourced families pay the cost of their participation.
Girls follow the identical iconic BSA advancement system. After nearly four years of operation, I can share from experience that the program perfectly serves the interests of girls. Four of our girls have earned the Eagle Scout Rank, and I expect we will have a similar number this academic year.
Girls can join Scouts BSA Troops for Girls from age 11 through 17 (or, they can join at age 10 if they have finished 5th grade). Our group has an even representation from age 11 through high school, which provides older girl examples to follow.
There are many other organizations and activities serving the interests of girls. There are also many historic downfalls and mistakes of the BSA and other organizations. Because those topics have been exhaustively discussed on postings these past several years, I’m asking that this posting focus on what we do and how we do it. I invite those who want to debate the relative merits of organizations and review the tragedies of the past to start their own postings.
I’ll try to check in on questions a couple of time a day for as long as there is interest.
Parents of Cub Scouts and Scouts BSA girls have a variety of different involvements available to them ranging from minimal to regular time commitments. Scouting programs linked to the BSA are indeed “family” programs, because parents are involved in occasional transportation of Scouts, attend award ceremonies and closely follow the activities of their girls. Parents who want no engagement or contact with their girl’s youth service organization should probably look elsewhere. That said, our group will take any girl without regard to the willingness of parents to directly assist.
Time Commitment
Interested Parents (minimum time commitment). All of our parents provide transportation to or from campouts on a car-pool basis, attend our semester award ceremonies and participate in occasional 30-minute Zoom calls for parents whereby we review upcoming activity plans and answer questions. We require our parents to be involved in at least this minimum level so they understand what the girls are doing and thereby participate in program oversight.
Committee Members (4-8 hours per month). About 1/3 of our parents serve on the adult Troop Committee and help with financial management, membership, program or advancement issues. These meetings take place exclusively on Zoom. These parents provide core parent input and oversight to the Scoutmasters, who work directly with the Scouts. These people register as adult members of the BSA and take the youth protection training. Because they are trained in anti-abuse methods, they qualify to be chaperones (along with the Scoutmasters) for Troop activities.
Merit Badge Counselors (10-20 hours per year). These parents teach small groups of Scouts focused subject matter. They typically present a merit badge course once a year. For instance, an accountant parent might teach the accounting merit badge once a year to a group of 4 Scouts.
Scoutmasters (15-40 hours per month). These women and men are highly-trained BSA members who work directly with groups of Scouts in helping them plan and execute their activities. They provide a bulk of the outdoor instruction, although some focus on non-outdoor leadership instruction. We have 11 Scoutmasters and 2/3 are parents. It is a majority-female group, as is the above-mentioned Committee. To prevent the youth abuse that took place in the past, these individuals are trained in youth abuse recognition and prevention, thoroughly vetted and always work in pairs.
Reading these involvement descriptions gives you a partial idea of how a Scouts BSA Troop for Girls operates. Cub Scout organization have similar parent involvement structures tailored to that younger-girl program.
Fund Raising
In our Scouts BSA Troop for Girls the young people do not sell products. No candy bar, popcorn, or anything else. We structure all-in Troop dues and some event fees to pay essential operating costs. For Scouts whose families cannot pay the entire dues or activity fees, we have an annual quiet fundraising coffee to raise this. Every girl can participate in every activity regardless of ability to pay. Our parents consistently tell us they want their girls’ time focused on Scouting program and not product sales. There are other valid ways to fund youth service organizations for girls, and I certainly admire them all.
Time Commitment
Interested Parents (minimum time commitment). All of our parents provide transportation to or from campouts on a car-pool basis, attend our semester award ceremonies and participate in occasional 30-minute Zoom calls for parents whereby we review upcoming activity plans and answer questions. We require our parents to be involved in at least this minimum level so they understand what the girls are doing and thereby participate in program oversight.
Committee Members (4-8 hours per month). About 1/3 of our parents serve on the adult Troop Committee and help with financial management, membership, program or advancement issues. These meetings take place exclusively on Zoom. These parents provide core parent input and oversight to the Scoutmasters, who work directly with the Scouts. These people register as adult members of the BSA and take the youth protection training. Because they are trained in anti-abuse methods, they qualify to be chaperones (along with the Scoutmasters) for Troop activities.
Merit Badge Counselors (10-20 hours per year). These parents teach small groups of Scouts focused subject matter. They typically present a merit badge course once a year. For instance, an accountant parent might teach the accounting merit badge once a year to a group of 4 Scouts.
