Reply to Scoutmaster of Scouts BSA Troop 248 for Girls Answers your Questions

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[quote=cburkhardt]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.
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