I’m excited that my little girl will get to join the organization that I spent the years from second grade until I graduated high school. I don’t give two craps that it was a boys only organization for years. My troop always had little sisters at events and camp. Never once was this a problem. I’d argue it helped the boys that didn’t have little sisters (like my brother and I) to help teach them to interact in a positive manner. I have always had a low regard for the local Girl Scout units. They are widely considered a joke. My girl will be more then a cookie salesman. Don’t crap up this thread and get it closed. Make it a good constructive discussion.
I agree ! I attended Cubs , Scouts and Eagles as a little twerp. We always had girl scouts in the camps and activities. Non Issue as far as I'm concerned. I can see as they get older there is possibility for boy/girl, etc friendships/hook ups , dating, but that is what proper supervision is for .
Not a fan but that's my option. My boys didn't make it long. Coloring pictures and making krafts fir the first 2-3 years wasn't for them.
As an eagle scout myself I personally don't agree with the decision. I understa.d girls wanting to be involved with an outdoor oriented organization. Bit if that's the issue why not just wait till venture crew age? Or better yet change girl scouts to meet your needs. I don't see why an organization who's original goal was to raise and foster a new generation of men should allow female scouts into it's organization just because they feel left out.
Scouts today is a lot different I think that back then......we used to do outdoors stuff, knife skills, ax skills, fire skills, trekking, hiking, shelter skils, physical drills, canoing, communications etc, team challanges (rope bridges over water etc) . Now it seems a lot more arts and crafty adn lets have a fake campfire in the gym because hurting trees bad.....etc. Along with those activities everything needs to be gentle, caring, and "inclusive". (no offending anyone or anything) I still think its better to have kids in Scouts than them staring at screens all day long. Old man yelling at clouds.....
It depends on the unit, I got my eagle in 2015 and during my time scouts we've done a lot. Backing packing trip every spring plus a trip to philmont every 2 years, where we've never done less than 70 miles. 20 mile canoe trips every summer. I've learned to rock climb, and repel/belay. I've lived on a sail boat for a week in the Bahamas learning how to.sail. I learned wilderness first aid skills, became life guard certified, learned how to weld and metal work, among many more invaluable skills. It's not just homework and arts and crafts unless you make it that
I don't support the decision. It's called the boy scouts for a reason. Just more of the left getting their way when it comes to trying to make boys girls and girls boys.
I'm a den leader for my son's cub den, we just finished a night hike. Sounds like girls will have to be in their own dens . Personally, I am fine with it. We have so many scouts with sisters that are at every meeting, doing all of the same activities they might as well participate officially. Boy scout membership is on the decline, if we keep losing numbers, it may die altogether.
Randall's Adventure Training Scouts , has a nice ring to it. Take kids/teens out into the woods, (pro bono or sliding scale donation) and let kids/teens be kids/teens in the woods with knives, shelters, campfires, skills and FUN.....
I'm an Eagle scout and have two boys. My oldest son is in webelos right now. Our troop is very active. We have close to 150 boys involved from cub scouts on through boy scouts. At every troop and den meeting there are always lots of mothers, sisters, aunts, etc., etc. We emphasize outdoor skills along with the core values of scouting and growing young men. I've given demonstrations on everything from setting up tents, fly fishing, flint and steel firestarting, bow drill firestarting etc. Everyone there, including the females, loves every minute of it. We go on numerous camping and hiking trips every year. I have no problem with it. It is going to be set up as separate boy and girl dens. There is not going to be coed dens. We need more folks involved in the outdoors and scouting. I think this will be a great way to get more women involved. My son has a lot of girls as friends. He is a fourth grader. They all hate girl scouts because they sit around doing arts and crafts while Milo gets to learn survival skills, physical fitness, knife skills, etc. Thats the stuff they want to be doing. And yes, they can start their own girl scout den, but to be honest most of the moms and dads in my community have never been introduced to or learned these skills. There will definitely be some growing pains and issues with the logistics of the change. And I bet the boys won't even care. But as a whole, the boys and girls and most importantly our country and communities will benefit.
Boy Scouts-Girl Scouts I thought they both had their own groups. Coming from a guy who spent 20 plus years as a Scout leader and glad he's no longer involved with the watering down of a once great youth organization. JMHO
I can only see this as a change for the better.... I am willing to teach my girls all the same skills to my ability BUT they will only benifit more from being able to be taught skills by others that i cannot . IMO there will be some serious growing pains from it all but i am willing to go with it for my girls. 4H, FFA, Scouts and other similar organisations .. are all a dying breed in America and that is a VERY BAD thing.......
I'm an active Scouter and I also support this decision. I've seen too many sisters of my cubs and Scouts who would have liked to participate, but weren't allowed. To those who say "they can wait until Venturing age" - Put yourself in an eight year old's shoes or even a 12 year old's shoes. If someone tells you to "wait a few years", what are you going to do in the meantime? They'll find something else and they may not come back for Venturing. The opportunity will be lost. You've just failed to serve someone who ASKED for your help. To those who say "they can change the Girl Scouts" - who is going to change it? The Girl Scouts have skewed so far left, it's impossible for a few to make any change. That organization will change when it's ready to change. Here's an example of just how hard GSA makes it to have an outdoor program. Each leader that wants to participate in camping has to go through training. BSA does this as well. The difference is where the BSA course (IOLS - Intro to Outdoor Leadership Skills) usually costs $50 or less, GSA wants $250 and that's for the "Cabin camping" course. Want to go "tent camping"? That's another $250 course. How many leaders or troops are going to pony up $500 for the opportunity to take a troop camping? To those who say "It's tradition"- it's not. At the first Scout rally in 1909 in England, there were 'girl' scouts present. Most national level Scouting organizations in other countries are co-ed. I will add that traditions change. It used to be "tradition" to do some pretty terrible things in this country (slavery, segregation, dueling, indentured servitude, to name a few) and now those things are mostly behind us. It will be a challenge, but I think it's one worth taking up.
If girls want to be outdoorsmen instead of cookie-hustlers, that's fine by me. Boy Scouts is just a name, don't get hung up on symbolism. RAT Scout does have a nice ring to it, but I don't know if it's a good idea to leave young fragile-minded kids with Uncle Jeff. The last thing you want is a prepubescent 10th degree Dragon Belt with an unhealthy disposition towards livestock in your household.
