EmberMike

It's in a folder called "Interim Family Scouting Materials." I don't think this is the final set of materials, just what has been produced so far.

Yeah, we wouldn't want our scouts to pick up on any of that garbage, right? Being responsible, doing chores, caring about others, being attentive. That would be awful.

I always thought i.Scout was a UK thing, but in browsing the World Scout Shop, they carry i.Scout goods there, too. So it's a WOSM thing, I guess? What is it? My Google-fu failed me on this one. Best I can tell it's just a brand of Scouting gear and clothing, but is there more to it than that? Anyone know anything more about it?

Aliens, man. What if... aliens?

What, you don't pack your official BSA marketing banners on all outings?

I don't agree with the intrepretations of "Family Scouting" being all-ages. We'll find out what it really means later this year hopefully. Let's just leave it at that.

Dude... I don't share your interpretation of this. There is a chart, it says "Family" in the ages 6-10 row, does not say "Family" in the 11-17 row. It's pretty clear. You somehow see if different, and I have no idea why. The graphic right on the page you linked to has an illustration of families, all cub age kids. "Family Scouting" is cub age.

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I have a hard time believing that 100% of the girls in that pack just happened to choose the exact same uniform configuration. I can't even get all of the kids in my Den to consistently wear a neckerchief slide as opposed to just tying the thing in a knot. And miraculously somehow this girls den/pack pulled that one off, too. A statistical impossibility if you ask me.

That's exactly what Family Scouting is! Tagging along on campouts and meetings! Family Scouting is not just about general inclusivity, it's a specific program type, and it is not at the troop level. Just because an older girl program is mentioned in an introductory document on Family Scouting, a document that as previously mentioned has no detail on Family Scouting at either the Cub or Troop level, that does not mean that Family Scouting will apply to all ages of the program.

Changing back to all boy means actually kicking out girls already in Cub Scouts. It would be PR suicide. Never going to happen. It doesn't matter what legal protections they might have to do so. The public backlash would kill the organization. In the highly unlikely scenario in which they did actually kick the girls out, I'd hang up my uniform permanently.

It is anecdotally mentioned in that document describing the general policy change and the decision-making behind it. That document does not define any detail of "Family Scouting", at any level.

That still doesn't say that "Family Scouting" will be applied to troops. All it says is that the older girls program is forthcoming. As mentioned, other documents clearly define "Family Scouting" as ages 6-10. Unless you can show me where it says otherise and that "Family Scouting" is all ages, I'm going with the document in front of me that defines the age.

I don't get that impression at all. The documentation I've looked at does not mention "Family" for the programs for ages 11-17. "Family Cub Scouts" is limited to age 10.

In the Fact Sheet document on Family Scouting. They list the program types as Boy Cub Scouts, Family Cub Scouts, Girls Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, and Girl Program. Family Cub Scouts is ages 6-10. There is no mention of a Family Scouting program for ages 11-17.

That's not what Family Scouting is. It's a specific program level, age 10 and under. At the troop level, "Family" is not a part of it. This is in the BSA Fact Sheet document on Family Scouting.

That's why Family Scouting isn't being applied to the troop level. I think the BSA is handling this part of things well, limiting Family Scouting to age 10 and under.

Ok, but when we're talking about summer camp specically,, for better or worse the summer camp program is heavily weighted towards merit badges, which are requirement-based. So if the requirements aren't changing, the bulk of the activities at camp will remain the same. How will they change the "program" in a way that will drastically impact sumemr camp without changing the requirements?

Those drops existed long before the media attention on the BSA over those issues. The biggest drops started in the 90s and early 2000s, long before we were headline news and became a social discussion. How could the controversies drive down membership when they weren't yet well-known controversies?

But the BSA is saying the program won't change. You're assuming it will. Based on what? Girls joining the program are joining because they want the BSA program. If it changes, they might self-select out right along with the boys because they didn't get what they asked for. Changing the program would be organizational suicide. Family Scouting is Cub-level only. It keeps getting injected into the overall program discussion, but when we're talking about summer camp and mostly at the Troop level, Family Scouting doesn't apply. There is no evidence that Family Scouting will impact summer camp for troops whatsoever.

And this is exactly what I expect from the BSA. You're right, the core program is great. But something is clearly amiss if we can drop tens of thousands of scouts per year, sometimes approaching a six figure drop in past years. This is a modernization that a lot of peope aren't going to like, but it's necessary if we are ever to see growth in Scouting in the US again.

I'd love to know specifically how "the entire experience" would change. Can you explain that?

Sure, and for the reasons I stated. But I wouldn’t tell someone directly to leave. That’s a decision each person has to make. And like I said, considering how passionate some folks are here about this change, I’m amazed more people aren’t leaving.

Apparently you didn’t read the rest of my post. Despite me being told to leave, I’m not telling anyone that.

Its not an assumption that the changes are inevitable. They’re already happening. For the BSA to go back on this now would mean they’d have to actually kick girls out. That little PR nightmare would never be allowed to come to fruition. I have never told anyone to leave, but I’ve thought it. Not in a vindictive way or anything. Just some people should leave if they find this all to be too much to bear. Before the gay membership policy changes, I was done with the BSA. I registered with another scouting organization to learn their ways, and I was ready to take my kids there when they reached Scouting age. I only came back to the BSA because of the changes and how they fit with my views. The way some folks talk about the BSA here, it sounds like some are more passionately against what the organization is doing now than I ever was. I was told often that if I don’t like the policies, I should go elsewhere. I did. And now the shoe is on the other foot.