Girl Cubs?

[Eagledad]

Australian, British and New Zealand Scouts, among others, are co-ed. From Kea (Tigers), Cubs, Scouts, Venturers and Rovers.

 

Takes a lot of testosterone out of the wild play. On the other hand we have to check that girls and boys are in seperate tents, take an appropriate number of female leaders along etc.

 

I think co-ed is a good idea. BSA is a bit behind the rest of the world, just give it a couple more years.

You're basing national numbers from what? LOL! It will take 5 years to see the real effects of this years decisions.

[berliner]

Australian, British and New Zealand Scouts, among others, are co-ed. From Kea (Tigers), Cubs, Scouts, Venturers and Rovers.

 

Takes a lot of testosterone out of the wild play. On the other hand we have to check that girls and boys are in seperate tents, take an appropriate number of female leaders along etc.

 

I think co-ed is a good idea. BSA is a bit behind the rest of the world, just give it a couple more years.

NZ Scouts became co-ed I think like 20 years ago. Maybe in another 10 years BSA will catch up ;-)

 

My pack was about half girls. More boys with the older scouts and only 1 of 6 venturers was a girl (always got a tent by herself).

NZ also has Guides, so the girls get to chose if they want to do girlie stuff or cool tomboy scout stuff 8-)

 

Womens rights? That is the point: girls dont need toonly sell cookies all day, they can also build fires, pioneering and what not.

 

(mind you, I always feed my scouts the guide cookies. Was founded by BPs Sister after all)

[Faith]

Just adding my two cents. Our den is pretty large this year and lots of siblings attend (boys and girls.) We let them all participate but they aren't registered. It helps keep them all occupied and they love doing stuff as well. We recently had our annual cuboree and all siblings participated in the activities with each den and earned a patch at the end (we had tons of extras so they all got one too.) Any way we can keep them all happy, I'm for. It beats telling a parent they can't bring them, then losing the scout too. I don't really have any opinion either way on girls joining cub scouting (I wouldn't be against it but I don't see it happening any time soon, either.)

[qwazse]

Australian, British and New Zealand Scouts, among others, are co-ed. From Kea (Tigers), Cubs, Scouts, Venturers and Rovers.

 

Takes a lot of testosterone out of the wild play. On the other hand we have to check that girls and boys are in seperate tents, take an appropriate number of female leaders along etc.

 

I think co-ed is a good idea. BSA is a bit behind the rest of the world, just give it a couple more years.

Venturing, our grand co-ed experiment, is the fastest declining division.

THOSE co-eds are the ones who will be agents of change in 10 years.

And, if their numbers are shrinking, who's going to be around to press for what looks to be a loss-leader?

Unless the majority of dedicated boy scouts who aren't in venturing want something different for their kids, there is no constituency.

 

Just sayin' ... from the crew advisor's cheap seats.

[moosetracker]

Australian, British and New Zealand Scouts, among others, are co-ed. From Kea (Tigers), Cubs, Scouts, Venturers and Rovers.

 

Takes a lot of testosterone out of the wild play. On the other hand we have to check that girls and boys are in seperate tents, take an appropriate number of female leaders along etc.

 

I think co-ed is a good idea. BSA is a bit behind the rest of the world, just give it a couple more years.

Venturing was a hard sell, especially to girls who have not gone through BSA.. Yeah sure boy scouts can bring in new blood rather then live off feeder packs, but the program has to be awesome, few get their troops to that level, same with Venturing.

