Help me seperate fact from fiction

[Cubmaster Bill]

My wife and her best friend had decided over the summer to start a girl scout unit at our kids school and were really excited about it until they discovered the "don't ask don't tell" rules and also that a number of GS troops are sponsored by Planned Parenthood. I did some research on the internet hoping to quell their concerns but just the opposite happened. Of course I understand that you can't believe everything you read on the net (except for the stuff about Bigfoot and UFO's of course!) but I found enough negative to be come really concerned about the lack of a clear moral basis to the GS. I really want my daughter to be involved with scouting (her brother is a Cub) but I need something to take to my wife and friend to convince them to stay involved. Right now the whole thing is on hold.

 

Help!

 

(By the way going to their first leader meeting with the other groups in the area didn't help. They were both shocked at the outright animosity displayed by the other leaders towards one another.)

[acco40]

My family is heavily involved in both programs (BSA & GSUSA). Both programs advertise that some of their goals (aims) are to build character, strong (GSUSA) or traditional (BSA) values, service, citizenship, and leadership skills. Heck, it is not surprising that a Baden-Powell had hands in the beginning of both. I believe that GSUSA emphasizes the need for girls and young women to feel self-worth. Most boys of that age already have an over inflated ego of self-worth!

 

The GSUSA does not have the pressures, either by members or dollars, that the LDS church or Catholic Church exerts on the BSA, so their stance on religious and sexual matters reflects that. Their structure is very different than the BSA (they don't have charter organizations like the BSA).

 

I feel both are great programs who rely heavily on volunteer leaders. It is really these leaders who make or break the program.(This message has been edited by acco40)

[KoreaScouter]

Everything Acco40 said is correct in my experience. The Planned Parenthood affiliation is through provision of materials local GS councils can use for program delivery, if they want. It's not a strong arm from the councils to the individual units, but there nonetheless. Also, if you're involved in BSA, you're going to find the GS service units less tethered or "accountable" to the councils, and there are no Districts as we know them with full-time professional Scouters. Also, the GS requirement to zero out troop accounts each spring makes planning, program delivery, and consistency nearly impossible. You're broke until cookie money comes in, then you have 2 months to spend it all -- amazing, then do it all over again in the fall.

 

If you start a GS unit, the program will reflect your attitudes and values, not Planned Parenthood's. If you don't want those materials at your meetings, they won't be there.

 

KS

[ScoutNut]

Girl Scouts does not have "sponsors" or charter orgs like BSA. The Planned Parenthood materials were, I believe, based on grant monies to help at risk girls. I can think of any number of areas that might find these materials helpful in keeping their girls safe and healthy. As KS stated, they are not forced on anyone, but are there if you feel your girls would benefit. They also have materials on reading, sports, health, government, international awareness, nature, science, drug abuse, heritage, peer pressure, smoking, physical fitness and many more.

 

"Don't ask - Don't tell rule". I'm not real sure exactly what rule you are quoting here. I don't recall ever seeing this rule in my 13 years of being affilated with GSUSA. If you are, for whatever reason, worried about homosexuals in Girl Scouting, I would think that the number of both adults and youth who are homosexual is about the same number as it is in BSA. Short of making every potential member (youth & adult) take a polygraph test and give a sworn statement I don't see how you can determine who is and who is not homosexual.

 

If you have done any research at all you could not make the statement that you are "really concerned about the lack of a clear moral basis to the GS". I suggest you read the "The Girl Scout Promise" and "The Girl Scout Law".

 

The animosity that was at the leader meeting is the same that can be seen in any number of BSA units or districts. Some people just can not seem to get along with others. Just read some of the entries in this forum.

 

Bottom line is that GSUSA is a great program. It has some problems, but so does BSA. If you do not like it there are alternatives out there. Try Campfire, 4-H, or maybe Heritage girls.

 

 

[Cubmaster Bill]

Thanks for the replies but every leader from my daughter's unit (not sure of the phrasing) resigned over the issues discussed. I am disappointed and tried to convince them that they could avoid those issues but they felt they had to make a stand for what they felt was right. And I have to respect them for that.