Scoutmasters (15-40 hours per month). These women and men are highly-trained BSA members who work directly with groups of Scouts in helping them plan and execute their activities. They provide a bulk of the outdoor instruction, although some focus on non-outdoor leadership instruction. We have 11 Scoutmasters and 2/3 are parents. It is a majority-female group, as is the above-mentioned Committee. To prevent the youth abuse that took place in the past, these individuals are trained in youth abuse recognition and prevention, thoroughly vetted and always work in pairs.
Reading these involvement descriptions gives you a partial idea of how a Scouts BSA Troop for Girls operates. Cub Scout organization have similar parent involvement structures tailored to that younger-girl program.
Fund Raising
In our Scouts BSA Troop for Girls the young people do not sell products. No candy bar, popcorn, or anything else. We structure all-in Troop dues and some event fees to pay essential operating costs. For Scouts whose families cannot pay the entire dues or activity fees, we have an annual quiet fundraising coffee to raise this. Every girl can participate in every activity regardless of ability to pay. Our parents consistently tell us they want their girls’ time focused on Scouting program and not product sales. There are other valid ways to fund youth service organizations for girls, and I certainly admire them all.
Cub Scouts and Girl Scouts are quite different in many ways. You should examine both programs carefully before joining either. I’m lead Scoutmaster of the 53-member all-girl Scouts BSA Troop in the District. We have over 25 women and men involved with our Troop. Those who pay attention to Scouting-related postings on this site will recall that I hosted detailed discussions a few years ago when the former “Boy Scout” program became “Scouts BSA” and began all-girl operations. I just noticed this thread and read through the comments, many of which are illuminating. I won’t repeat my thoughts of a few years ago, but wanted to state basic facts for readers.
The Cub Scout program (for girls and boys age 5-11 is operated on the basis where small subgroup “Dens” of 8-12 youth meet fairly regularly. These groups are segregated by girls and boys, and the BSA is entirely welcoming of LGBTQ youth and adults. If a child identifies one way or another, just fine. There is no one-on-one parent-to-child requirement of any type, so the poster on that matter might not have the full understanding of how Cub Scouts currently works. My wife and I helped form and run an all-girl “Den” about four years ago when they were first allowed. We had a wonderful time with our daughter and many of her friends. Now, hundreds of all-girl Dens are all over metropolitan DC and can be located on the “BeAScout.org” web site.
The small “Dens” get together occasionally as a larger “Pack”, when there can be some informal interaction with the all-boy Dens, but these are pretty infrequent (monthly in some cases). While members of the BSA are asked to confirm belief in a higher power, that is about it. There is no person going around administering litmus tests on that. Like society in general, the BSA went through its process of eliminating the “don’t ask don’t tell” policy it first adopted in the late 70s. These issues are “old news” to people familiar with the BSA in the DC area. My old postings go into elaborate detail about these issues, what happened and why.
In just three years since forming, our Scouts BSA Troop for Girls in the District has become a respected institution. This is the program formerly known as “Boy Scouts” for youth age 10.5-18 years of age. Our 53 diverse girl members, 25 women and men adult volunteers, 106 supporting parents and the wonderful Episcopal Church parish that is chartered to provide the program provide astounding experiences and character development. Hard to believe, but this behemoth of an organization with a $60,000 annual budget is run by a high school freshman who became the District’s first female Scouts BSA Eagle Scout. We have three Eagle Scouts so far. If you want to see what one Scouts BSA Troop looks like, you can examine our web site at ScoutsBsaDcGirls.org.
My experience is that girls join a Scouts BSA Troop to accept leadership challenges involved and experience the outdoors in a comprehensive manner. I’m certain that no other youth organization for girls in DC exceeds the variety and regularity of outdoor activity our youth leaders plan. While we are a bit larger than some Scouts BSA Troops near us, we are not unusual in offering these leadership challenges and outdoor experiences.
You should visit and discuss what is offered by the Scouting-oriented all-girl organizations that are near you. While I don’t know much about it, I am very happy the Girl Scouts are so strong and well run in our area. We have several former Girl Scouts that have joined our Scouts BSA Troop for a variety of reasons, but no person on this site (including me) evidences the requisite knowledge to meaningfully compare these two entirely different programs with vastly different activities, objectives, business models and parent interfaces. What I can say is that in our metropolitan area, Cub Scouts and Scouts BSA operate at the highest possible level of program quality with very strict youth protection standards. Good luck with your exploration of Scouting for your girl. I hope she joins a Girl Scout or Cub Scout organization, and maybe later considers Scouts BSA. The time you spend evaluating her options is merited, because you may be choosing for her to spend many years with one of these programs, and they are quite different.
