Women in BSA

[scoutldr]

Jeff, thanks for your first aid service to scouting. My best days in Scouting were as a member of a Fire and Rescue Explorer Post chartered to a Vol Fire Dept and Rescue Squad, and we provided advanced first aid/ambulance support to all District and OA activities (our Advisor and those over 18 were state certified and licensed to drive the ambulance).

 

Just a comment on your Health Lodge experience...an 11 year old is a minor and does not get to decide what emergency medical treatment he will receive nor from whom. That is specified on the Health and Medical form signed by his parents, authorizing whatever appropriate medical care is deemed necessary. As a parent, if I knew that medical decisions were being made based on my minor son's desires or modesty, I would be outraged. Just follow the Youth Protection rules and your training and you should be OK. And keep good written records of all treatment.

[VH_50]

Discussion of leaders modelling character and integrity for the scouts got me thinkng:

 

Why assume that character and integrity are gendered? That being a "man of character and integrity" is one thing and a "woman of character and integrity" is another?

 

Surely it's not that we (as a society) take character and integrity for granted in women and find it so rare in men that we have to hunt for examples! :-)

[OldGreyEagle]

Ghosthunter, you said

 

"I have a problem with the women leaders who are on their own cruisade to change the face of scouting to what they feel scouting should be all about, throwing many years of tradition out the window and writing their own curriculum."

 

I concur, I also have a problem with male leaders who want to change the program to their own curriculum.

 

Leaders (male or female) who want to define what an active is by means of attendance at meetings and outings.

 

Leaders who expect scouts to remember every scout skill they ever learned and expect them to know the answers to all merit badges they ever learned and want to be so sure that the leaders are never embarassed by their "boys" (like they were chattell)that they add requirements to ranks, make up rules as they see fit,

and think they rule the troop.

 

It can happen male or female

 

[Eagledad]

>>Why assume that character and integrity are gendered?>Surely it's not that we (as a society) take character and integrity for granted in women and find it so rare in men that we have to hunt for examples! :-)

[mermaid]

Men and Women bring different things to the table. What makes a well rounded child is the different views and examples surrounding him/her.

I identify with my mother not my father. Not saying that my father was a bad model but, that I am a women and I identify with another women. My point being that, scouting should be of a diversified bunch. Even though I identify with my own gender I do use my fathers exapmles for choosing a mate or other males in my life. So yes you do need both men and women in such organizations that involve children. Not all children will be blessed with good role models at home. Because you never know that scout mom or scout dad might just be the one that influences that youth for the rest of his/her life.

On a different note... I am the cc of my pack and all positions but one are filled with women. In this day and age it is very hard to get the parents to even slow down while letting the kids out of the car. Never mind getting them involved. So in a perfect world you would have an equal amount of participation. But this isn't a perfect world. You take almost any warm body you can and be thankful for it. Because with out the volunters that we have, whether they be men or women, we wouldnt have a pack or troop.