Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a pretty big Scout fan I am fairly confident that girl troops will be fine additions to Scouting. My kids have gone to coed camps for years and never had any issues. The girls will just be in Camp Section A and the bathrooms will be girls only.

Having some girls in a merit badge class at camp isn’t going to freak out anyone.

I don't understand why a small group of girl parents feel privileged to take away the one organization that serves boys and young men.

Create your own organization...oh wait, you already have girl scouts.

DD has left GS for BS. Why you ask when she can do everything in GS that she can in BS? Well, in theory, you are correct. But in practice, it wasn't happening. DD is an outdoor kid. She loves to camp, hike, rock climb, rafting, canoeing, etc. She does not like crafts or animal shelters. Her troop was not interested in anything she is interested in.

Step up and lead you say. I did. I'm the trained level leader, the camp trained mom, and the first aid mom. I can step in and fulfill any role necessary to support the troop on an outdoor activity. Then plan the activity you say. I did that too---multiple times. Inevitably, the girls in the troop backed out of the activity for one reason or another. Find another troop that better meets your DDs needs you say. I tried that as well. I attended our SU meetings in order to find a troop. I reached out to GSCNC for troop ideas. I did not get responses from council and the troop leaders I met at the SU meetings indicated that their troop was like ours--not an outdoor oriented troop. Start your own troop you say. I tried that too. I advertised it as a troop focused on outdoor activities and service projects. I got some limited interest but most people wanted to know if I would do more crafts and wanted to ensure that they really wouldn't have to be involved.

So we joined the organization that does the type of activities that DD enjoys. It's not that GS doesn't offer these type of activities. It's that, in this area, GS does not seem to attract girls interested in outdoor activities.

Competition was mentioned earlier. A Scouts BSA Troop is usually between 30 and 60 kids (all-girl or all-boy) and is divided into 8-member subgroups called Patrols. Patrol members become good friends and compete with the other Patrols in skill contests. There is no individual vs. individual competition. The method has been used world-wide in male and female Scouting organizations for over 100 years.

Anonymous wrote:Around here, Maryland, close in, the boy scouts are all through churches (so socially conservative). Additionally, we found the field trips sometimes had a religious slant that we weren't comfortable with. And so, DS quit.

DD has been a girl scout from Daisy's - Cadette (currently). She camps multiple times per year, does service projects multiple times per year, etc. Its all about finding a troop (or making one - volunteering to be a scout leader is no small task) is all about finding the right troop (and there are many).

No..sorry..my son's troop in MD is not part of a church. They are welcoming and not at all conservative.

Beginning in February Scouts BSA will offer only separate and sex-segregated Troops. The program is not co-ed. The boy Troops will meet separately and will be entirely unaffected and continue as-is. Nothing is being lost in terms of boys being able to be exclusively with boys. There will eventually be some existing troops at churches that will decide to sponsor a separate all-girl Troop. But, the guidelines are that the meetings are to be separate. Our parent group is starting the new all-girl Troop for NW DC to start in February, and we will be selecting a sponsor (called a "chartered partner" in BSA language) that does not currently sponsor a Troop. We will be all-girl and girl-led using the historic BSA "patrol" method. We will welcome experienced youth leaders and those new to youth service. We are not going to compare an all-girl Scouts BSA Troop to other youth organizations. But, we are very happy there are so many options available for DC girls and boys. Choice is good.

Anonymous wrote:Are the Boy Scouts in NoVA/DC especially conservative? Where I grew up the Boy Scouts could be pretty far-right, and I wouldn’t really want that environment. If not, it’s definitely something to try.

Not our Troop in DC. Not at all. We've been inclusive in every which way longer that it has been officially "allowed." Otherwise, my DC wouldn't be in it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And lots of kids play soccer but what’s so important about that? It’s a fun activity that’s not a sport. My kids like it because it’s different activities each time rather than the same thing each time (like soccer practice or gymnastics). It’s fun.

Yep, this.