The Cub Scout program (for girls and boys age 5-11 is operated on the basis where small subgroup “Dens” of 8-12 youth meet fairly regularly. These groups are segregated by girls and boys, and the BSA is entirely welcoming of LGBTQ youth and adults. If a child identifies one way or another, just fine. There is no one-on-one parent-to-child requirement of any type, so the poster on that matter might not have the full understanding of how Cub Scouts currently works. My wife and I helped form and run an all-girl “Den” about four years ago when they were first allowed. We had a wonderful time with our daughter and many of her friends. Now, hundreds of all-girl Dens are all over metropolitan DC and can be located on the “BeAScout.org” web site.
The small “Dens” get together occasionally as a larger “Pack”, when there can be some informal interaction with the all-boy Dens, but these are pretty infrequent (monthly in some cases). While members of the BSA are asked to confirm belief in a higher power, that is about it. There is no person going around administering litmus tests on that. Like society in general, the BSA went through its process of eliminating the “don’t ask don’t tell” policy it first adopted in the late 70s. These issues are “old news” to people familiar with the BSA in the DC area. My old postings go into elaborate detail about these issues, what happened and why.
In just three years since forming, our Scouts BSA Troop for Girls in the District has become a respected institution. This is the program formerly known as “Boy Scouts” for youth age 10.5-18 years of age. Our 53 diverse girl members, 25 women and men adult volunteers, 106 supporting parents and the wonderful Episcopal Church parish that is chartered to provide the program provide astounding experiences and character development. Hard to believe, but this behemoth of an organization with a $60,000 annual budget is run by a high school freshman who became the District’s first female Scouts BSA Eagle Scout. We have three Eagle Scouts so far. If you want to see what one Scouts BSA Troop looks like, you can examine our web site at ScoutsBsaDcGirls.org.
My experience is that girls join a Scouts BSA Troop to accept leadership challenges involved and experience the outdoors in a comprehensive manner. I’m certain that no other youth organization for girls in DC exceeds the variety and regularity of outdoor activity our youth leaders plan. While we are a bit larger than some Scouts BSA Troops near us, we are not unusual in offering these leadership challenges and outdoor experiences.
You should visit and discuss what is offered by the Scouting-oriented all-girl organizations that are near you. While I don’t know much about it, I am very happy the Girl Scouts are so strong and well run in our area. We have several former Girl Scouts that have joined our Scouts BSA Troop for a variety of reasons, but no person on this site (including me) evidences the requisite knowledge to meaningfully compare these two entirely different programs with vastly different activities, objectives, business models and parent interfaces. What I can say is that in our metropolitan area, Cub Scouts and Scouts BSA operate at the highest possible level of program quality with very strict youth protection standards. Good luck with your exploration of Scouting for your girl. I hope she joins a Girl Scout or Cub Scout organization, and maybe later considers Scouts BSA. The time you spend evaluating her options is merited, because you may be choosing for her to spend many years with one of these programs, and they are quite different.
I'm a classical music lover, played violin which I was a child and have visited both camps as an adult. A huge BSA Scout Reservation is very close to Blue Lake and my family stays in cabins at a nice family camp there every July. We always make a point to stop by Blue Lake and take in a student performance. They do not attempt to portray themselves as an Interlochen-style operation. That said, I observe the program to be of high quality, the facilities to be very nice and the students to be quite happy. My daughter plays flute in her school band in DC and I would be happy to send her there.
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.
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.
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.
I agree with “long time GS Leader”. Both organizations have great merits in our society and only parents and youth who have examined both can decide in an informed manner. A long-time BSA leader myself who is on the front lines of our formation of a Scouts BSA Troop for Girls, I have to observe that I have yet to hear claims of program superiority by BSA folks. In our Troop, we have several girls who appreciate the differences, and belong to both organizations.
Scoutmaster’s Thoughts on Abuse
I’m the Scoutmaster of the Scouts BSA Troop for girls in Washington, DC who has commented extensively on this site. You can read the previous lengthy postings if you are curious about how Scouts BSA Troop 248 for girls operates.
As an initial matter, our majority-female Troop Committee and Scoutmaster staff strictly observes the current Youth Protection regulations of the BSA and the Episcopal Church. These are publicly posted on our Troop web site and are quite rigorous. I am happy to engage in a separate discussion string regarding how the system works and what those requirements are.
I thought I would let the discussion play out a bit before I jumped-in to provide supplemental information. The postings so far demonstrate great concern about the numbers discussed in the media and this is good. Youth abuse is one of those topics where “we can’t allow a single instance” is really true.
