So can girl scouts ‘transfer their credits’ over?
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“Be prepared! And be careful not to do
Your good deeds when there’s no one watching you
If you’re looking for adventure of a
new and different kind
And you come across a Girl Scout who is
similarly inclined
Don’t be nervous, don’t be flustered, don’t be scared
Be prepared!”
- “Be Prepared” by Tom Lehrer
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That’s cool but aren’t there the girl scouts already? How separate are the organizations? I did cub scouts but really organized anything was never for me (once I turned 10-11 or so it all felt to fascist to me). Seems like they ought to just merge to an extent. I dunno. Then again maybe a space for girls free from boys is a good idea. shrug
Guaranteed to cause cerebral explosions on both sides. I for one love the idea.
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The boy scout troop at our school gets to do way more stuff, constantly going on trips and camping, and the girls feel left out. Let’s just get rid of boy/girl scouts, combine them into Scouts of America, sell cookies instead of overpriced popcorn, and give everyone the same opportunities. This is a great first step in the right direction.
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Same and same.
Also, as a Boy Scout leader married to a Girl Scout leader I can also celebrate this decision because is going to seriously simplify family logistics.
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They are similarly themed but completely unrelated.
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There’s nothing better than simplified family logistics. One year all three of my kids had soccer through the same organization. Practices all on the same night at the same place, and games all on the same day at the same place. It was bliss. Now they all 3 play in different organizations and the complexity of logistics has grown exponentially. I’ll pretty much be in favor of anything if it means I can make one less trip somewhere for my kids’ activities.
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In all fairness the Boy Scouts was founded precisely to teach the next generation of soldiers outdoors skills which were generally lacking. Lord Baden-Powell was a Boer War veteran and was disappointed with how badly British troops got pasted by well armed farmers.
The veteran sponsored troop in my town was about as military in bearing as a GI Joe cartoon (ie virtually none). But ironically a lot of Eagles from there went on to military service as officers.
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I mean, yay for civil rights and inclusion and feminism and everything, but for reals we’re a two-kid family with one car.
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Good show! When I joined the scout movement in Sweden 40 years ago it had been coed for decades. I can assure any doubters that it will work out perfectly ok. Given, as I percive it from across the pond, the Amercan’s strained relationship between the sexes/genders a mixed youth organisation is a good thing, besides the actual scouting. Keep up the good work! Be(come) prepared…
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Holy shit! This makes me so happy.
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Wait, just camo pants and neckerchiefs?
I think “militia troop” misses what was really going on over there…
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“The Boy Scouts of America today announced a plan to allow girls to join”
I don’t know about the rest of the world but in the UK scouts have admitted girls for years now.
““Cub Scout dens will be single-gender — all boys or all girls,” the organization said in a statement.”
Oh… why would you do that? Why not just have mixed dens?
Ours* camp in girls’ tents and boys’ tents, but other than that they’re treated just the same
*My mother’s been a cub/beaver leader for over 30 years, I’ve had no personal involvement with scouting since I was 16 but consider myself part of the scouts family
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I’m sure there will be several details left to work out in implementation but I don’t think calling the female scouts “beavers” is going to go over quite as well on this side of the pond.
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was that a joke?
Yes and no. In the US the word “beaver” has an unfortunate gendered slang association. Possibly why we don’t have beaver scouts in the US.
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The amount of stuff a troop gets to do is directly related to the involvement of a broad swath of parents. Those parents that treat scouts as a drop-off activity are abusing the generosity of those parents that show up to help. When a troop (boys or girls) is dwindling, it is most likely because a) those parents that have been doing it all along are worn out and b) those same parents have become unwelcoming know-it-alls which can be a major turn-off for parents that are new to the organization.
In a Boy Scout troop there are 3 major adult functions that all must be strong to have a strong troop:
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The Chartering Organization (a church, or firehouse, or Elks lodge, whatever) must be supportive, typically in terms of, as a minimum, providing a suitable place to meet and possibly store gear
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The Troop Committee - these are parents that work behind the scenes to budget, arrange trips, pursue High Adventure reservations, orchestrate fundraisers, etc. A Committee Chair of a Scout Troop is similar to the Athletic Director for a football team - unless you know what they do, you cannot appreciate the effort.
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and finally, Uniformed adult leadership. This is better known as the Scoutmaster and his Assistant Scoutmasters. They are the most visible adults in a Troop.
Parents that choose to not participate in the above capacities are still very important - think about the numbers required to staff a Christmas Tree lot or drive groups places. Just chaperoning a meeting is important - Scoutmasters are not babysitters - when parents show up, it shows they care about not just their kid, but the troop in general.
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This exactly. I had a completely crap Cub/Boy Scout experience; my first scout leader’s idea of holding meetings was to go watch TV and let us play Atari. The guy after that would just tell us to go play football out back. And the guy after that was a youth minister who would preach to us the whole time. I was envious of my younger sister, who was actually doing stuff in Girl Scouts.
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I am glad that the Boy Scouts is allowing girls to participate but i am curious why not do a joint thing with the Girl Scouts. Either way i wish them luck and hope it brings meaningful change 
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