Anonymous wrote:I am a Lifetime Girl Scout. Girl Scouting is an excellent organization, and I have worked for and with them in several states. There are weak spots in any large organization, and the troop leader in the earlier years does have a large impact on the troop experience, however, GSUSA has put a real emphasis on encouraging many parents of troop members to participate in leading the girls. You can always leave a troop that isn’t a good fit and find another.

Girl Scouting offers girls a chance to try new things, to gain skills, to work cooperatively with others, and to have fun and be accepted for who they are.

Girl Scouting offers older girls so many unique experiences, from travel both in the US and overseas, to participating as a delegate to local and national conventions, and as a participant in outdoor experiences that all serve to build girls of courage, confidence, and character.

Girl Scout resident camps are safe, relatively affordable, and accept non-Scouts. I, and later my daughter, have had the chance to take whitewater canoe trips, ride horseback for overnights in the mountains, kayak in the most beautiful areas of our country, and cook meals over a campfire before crawling into a tent.

It is what you make of it.

Is Girl Scouts now open to boys too?

Anonymous wrote:Totally depends on the troop leaders and willingness of other parents to help. The troop leaders can’t do everything. If you are looking for an activity to drop your kid off and never participate, this isn’t it.

Corporate GS is pretty terrible. They rely too much on volunteers for key roles and then getting basic troop task done (such as managing money) can be difficult. I don’t know where all the money goes because they provide zero value to me as a troop leader. Website is terrible.

Why is corporate GS doing anything with your troop money? Once your account is initially authorized and set up, it should be totally in the control of the three local volunteers.
Yes, the website is terrible.

I was a 12 year girl scout and now I'm my 5th grade daughter's leader.
I love so much about girl scouts. I gave me so much confidence and new experiences as a girl (and my first job!)
For my daughter, it's her one awesome activity. She's tried a few different sports and other clubs, but she's found a great group of friends at Girl Scouts.
SO far this year our troop has gone camping, done archery, served dinner at a homeless shelter, tried (and failed) to see the green comet, plus our normal meetings where the girls lead each other through badges. We also have ice skating, kayaking, and another archery day planned for this spring.

BUT... the wonderful and terrible thing about girl scouts is that it's an extremely flexible program. You can have a completely legitimate troop that never once goes outside, but focuses on STEM or art activities. And you can have a troop that camps every month and goes to GIRL fest high adventure camp and to national convention. And you can have a completely legitimate troop that never sells cookies. And you can have a completely legitimate troop that turns cookies into a huge marketing/business curriculum.

So is it "worth it" - that totally depends on your troop. It's about the cheapest program your kid can do, so give it a try! And consider becoming a leader or outdoor trained volunteer or first aider os something to help your child have the best possible experience.

No, don’t do it. The projects aren’t educational or even worth while experiences, and the moms are annoying.

GS is terrible. Very cliquey and has a mean girls vibe to it. There's too much emphasis on selling product as well to raise money.

Totally depends on the troop leaders and willingness of other parents to help. The troop leaders can’t do everything. If you are looking for an activity to drop your kid off and never participate, this isn’t it.

Corporate GS is pretty terrible. They rely too much on volunteers for key roles and then getting basic troop task done (such as managing money) can be difficult. I don’t know where all the money goes because they provide zero value to me as a troop leader. Website is terrible.

It 100% depends on the volunteers who lead the troops. My older daughter's troop leaders are amazing. My younger daughter's troop leaders are meh. I can say that, I am one of her troop leaders. It is a lot of work, and the three of us that do the majority of the work for the troop all work full time in demanding jobs. Other parents won't volunteer. None of us wants to go camping.

Anonymous wrote:If it's a religious group becareful with the abusers

You’re confusing Girl Scouts with Boy Scouts. Girl Scouts doesn’t have the religious component or history of sex abuse cover ups that BSA does.

If it's a religious group becareful with the abusers

PP back to add: GS is heavily dependent on volunteers. You don't have to be a troop leader but if you can't see yourself volunteering in some capacity you will likely be disappointed in your DD's experience.

The above is spot on. I'm also a lifelong member and my DD is currently a junior. We both have had great experiences. I believe the people who say they didn't, though.

There are some frustrating aspects to the national and regional orgs (will they ever build a good website?) but it offers some great experiences and the camps are fantastic. FWIW, I am also a product of all-girls school and think single sex spaces are really important.

I am a Lifetime Girl Scout. Girl Scouting is an excellent organization, and I have worked for and with them in several states. There are weak spots in any large organization, and the troop leader in the earlier years does have a large impact on the troop experience, however, GSUSA has put a real emphasis on encouraging many parents of troop members to participate in leading the girls. You can always leave a troop that isn’t a good fit and find another.

Girl Scouting offers girls a chance to try new things, to gain skills, to work cooperatively with others, and to have fun and be accepted for who they are.

Girl Scouting offers older girls so many unique experiences, from travel both in the US and overseas, to participating as a delegate to local and national conventions, and as a participant in outdoor experiences that all serve to build girls of courage, confidence, and character.

Girl Scout resident camps are safe, relatively affordable, and accept non-Scouts. I, and later my daughter, have had the chance to take whitewater canoe trips, ride horseback for overnights in the mountains, kayak in the most beautiful areas of our country, and cook meals over a campfire before crawling into a tent.

It is what you make of it.

Yes, totally depends on the troop and the leader. The Girl Scout "program" from the national organization stinks out loud. Good leaders can nevertheless make a troop enjoyable, but good leaders are a rare breed.

Depends wildly on the troop. We love ours but the horror stories are real too.

Is girl scouts worth it? I'd love to hear from former members and your experience now as a parent.