Most people reading this blog are looking for opportunities for their young people to have safe, fulfilling activities. Our society has consistent instances of youth abuse — that is just a fact. We look around us and see it occur in schools, churches and youth groups. Having been on the front lines of youth service organizations for a lifetime, my position is not to trust any organization — but to understand and, if appropriate, trust the individuals and ground level group. Always meet individually with at least a couple of the adult leaders to take their personality measure and understand how that group implements whatever youth protection rules apply to them. This includes teachers and coaches of school activities. Yes, most organizations have rules somewhere — it is the regular and transparent enforcement of those rules that counts in weighing the safety of your child.
In our Scouts BSA Troop this plays out as follows. Each potential adult volunteer not only has to subject to a criminal background check and take the 2-hour youth protection course, but must also meet with us individually for at least an hour to explore the background, interests and motivations of the person. Each parent attends youth protection orientation and is required to discuss these issues with their own child. We check that this has occurred. Then, each and every activity is examined in advance to assure ourselves that we have the sufficient number of certified and cleared adult leaders to assure no child is ever alone without at least 2 leaders in proximity. Our notes to parents are replete with references to our policies and confirmation that we have arranged for sufficient youth protection coverage. This is what parents must come to an understanding of when evaluating the “trust” topic of this posting.
The BSA has experienced instances of youth abuse as have schools, churches, athletic teams and other organizations. When I was a Scout in the 70’s, the only policy youth service organizations had was, I guess, whatever they thought made “common sense”. This usually relied on the individual leaders and parents to become aware of a problem and take action. That usually meant throwing the person out of the group, not letting the person back in and in limited instances informing law enforcement or the applicable child services agency. If we apply today’s standards and what we know now to that time, we instantly know more and different things should have been done. In the specific case of the BSA, back then the local-council leadership and employees were to evaluate the situation and if indicated took the above kinds of actions. If they took action, they reported it to the BSA national office, which put the person on its “ineligible volunteer” list. It is the unfortunate events combined with the existence and use of that list which has triggered the litigation we now see.
While beyond the scope of this brief note, it is accurate to summarize that the BSA came to an understanding that it had to take a dramatically different approach in the early 1980’s, and began directly implementing better youth protection measures which are now considered the leading national standard. Instances of youth abuse diminished to a trace-level after that. Despite extensive measures, nothing will keep every evil perpetrator of this horrible crime from our youth service organizations, so there will be a low number of crimes that have occurred since then. Consequently, the names of reported individuals and the related incidents pre-date the change. Broadly-speaking, participants in BSA programs experience violations at a trace-level. Evil perpetrators know this and focus their criminal activities elsewhere where the is little or no vigilance.
The BSA can, should and unavoidably will participate in providing a sense of justice to those who were harmed. It has been sued through the years and has paid millions in settlements when juries have found it did not sufficiently protect a young person. Now that states are eliminating the laws that required lawsuits to be filed within a certain time after the abuse event, there will be a cascade of lawsuits presenting allegations as far back as the 40’s. Most of the cases will relate to events from the early 80’s or before. The circumstance is that the sums juries will Award victims would vastly exceed by many factors the entire value of properties and endowments the BSA has, and the organization would cease to exist.
The question therefore is: shall BSA programming be terminated and denied to current and future youth because of the incidents of the early 80’s and before? Some on this blog might be expected to desire this outcome based on a wish to eliminate this risk. Others have presented unrelated views based on recent membership policy changes or disappointment that the BSA is now offering programming to elementary-secondary aged girls. These other views have been vigorously debated on earlier postings, so I will not discuss those views.
My judgement, based on direct experience, is that BSA programming is fundamentally safe, appropriate and popular with youth and parents and should be continued in its current safe format. There will be even more enhancements to the youth protection program as more is learned through the lawsuit proceedings and a likely financial reorganization bankruptcy filing.
A financial reorganization bankruptcy is the best way to go in order to provide justice to as many as possible and in order to allow the BSA to keep what it needs to continue providing safe programming. It will allow everyone aggrieved to file claims on a national basis, have the BSA marshal assets to fund the claims, and keep only what it needs. It will cause more of the award amounts to go to more victims and substantially less to trial attorneys. The alternative is the termination of the BSA and payments a limited number who filed their lawsuits first.
The BSA is a sound organization with very good intentions. We argue about its program because we value our children. This is good.
I’m the Scoutmaster of the Scouts BSA Troop for girls in Washington, DC who has commented extensively on this site. You can read the previous lengthy postings if you are curious about how Scouts BSA Troop 248 for girls operates.
As an initial matter, our majority-female Troop Committee and Scoutmaster staff strictly observes the current Youth Protection regulations of the BSA and the Episcopal Church. These are publicly posted on our Troop web site and are quite rigorous. I am happy to engage in a separate discussion string regarding how the system works and what those requirements are.