 

It never got the acceptance of the rest of the scouting world. Since it competes for the interest of the older troop age boys, and is given the ability to finish off the eagle rank, they were set up to have to compete with the established BSA. The established BSA see them as a threat to their program. The established group is winning the war. I still hear of our council trying to do discussions about how Venturing is not a threat to the troop.. Yeah, few are listening.. I think the worst mistake was allowing the Eagle rank to be finished up in Venturing, The age may have still set off some feeling of competition, but at least there wouldn't have been a feeling that Venturing was competing to do the boy scout program itself. In all fairness, it really doesn't, at least around here very few earn their Eagle through the Venturing program.. All the more reason to remove it from the Venturing program. It removes the feeling of threat troops have for it, and it doesn't really effect the overall Venturing program, and it would help them to bury the hatchet with the Boy Scout program, which would help them more then the ability of being able to offer the Eagle award ever did.

 

But the 18-21 age group is also hard to keep, either kids at that age is leaving home for out of state colleges or leaving school and going out in the working world. I have heard of some success with kids already in venturing before 18 who went to a local college, but only a little.

 

Anyway, I wouldn't point to the success or failure of Venturing to be the indication of what happens if girls are part of the BSA program. The problems with the Venturing program has nothing to do with the girls.

[Tampa Turtle]

Australian, British and New Zealand Scouts, among others, are co-ed. From Kea (Tigers), Cubs, Scouts, Venturers and Rovers.

 

Takes a lot of testosterone out of the wild play. On the other hand we have to check that girls and boys are in seperate tents, take an appropriate number of female leaders along etc.

 

I think co-ed is a good idea. BSA is a bit behind the rest of the world, just give it a couple more years.

After travelling with some dutch scouts this summer I think co-ed is the way to go.

[moosetracker]

Just adding my two cents. Our den is pretty large this year and lots of siblings attend (boys and girls.) We let them all participate but they aren't registered. It helps keep them all occupied and they love doing stuff as well. We recently had our annual cuboree and all siblings participated in the activities with each den and earned a patch at the end (we had tons of extras so they all got one too.) Any way we can keep them all happy, I'm for. It beats telling a parent they can't bring them, then losing the scout too. I don't really have any opinion either way on girls joining cub scouting (I wouldn't be against it but I don't see it happening any time soon, either.)

Right Faith, so what you do and what others who welcome girls in whether registered or not, kill at least one argument from the nay-sayers. That boys develop slower, and so girls take away from their ability to be top dog in the den/Pack/Patrol/Troop.. If they are doing anyway, then girl superiority ick, is already part of the formula. Unless the boys don't get the inferior feeling because they get the bling, and the icky girls are denied bling.

[berliner]

Australian, British and New Zealand Scouts, among others, are co-ed. From Kea (Tigers), Cubs, Scouts, Venturers and Rovers.

 

Takes a lot of testosterone out of the wild play. On the other hand we have to check that girls and boys are in seperate tents, take an appropriate number of female leaders along etc.

 

I think co-ed is a good idea. BSA is a bit behind the rest of the world, just give it a couple more years.

but that is the problem: you cant introduce girls to venturing if they havent gone thrue the rest of scouting.

In NZ the girls in venturing/rovers are most likely to have been in scouts since cubs.

In our valley we had/have 3 scout groups with a total of 4 packs and 3 troops but only 1 crew.

Especially from cubs to scouts it thins out as these days the parents make the kids choose between another activity/sport or scouts.

Then after Queensscout (eagle) there is another drop with only hardcore scouts staying on for venturing or running district camps and what not.

 

One thing I have realized in the past 3-4 years: nearly all scouts quit for a while, mostly college.

But it is mostly these people that then come back with their own kids.

[mashmaster]

I remember some one on this board posting they allow girls in their pack but I don't think they are registered. BSA is not likely to take such a move anytime soon. It would be viewed as an attack on GSUSA.

Eagledad I'm not sure about that. BSA openly welcomed American Heritage Girls until the decision separated them.

[Eagledad]

I remember some one on this board posting they allow girls in their pack but I don't think they are registered. BSA is not likely to take such a move anytime soon. It would be viewed as an attack on GSUSA.

There was an understanding with the GSUSA, I just don't know where it stands now. I am quite confident that the BSA has no desire to jump into anymore snake pits for awhile. Barry