My Disappointing Troop

[OscarTango]

Ahh... I remember being a little kid (i'm 13 now )and watching by older brother become a Cub Scout. He was a... Bear or Webelos, not really sure, and all I wanted was to wear the uniform and get the "little belt badges", as I called them. I used ta walk 'round the house in his neckerchief and carved my name into the dresser with his new pocketknife. I wanted nothing more than to be a Scout...So I got signed up for Daisys! :] woohoo. All I got was a blue tunic from my troop and we didn't do ANYTHING! No camping, no outings, no "little belt badges" and neckerchiefs. Boys are so lucky.

[Nike]

You were definitely in the wrong troop. However, if you knew what most Daisy and Brownie leaders have to work with as a program, especially since many are new to GS, you might be a little forgiving.

 

I am sure that in your GS Council, if you want to pursue GS, there is an outdoorsy troop you would love. Hang in there until you can join Venturing. Will you be in a crew with a brother or two?

[OscarTango]

wow!Sprechen sie Deutsch? Anyway, I decided just to wait, Girl Scouts might just not be for me. Too much "touchy friendship" stuff lol I'm trying to persuade my brother to join too, he'd be 16 when I join. He's a computer geek so some high-adventure will be good for him I wish I just found the right troop for me.

[Nike]

Ich sprect, ein bisschien.

 

Many girls these days do not want the overly touchy feely stuff. If you want to, a nicely worded letter to your local GS council about why you aren't attracted to the GS program but to Venture might help them to better serve all the girls in your area.

 

Good luck.

 

 

[HobcawChaos]

Have you asked your GS Council's field director for your area to recommend a troop? She should know the general actities of them and be able to help you find one that suits you better. Some troops are very arts n craftsy while others are outdoorsy and yet others a blend.

 

Please also remember that at the Daisy age most kids are still using booster seats and outings can be a challenge. The "herding cats" expression comes to mind. Daisy troops do tend to stay in the meeting place and keep visits to around town. There is plenty to see and do in the immediate area for kindergarden and first graders.

 

By your age, Girl Scout Cadettes, you should be able to find troops that plan activities throughout your region with an eye for national trips as they become seniors. In my Service Area, Cadette troops typically camp nearby and throughout the region, go scuba diving, kayaking, whitewater rafting, rock climbing, letterboxing/geocaching, etc. They can also be found going to a cooking store and learning new techniques in a demonstration kitchen, visiting a restaurant behind the scenes, and taking lessons from a pastry chef. My own troop has/is doing all of the above (except the diving and rafting which a friend's troop is up to) in the past 18 months.

 

There is a hiking/owl-pellet-dissection/camp-skills event for Daisys and Brownies at a local nature center next month. I would also hazard a guess that similarly aged Cub Scouts(Tigers for K-1?) aren't doing much high adventure either.

[TiaScout]

HobCawChaos asked "Have you asked your GS Council's field director for your area to recommend a troop?"

 

Good advice! There are lots of GS troops who do outdoors skills, camping, high adventure and more. Your Field Director probably knows who they are, because they need to send in paperwork when they do high adventure, camping or overnights. Word gets around. You can also visit a couple of teen troops to check them out. Nothing wrong with looking for a good fit. When someone asked Juliette Gordon Low "What should the girls do?" she replied "What the girls want to do!"

 

There might be a small troop out there who is just WAITING for another gal like you to do knives and fire with them. Don't give up! A girl with similar interests (and a bit of Boy-Scout-brother-envy also) joined our troop last year, after thinking she'd never find girl buddies to camp with. Good times.

 

So, you don't have to wait for scouting fun until you're 14 and can join a Venture Crew. A lot of girls do both!