I thought I would let the discussion play out a bit before I jumped-in to provide supplemental information. The postings so far demonstrate great concern about the numbers discussed in the media and this is good. Youth abuse is one of those topics where “we can’t allow a single instance” is really true.
Most people reading this blog are looking for opportunities for their young people to have safe, fulfilling activities. Our society has consistent instances of youth abuse — that is just a fact. We look around us and see it occur in schools, churches and youth groups. Having been on the front lines of youth service organizations for a lifetime, my position is not to trust any organization — but to understand and, if appropriate, trust the individuals and ground level group. Always meet individually with at least a couple of the adult leaders to take their personality measure and understand how that group implements whatever youth protection rules apply to them. This includes teachers and coaches of school activities. Yes, most organizations have rules somewhere — it is the regular and transparent enforcement of those rules that counts in weighing the safety of your child.
In our Scouts BSA Troop this plays out as follows. Each potential adult volunteer not only has to subject to a criminal background check and take the 2-hour youth protection course, but must also meet with us individually for at least an hour to explore the background, interests and motivations of the person. Each parent attends youth protection orientation and is required to discuss these issues with their own child. We check that this has occurred. Then, each and every activity is examined in advance to assure ourselves that we have the sufficient number of certified and cleared adult leaders to assure no child is ever alone without at least 2 leaders in proximity. Our notes to parents are replete with references to our policies and confirmation that we have arranged for sufficient youth protection coverage. This is what parents must come to an understanding of when evaluating the “trust” topic of this posting.
The BSA has experienced instances of youth abuse as have schools, churches, athletic teams and other organizations. When I was a Scout in the 70’s, the only policy youth service organizations had was, I guess, whatever they thought made “common sense”. This usually relied on the individual leaders and parents to become aware of a problem and take action. That usually meant throwing the person out of the group, not letting the person back in and in limited instances informing law enforcement or the applicable child services agency. If we apply today’s standards and what we know now to that time, we instantly know more and different things should have been done. In the specific case of the BSA, back then the local-council leadership and employees were to evaluate the situation and if indicated took the above kinds of actions. If they took action, they reported it to the BSA national office, which put the person on its “ineligible volunteer” list. It is the unfortunate events combined with the existence and use of that list which has triggered the litigation we now see.
While beyond the scope of this brief note, it is accurate to summarize that the BSA came to an understanding that it had to take a dramatically different approach in the early 1980’s, and began directly implementing better youth protection measures which are now considered the leading national standard. Instances of youth abuse diminished to a trace-level after that. Despite extensive measures, nothing will keep every evil perpetrator of this horrible crime from our youth service organizations, so there will be a low number of crimes that have occurred since then. Consequently, the names of reported individuals and the related incidents pre-date the change. Broadly-speaking, participants in BSA programs experience violations at a trace-level. Evil perpetrators know this and focus their criminal activities elsewhere where the is little or no vigilance.
The BSA can, should and unavoidably will participate in providing a sense of justice to those who were harmed. It has been sued through the years and has paid millions in settlements when juries have found it did not sufficiently protect a young person. Now that states are eliminating the laws that required lawsuits to be filed within a certain time after the abuse event, there will be a cascade of lawsuits presenting allegations as far back as the 40’s. Most of the cases will relate to events from the early 80’s or before. The circumstance is that the sums juries will Award victims would vastly exceed by many factors the entire value of properties and endowments the BSA has, and the organization would cease to exist.
The question therefore is: shall BSA programming be terminated and denied to current and future youth because of the incidents of the early 80’s and before? Some on this blog might be expected to desire this outcome based on a wish to eliminate this risk. Others have presented unrelated views based on recent membership policy changes or disappointment that the BSA is now offering programming to elementary-secondary aged girls. These other views have been vigorously debated on earlier postings, so I will not discuss those views.
My judgement, based on direct experience, is that BSA programming is fundamentally safe, appropriate and popular with youth and parents and should be continued in its current safe format. There will be even more enhancements to the youth protection program as more is learned through the lawsuit proceedings and a likely financial reorganization bankruptcy filing.
A financial reorganization bankruptcy is the best way to go in order to provide justice to as many as possible and in order to allow the BSA to keep what it needs to continue providing safe programming. It will allow everyone aggrieved to file claims on a national basis, have the BSA marshal assets to fund the claims, and keep only what it needs. It will cause more of the award amounts to go to more victims and substantially less to trial attorneys. The alternative is the termination of the BSA and payments a limited number who filed their lawsuits first.
The BSA is a sound organization with very good intentions. We argue about its program because we value our children. This is good.