My daughter is going to do BSA this year as a 2nd grader. We did GSA last year and it just wasn’t for us. She really likes the activities of BSA more. Will report back.

Also it’s correct that they separate by gender as they get older.

I have a boy and a girl in BSA and a girl who was a Girl Scout (now finished with the program). As a kid, I was in 4-H. So I think I have a pretty good perspective on the whole thing.

1. Whoever said that if you get a good troop leader in Girl Scouts, you're golden --is absolutely correct. The great and unfortunate thing about Girl Scouts is that the program is super flexible. You can be an outdoorsy/hiking group, or focused on community service, or doing lots of crafts, or even be a science and robotics troop. It's great because Girl Scouts potentially offers something to everyone. It's unfortunate because being a Girl Scout does not really mean much in terms of a shared experience across troops and councils.

2. BSA has been wonderful for my boy and girl (both teens now). They love being outdoors. They enjoy working through the ranks and doing their merit badge activites. In our area, the troops for girls and boys are run separately (true for Cub Scouts and up) but they do interact at various events.

3. 4-H was super fun for me as a kid/teen. A lot of people associate 4-H with agriculture but that's not how it was in the area I grew up which was pretty solidly suburban/urban. All activities were 100 percent co-ed and open to everyone. There are lots of different activities available but you are allowed to specialize with different projects that you sign up for. In the area I grew up, there were also tons of leadership opportunities for teenagers which was also really cool. It's definitely worth looking into to see what the programs are like in your area.

Also, for what it's worth, I've been very impressed with the BSA training and the current rules surrounding keeping kids safe--such as the two-deep rule and the restrictions about age gaps for kids who share tents. It is all taken very seriously and I haven't seen the rules bent once.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There’s always 4H!

Forgot to add, if you are in MC, here’s your 4H extension info: https://extension.umd.edu/locations/montgomery-county/local-4-h-youth-education/clubs

It’s not a huge program, but some of the more general clubs listed here will offer activities and projects similar to what scouts would.

OP here, I didn't even know 4-H existed. We'll take a look at that, it looks like there are some not too far. Thanks

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Please keep your girls out of Cub Scouts. It’s not fair to the boys.

OP what are you doing to improve the Girl Scout option?

How is it not fair to the boys that girls are joining an organization that allows girls?

BSA family here. The boys are fine. They are in boy-specific groups that occasionally interact with the girls. It’s the occasional parent who wants “boys to be boys,” but the kids themselves don’t seem to care.

And why should we support segregating? Isn’t it our responsibility to teach children how to interact with others? It’s 2023.

Oh sure. As though they don’t have every other opportunity to interact.

Agree with PP. Cub Scouts is for boys. OP keep shopping until you find or can create an acceptable Daisy troop.

I'm so tired of all this new boy mom drama. Why are moms of boys all of the sudden jealous of girls? NOPE LADY. BSA IS ACTUALLY FOR BOYS AND GIRLS, that's why they changed the name. YOUR ORGANIZATION is the one WHO CHOSE to include girls. If you don't like it, YOU LEAVE. You can't tell girls not to join and that they're not welcome when BSA rules specifically say they are welcome, and they are forming girls only dens. Sorry you are telling your little boys that they are victims now that girls are welcome in the troops, but if you are really that upset about it then COMPLAIN TO THE ORGANIZATION, don't tell families their girls can't join. They can and will join. They're allowed to.

I had a friend tell me that having girls in BSA meant that “boys can’t be boys.” Sounds good to me. Boys MUST learn to interact appropriately with girls. If there’s something they shouldn’t be doing around a girl, perhaps they shouldn’t be doing it at all.

For those who think girls shouldn’t be in BSA, you’re sending the message that girls are somehow inferior. As the mother of two girls, one in BSA, I refuse to allow anyone to tell my child she is somehow “less than.” We tried Girl Scouts. The activities didn’t catch her interest. BSA does.

So your little snowflakes “interests” are more important than an organization designed to let boys be boys. Got it.

Since you mentioned it, what exactly do you mean when you want “boys to be boys”? What does that look like, and why shouldn’t girls see it? If it’s bad enough that girls shouldn’t be around, perhaps the boys shouldn’t be doing it?

Anonymous wrote:There is nothing interesting about it. BSA is in a tough spot and looking to survive. There had been plenty of calls to allow girls to join at the local level. Many families who had boys in a Cub Scout Pack brought daughters to events. Their daughters enjoyed the activities and families were bummed their daughters couldn’t fully participate. So when there was a crisis, BSA turned to a solution then there had been a good amount of local support.