 

I'm going to forward your responses on to them and maybe next year they can re-look at the GS again.

[skerns123]

I was a cub scout and boy scout leader for my son and have been a girl scout leader for 7 years. I don't recall ever seeing anything about "don't ask, don't tell" or Planned Parenthood during all of that time so I don't know what the big deal is. Our girl scout troop meets at the girl scout lodge and isn't sponsored by anyone. You also do not have to spend all your money each year by the end of the year. We have been saving our cookie money since the girls were in Kindergarten for a trip to Savannah, GA which we will take next summer. We have troop dues paid by each girl in September to cover meeting activities, badges, mailings, etc. Each girl takes turns bringing a snack to each meeting. If you do carry money over from the year, you just have to indicate what it is for ( savings for trip, summer activities, etc.) Girl Scouts offers a wide variety of activities. You can tailor the program to your troop and their interests. Don't worry so much about a little negative press. I don't know of any organization that is perfect or doesn't have some negative press at some time about something.

[Strawberry Switchblade]

What you saw is true, though the story isn't as shallow.

 

The Girl Scouts and the Boy Scouts differ greatly when it comes to funding. We tend to be rather underfunded at times, so we have to take what we can get.

 

GSUSA became involved with Planned Parenthood after giving an award (which award escapes my mind) to one of it's board members. This initially through right-wing conservatives into a commotion and they attempted to boycott our cookies. (Key word? Attempted.) It is also true that Planned Parenthood sponsers troops, but by no means do they push their political views onto the troop. THey just give funding so that the girls can enjoy activites. The Junior handbook and up also have sections regarding physical, emotional, and personal health. I actually saw those quite helpful at that age, since my school's sex ed program was along the lines of "This is a vagina...it does this." It also saved my tail in a few threatening situations with strangers. Though, in my experience, these sections are not actively taught.

 

The "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" rule exists in a way, I suppose.It certainly does in Boy Scouts. The number of homosexuals/bisexuals in scouts is quite a bit, and nothing to sneeze at. Though they are not there to harm your son or daughter; they are there to enjoy scouting. I've met gay Eagle Scouts, and I myself an a Gold Awardee. Responsible people, which account for dang near all scouts, gay or not, do not bring their sexuality into the camp site. They know better.

 

In short, nothing to worry about. (This message has been edited by a staff member.)

[AlphaCentauri]

I also asked my council about the "zero out" rumor, and skerns123 is exactly correct. No troop could take a big trip if they couldn't carry funds over. And the cookie sale rotates time of year in different councils. Ours ends in March -- not much time to spend the money!

 

If Planned Parenthood provides support, this is the first I'm hearing about it. But from my involvement in a community service nonprofit through my job, I can tell you that parents of girls in urban high schools are very interested in having their girls hear about sex from someone other than Abercroombie and Fitch, Calvin Klein, and UPN sitcoms. Having the Girl Scouts discuss it helps change ######## from something "cool" and "edgy" to something serious that calls for Responsibility and Maturity. Someday, maybe we can add Abstinence to that list, but we're up against a lot in the media and the urban high school culture (e.g., if a girl hasn't had a baby, she's considered a wallflower; if a boy isn't having sex with girls at every opportunity, girls will regard him as being "on the down low" and won't consider entering into a long-term relationship with him).

 

There is no "don't ask, don't tell" rule in our Safety Wise. Remember that most pedophiles are heterosexual and almost all are male, so the issue of heterosexual adult male volunteers is more pressing. There are rules about sleeping arrangements and two-deep leadership that cover the risk of abuse, sexual or otherwise. Personally, if any girl or female adult is gay I'd prefer to know about it, so appropiate steps can be taken to assure everyone's privacy. As a teen, I was in an Explorer Post with boys and girls, and it was not a problem -- we were expected to respect each other and each other's privacy and we did, period.(This message has been edited by AlphaCentauri)