Anonymous wrote:If we were to do it again, I’d pick Scouts (or whatever Boy Scouts are called now) over Brownies/GS. The regular scouts do much more outdoor activities and camping.

My DD’s troop does camping all the time. That’s what her troop likes to focus on. That is a good thing about GS- the girls choose which activities to focus on.

Anonymous wrote:I am not a fan of the cookie selling but it’s been good for my daughter socially. Be prepared to volunteer though, that’s part of the deal.

Plus one. My daughter quit to focus on other things, but GS was overall a good experience. But you do need to know going in that it is not a drop off activity, and you’ll need to help with something.

My DD did it for 4 years. Loved it in the beginning but the lack of support from other parents made me go off it. After the first year I became the assistant troop leader, meetings were only once a month but trying to get people to be cookie mom, first aid mom, camping trained etc was impossible. No one wanted to volunteer for any of it except for the same 3 ( including myself)
If you join a good troop with established roles that people enjoy it can be good. Just know you will br expected to volunteer at some point.

If we were to do it again, I’d pick Scouts (or whatever Boy Scouts are called now) over Brownies/GS. The regular scouts do much more outdoor activities and camping.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am reading this at GS camp, during our staff training week. I am a Lifetime GS. I understand that some people have had difficulties with certain troops, but overall, this is an excellent organization and your daughter will have access to so many opportunities. As young teens, the chances for travel and leadership are endless. As a kid and leader, my troops did tons of outdoor things. You can shop around for a troop that does the kinda of things you want.

We have lots of kids at summer camp that are not in troops during the year.

You do not have to sell cookies. Just opt out. It’s all by choice.

It’s a positive activity and it’s not a coincidence that so many women in positions of power in our country were Girl Scouts.

This part is really cool! There are a ton of laudable Girl Scout alums.

The first female crew member to serve on the International Space Station, the first to pilot and command a space shuttle and the first American woman to spacewalk were all Girl Scouts, plus the first two women to do an all-women spacewalk, the woman with the longest spacewalk.
Over half the female governors, and ~75% of female senators.

Certainly a lot of this is correlation, not causation…. But it’s pretty good company to keep.

Anonymous wrote:I am reading this at GS camp, during our staff training week. I am a Lifetime GS. I understand that some people have had difficulties with certain troops, but overall, this is an excellent organization and your daughter will have access to so many opportunities. As young teens, the chances for travel and leadership are endless. As a kid and leader, my troops did tons of outdoor things. You can shop around for a troop that does the kinda of things you want.

We have lots of kids at summer camp that are not in troops during the year.

You do not have to sell cookies. Just opt out. It’s all by choice.

It’s a positive activity and it’s not a coincidence that so many women in positions of power in our country were Girl Scouts.

This part is really cool! There are a ton of laudable Girl Scout alums.

Biased because I am the troop leader but Girl Scouts has been great for DD. We only meet twice a month - it’s pretty low commitment and lots of fun.

My daughter started as a daisy and now going into high school is still actively involved. I wasn’t sure about it at first, but she loves it

Anonymous wrote:I sort of wished I'd nudged my DD into it a bit more. Mainly because the summer camp is so cheap and I wish we had that option for an over night!

I really dislike the cookie selling though.

You don’t need to be a scout to attend!

I am reading this at GS camp, during our staff training week. I am a Lifetime GS. I understand that some people have had difficulties with certain troops, but overall, this is an excellent organization and your daughter will have access to so many opportunities. As young teens, the chances for travel and leadership are endless. As a kid and leader, my troops did tons of outdoor things. You can shop around for a troop that does the kinda of things you want.

We have lots of kids at summer camp that are not in troops during the year.

You do not have to sell cookies. Just opt out. It’s all by choice.

It’s a positive activity and it’s not a coincidence that so many women in positions of power in our country were Girl Scouts.

Anonymous wrote:I am not a fan of the cookie selling but it’s been good for my daughter socially. Be prepared to volunteer though, that’s part of the deal.

Yes, volunteers are essential. There aren’t many SAHM any more, so our troop had trouble fielding leaders. We all agreed to a rotating schedule where each family had to take on the responsibilities for leading meetings one month out of the year, and then we divvied up all the other responsibilities.

I was a Girl Scout and so were my girls. I love the idea of Girl Scouts, but none of the 4 different troops I’ve had experience with, fulfill my hopes. One seemed to try to teach the girls some skills, but it fell apart quickly. In general, the program seems more about socializing while trying different activities, rather than learning skills. At this age, I think kids really want to learn skills, especially outdoor skills. The only skill they really seem to care about is cookie selling, and that they overdo. Their troops fell apart, and my kids were ready to move on to other things.

I think we all have some pleasant memories from Girl Scouts, but I think if I was looking at options today, I might try cub scouts. I think my girls would have liked their program a lot better.

I am not a fan of the cookie selling but it’s been good for my daughter socially. Be prepared to volunteer though, that’s part of the deal.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I sort of wished I'd nudged my DD into it a bit more. Mainly because the summer camp is so cheap and I wish we had that option for an over night!

I really dislike the cookie selling though.

While I don't recommend this, you can register as a girl scout not affiliated with a troop so that she can go to the summer camps.
(And cookie selling totally depends on your troop. Ours is pretty laid back about it. But these trips and activities aren't free.)

I was skeptical about cookies but our kids love it.

And they're a major reason the camps are so cheap.

Anonymous wrote:I sort of wished I'd nudged my DD into it a bit more. Mainly because the summer camp is so cheap and I wish we had that option for an over night!

I really dislike the cookie selling though.

While I don't recommend this, you can register as a girl scout not affiliated with a troop so that she can go to the summer camps.
(And cookie selling totally depends on your troop. Ours is pretty laid back about it. But these trips and activities aren't free.)