Girl Scouts is a great organization that provides a wonderful experience for many girls but it doesn’t fill the need for many girls. Some are turning to BSA which is now open to them.

Yes, my DD loves BSA. GS was not the right fit for her interests.

There is nothing interesting about it. BSA is in a tough spot and looking to survive. There had been plenty of calls to allow girls to join at the local level. Many families who had boys in a Cub Scout Pack brought daughters to events. Their daughters enjoyed the activities and families were bummed their daughters couldn’t fully participate. So when there was a crisis, BSA turned to a solution then there had been a good amount of local support.

Girl Scouts is a great organization that provides a wonderful experience for many girls but it doesn’t fill the need for many girls. Some are turning to BSA which is now open to them.

Anonymous wrote:
The US was, until recently, one of only 13 nations that had single-gender scouting out of 216 nations with scouting programs. Just an interesting fact, but one that suggests the BSA change was a good one.

You know why that is, right? BSA did not want to band with the Girl Scouts (as had been done in the UK), because James West thought Scouting activities weren't appropriate for girls, forcing the creation of Girl Scouts as a separate organization. We should remember that many organizations like the Girl Scouts exist due to long-standing discrimination. When the larger, generally more powerful organizations (like PWIs) finally see the light and make steps to eliminate their discrimination, that does not mean we ignore their discrimination or immediately embrace them now that we're finally good enough for them.

While Boy Scouts finally broadening their views is a long time coming, it is ... interesting, shall we say? that Boy Scouts saw the light when they lost the influx of money from the Mormon church and needed to start looking elsewhere in order to keep their coffers full.

My daughter was one of the first female Eagle Scouts in the area. It has been an amazing life changing experience for her. My DH and I are both highly involved with BSA. Is it perfect? Of course not. What is? I have personally founded several girl scout troops and a BSA troop for girls. A lot of you really don't know what you ate talking about.

It depends entirely on the troop adult leadership (whether GS or BSA) AND what your daughter enjoys. GS and BSA are very different programs with very little in common. Try both. Find a troop that works for what she wants.

I also have a boy Eagle Scout so have seen directly the positive effects from having separate girl troops at the Scouting level (true co-ed is only Cub troops. The troops are gender segregated at the higher levels).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Please keep your girls out of Cub Scouts. It’s not fair to the boys.

OP what are you doing to improve the Girl Scout option?

How is it not fair to the boys that girls are joining an organization that allows girls?

BSA family here. The boys are fine. They are in boy-specific groups that occasionally interact with the girls. It’s the occasional parent who wants “boys to be boys,” but the kids themselves don’t seem to care.

And why should we support segregating? Isn’t it our responsibility to teach children how to interact with others? It’s 2023.

Oh sure. As though they don’t have every other opportunity to interact.

Agree with PP. Cub Scouts is for boys. OP keep shopping until you find or can create an acceptable Daisy troop.

I'm so tired of all this new boy mom drama. Why are moms of boys all of the sudden jealous of girls? NOPE LADY. BSA IS ACTUALLY FOR BOYS AND GIRLS, that's why they changed the name. YOUR ORGANIZATION is the one WHO CHOSE to include girls. If you don't like it, YOU LEAVE. You can't tell girls not to join and that they're not welcome when BSA rules specifically say they are welcome, and they are forming girls only dens. Sorry you are telling your little boys that they are victims now that girls are welcome in the troops, but if you are really that upset about it then COMPLAIN TO THE ORGANIZATION, don't tell families their girls can't join. They can and will join. They're allowed to.

I had a friend tell me that having girls in BSA meant that “boys can’t be boys.” Sounds good to me. Boys MUST learn to interact appropriately with girls. If there’s something they shouldn’t be doing around a girl, perhaps they shouldn’t be doing it at all.

For those who think girls shouldn’t be in BSA, you’re sending the message that girls are somehow inferior. As the mother of two girls, one in BSA, I refuse to allow anyone to tell my child she is somehow “less than.” We tried Girl Scouts. The activities didn’t catch her interest. BSA does.

So your little snowflakes “interests” are more important than an organization designed to let boys be boys. Got it.

There are a limited number of co-ed activities. Otherwise, dens are sex-segregated.

Anonymous wrote:The website clearly shows which packs are boys only and which are for boys and girls.

Everyone can get their desire without being rude to one another. Just self select into the pack that works for you.

This!

The website clearly shows which packs are boys only and which are for boys and girls.

