AHG Mom

Why, thank you, Trevorum for your decorum. It has become apparent that this forum is a great venue of entertainment for some. I shall remember that and watch my "p"s and "q"s in the future. Since you all are "scouts at heart," I can take the "heat" of the postings and put it into context, "yes?"

Dear Nikitee, It's great that you and your GSUSA troop have had such a wonderful experience and are indeed a model troop for others to follow. Troop success has a lot to do w/the leaders and how they connect w/the girls so you must have a great leadership team. My issue w/GSUSA is more on a national level. I see nothing that concerns me in the GS troop in my neighborhood. Great girls. Great leaders. It's just that overrall, I simply do not agree w/the direction in which GSUSA (national) is headed. Organizational direction eventually trickles down to regional councils, etc. The media has been full of stories over the last few years about GSUSA and Planned Parenthood relationship fiascoes. There are youth conferences in other cities where young girls (even as young as 11) are exposed to issues that in my opinion should be handled within the family. There's a scouting organization out there for everyone. American Heritage Girls simply works for my family just as Boy Scouts of America works for tens of thousands across the nation.

Very good question. Freedoms are at the very core of a democratic society so of course I support "freedom of choice." But that doesn't mean that I am pro abortion or support same sex marriages. Do I agree with the choices some people make regarding family planning, abortion, marriage partners? Absolutely not. My opinions on these topics are Christian, morally and personally based so you can probably figure out my position. My beliefs are why I am glad there was another CHOICE for my daughter other than Girl Scouts. And that was the point of my last posting. I certainly did not intend to allude to CHOICE in matters of abortion, etc. My intention was to let more people out there know about American Heritage Girls because my family has had such a wonderful experience with it.

I think the bigger issue to all of this is choice. We all have choice. The BSA has made its choices. People who don't like the BSA's choices will make their choices. If people don't like the traditional path of the BSA, they have a choice to do something else. Patti Garibay did. She's the founder of a 10-year-old scouting organization called American Heritage Girls. She was a former Girl Scout leader who became dissatisfied with the direction in which GSUSA was moving. So she started her own scouting organization, which is now in about 35 states (maybe more). I just joined this forum and in just 1 day have gotten a very strong sense that there are a lot of people out there who promote traditional values. Again, a choice to do so. For all the moms and dads out there who are looking for a BSA-like environment for their girls, AHG warrants consideration. See my 8/23 and 8/24 posts in the Studio2B forum for more info on AHG or go to www.ahgonline.org. The AHG experience is too good not to share.

Yes, you are correct in your statement that AHG is a Christian organization. Just as important, however, is the fact that it is a faith-based organization as evidenced in the first line of the AHG Oath, "I promise to love God." However, AHG is NOT restrictive in MEMBERSHIP as you stated. It is open to all girl members of all faiths, ethnic backgrounds, etc. and does not descriminate in any shape or form regarding its girl members. You may have confused this restriction w/AHG's requirement that adult leaders, adult volunteers and the chartering/sponsoring church, school, etc. subscribe to AHG's Statement of Faith, which is in fact Christianity based. Also, the degree of faith influence in a particular troop is completely driven by the direction of the chartering church, school, etc., and the troop's leaders and can differ just as people differ from one another. AHG is not a "religious" organization. It is not an offshoot of a particular faith denomination. It is simply a scouting program for girls with a Christian influence. For me personally, I think AHG is one of those remaining things that's good in our society. THere's so much out there competing for our girls' hearts and minds. I wholeheartedly thank Patti Garibay, AHG's founder, for providing this scouting option.

I just read 5 pages of comments on Studio2B and am so glad that I chose a different scouting organization for my daughter! She is having so much fun and is camping and earning badges just like her brother, who is in Boy Scouts of America. She is an American Heritage Girl (this is not to be confused w/the American Girl dolls, etc). The American Heritage Girls (AHG) scouting organization was begun 10 years ago by a former (and very involved) GSA mom. I think she was even active in her council, maybe on a board or something -- definitely of a level to influence policy, programming, etc. Anyway, in the early 90s, she became very dissatisfied with the direction the GSA organization was taking. She voiced her opinion but soon found out she just received lip service and that if she wanted something different for her daughters, she would have to create it. And so in 1995, she did just that. She created American Heritage Girls and molded it very closely to the Boy Scouts of America with a heavy focus on God, family, community and country. There's camping, outdoor skills, personal fitness, emergency preparedness, family values, life skills of all sorts, etc., etc., etc. -- all the good stuff that's in BSA, including a comparable highest honor to the Eagle Scout rank. In AHG, it is called the Stars and Stripes Award and only the most determined scouts achieve it. And, yes, there are uniforms, flag ceremonies, etc. -- again, all the good things that have been time honored components of the BSA. AHG is probably closer to the scouting experience that the founder of Girl Scouts of America intended. There is no "dumbing down" as one of the threads stated of S2B. AHG develops girls into women by focusing on character development within a solid, wholesome scouting program. So if you're looking for a traditional scouting program that will develop all parts of your daughter (not just the "it's all about me" part or the "Barbie Doll" part), I highly recommend that you check into AHG (www.ahgonline.org). The site even has a troop locator if you're looking for an alternative program for your daughter. Everything you love about scouting is still alive and well at AHG. This scouting program truly is the way scouting was meant to be -- good wholesome fun, character development and community service. It is fresh and changes w/the times while adhering tightly to its scout oath and creed. 12 year from now when my daughter fills out a job application after graduating college, I truly feel that society will hold her AHG experience in as high esteem as the BSA experience, especially if she goes on to achieve the highest honor (following in her brother's footsteps who currently is working toward his Eagle rank). Good luck to all no matter which path you take. Our daughters are precious and deserve the same chance at having an authentic scouting experience as our sons receive through BSA. Afterall, they will be expected to hold their own against the men some day.