+1 My youngest pretty much hated every sport and every other "same thing every time" club or class he tried. Scouting is different all the time, there are a ton of boys in it and they get to socialize, not just run ball drills, etc. Plus the camping is a blast for them, and they get to learn how to use a knife, be-be guns, bows and arrows and all the things I never in a million years thought I'd let him touch. It is mostly social and a lot of good life and confidence skills.

Anonymous wrote:As a pretty big Scout fan I am fairly confident that girl troops will be fine additions to Scouting. My kids have gone to coed camps for years and never had any issues. The girls will just be in Camp Section A and the bathrooms will be girls only.

Having some girls in a merit badge class at camp isn’t going to freak out anyone.

I don't understand why a small group of girl parents feel privileged to take away the one organization that serves boys and young men.

Create your own organization...oh wait, you already have girl scouts.

I was a Girl Scout back in the day and enjoyed it but I find the Boy Scout program much more compelling. My son started in third grade and is now working on his Eagle Project in 11th grade. I am still friends with the Cub Scout moms -- we had such a good time together.

Cub Scouts is more mom led often because it's considered a family event. In Boy Scouts it switches to much more male dominated.

I loved Cub Scouts for the family camping, all the field trips we did, like sleeping on a WWII submarine and visiting a recycling center, the Pinewood Derby, marching in parades, the nature hikes, etc.

I like Boy Scouts for the way in increases boys' real- life skills. Hiking, camping, biking, cooking, swimming, kayaking, leatherwork, archery, fishing, theater, paddleboarding, nature studies, first aid, emergency preparedness -- where else will you get all this education, including all the safety briefings? And opportunities for the boys to lead?

Also with each rank, you have to be interviewed by a panel of adults. This is so hard for the boys at first. They can barely speak. As they get more experience, they become at ease being interviewed by multiple adults. It's such a huge skill to learn.

Anonymous wrote:Are the Boy Scouts in NoVA/DC especially conservative? Where I grew up the Boy Scouts could be pretty far-right, and I wouldn’t really want that environment. If not, it’s definitely something to try.

It is not particularly conservative (or liberal) here. We go to an UU Congregation and there is usually a few youth in the congregation that earn their Eagle every year.

Anonymous wrote:Are the Boy Scouts in NoVA/DC especially conservative? Where I grew up the Boy Scouts could be pretty far-right, and I wouldn’t really want that environment. If not, it’s definitely something to try.

Not in my experience in Arlington. There is a God part of the Scouts, but it's totally non-denomination (unless you're in an LDS Troop) even though we met at a church.

Around here, Maryland, close in, the boy scouts are all through churches (so socially conservative). Additionally, we found the field trips sometimes had a religious slant that we weren't comfortable with. And so, DS quit.

DD has been a girl scout from Daisy's - Cadette (currently). She camps multiple times per year, does service projects multiple times per year, etc. Its all about finding a troop (or making one - volunteering to be a scout leader is no small task) is all about finding the right troop (and there are many).

Are the Boy Scouts in NoVA/DC especially conservative? Where I grew up the Boy Scouts could be pretty far-right, and I wouldn’t really want that environment. If not, it’s definitely something to try.

My girls both do GSA. It is appealing to me because it brings together neighborhood kids who might not go to the local elementary school. Lots of kids do private, charter, specialty programs so my daughter's troop has kids that go to 7 or 8 different elementary schools.

It is a low stress, low cost, non competitive, extracurricular activity that my kids enjoy.

As a pretty big Scout fan I am fairly confident that girl troops will be fine additions to Scouting. My kids have gone to coed camps for years and never had any issues. The girls will just be in Camp Section A and the bathrooms will be girls only.

Having some girls in a merit badge class at camp isn’t going to freak out anyone.

Another appeal of Girl Scout is that it's not competitive. Someone can excel/advance in Scouts (earning the Gold Award) without having to compete with others. Believe it or not, not everyone likes to compete at whatever.

Depending on Troop Leader of course, they also do fun activities and gain leadership skills/other fun experiences.