Everyone can get their desire without being rude to one another. Just self select into the pack that works for you.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Please keep your girls out of Cub Scouts. It’s not fair to the boys.

OP what are you doing to improve the Girl Scout option?

How is it not fair to the boys that girls are joining an organization that allows girls?

BSA family here. The boys are fine. They are in boy-specific groups that occasionally interact with the girls. It’s the occasional parent who wants “boys to be boys,” but the kids themselves don’t seem to care.

And why should we support segregating? Isn’t it our responsibility to teach children how to interact with others? It’s 2023.

Oh sure. As though they don’t have every other opportunity to interact.

Agree with PP. Cub Scouts is for boys. OP keep shopping until you find or can create an acceptable Daisy troop.

I'm so tired of all this new boy mom drama. Why are moms of boys all of the sudden jealous of girls? NOPE LADY. BSA IS ACTUALLY FOR BOYS AND GIRLS, that's why they changed the name. YOUR ORGANIZATION is the one WHO CHOSE to include girls. If you don't like it, YOU LEAVE. You can't tell girls not to join and that they're not welcome when BSA rules specifically say they are welcome, and they are forming girls only dens. Sorry you are telling your little boys that they are victims now that girls are welcome in the troops, but if you are really that upset about it then COMPLAIN TO THE ORGANIZATION, don't tell families their girls can't join. They can and will join. They're allowed to.

I had a friend tell me that having girls in BSA meant that “boys can’t be boys.” Sounds good to me. Boys MUST learn to interact appropriately with girls. If there’s something they shouldn’t be doing around a girl, perhaps they shouldn’t be doing it at all.

For those who think girls shouldn’t be in BSA, you’re sending the message that girls are somehow inferior. As the mother of two girls, one in BSA, I refuse to allow anyone to tell my child she is somehow “less than.” We tried Girl Scouts. The activities didn’t catch her interest. BSA does.

So your little snowflakes “interests” are more important than an organization designed to let boys be boys. Got it.

Once again, BSA ALLOWS GIRLS. If you want a boys only organization, form your own.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Please keep your girls out of Cub Scouts. It’s not fair to the boys.

OP what are you doing to improve the Girl Scout option?

How is it not fair to the boys that girls are joining an organization that allows girls?

BSA family here. The boys are fine. They are in boy-specific groups that occasionally interact with the girls. It’s the occasional parent who wants “boys to be boys,” but the kids themselves don’t seem to care.

And why should we support segregating? Isn’t it our responsibility to teach children how to interact with others? It’s 2023.

Oh sure. As though they don’t have every other opportunity to interact.

Agree with PP. Cub Scouts is for boys. OP keep shopping until you find or can create an acceptable Daisy troop.

I'm so tired of all this new boy mom drama. Why are moms of boys all of the sudden jealous of girls? NOPE LADY. BSA IS ACTUALLY FOR BOYS AND GIRLS, that's why they changed the name. YOUR ORGANIZATION is the one WHO CHOSE to include girls. If you don't like it, YOU LEAVE. You can't tell girls not to join and that they're not welcome when BSA rules specifically say they are welcome, and they are forming girls only dens. Sorry you are telling your little boys that they are victims now that girls are welcome in the troops, but if you are really that upset about it then COMPLAIN TO THE ORGANIZATION, don't tell families their girls can't join. They can and will join. They're allowed to.

I had a friend tell me that having girls in BSA meant that “boys can’t be boys.” Sounds good to me. Boys MUST learn to interact appropriately with girls. If there’s something they shouldn’t be doing around a girl, perhaps they shouldn’t be doing it at all.

For those who think girls shouldn’t be in BSA, you’re sending the message that girls are somehow inferior. As the mother of two girls, one in BSA, I refuse to allow anyone to tell my child she is somehow “less than.” We tried Girl Scouts. The activities didn’t catch her interest. BSA does.

So your little snowflakes “interests” are more important than an organization designed to let boys be boys. Got it.

Anonymous wrote:Scouts is for all. Contact BSA and do some research to find the troops who understand that.

+1. My family has had a wonderful experience in Cub Scouts. The prior issues with BSA have zero impact at the local pacm level and it’s unfair to view it in that manner. Our scout den is very inclusive to all who join.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There’s always 4H!

Forgot to add, if you are in MC, here’s your 4H extension info: https://extension.umd.edu/locations/montgomery-county/local-4-h-youth-education/clubs

It’s not a huge program, but some of the more general clubs listed here will offer activities and projects similar to what scouts would.

There's no bethesda 4H. All the clubs are far away