ianwilkins Posted July 29, 2015 Share Posted July 29, 2015 For a little international perspective, in the UK we have "Scouts" which is mixed, but it wasn't ever thus, and "GirlGuiding", which is girls only. The change to mixed scouting, well Ventures (15-21) were mixed from the mid 1970's. If memory serves they made it a local decision (sound familiar?) to go mixed in other sections in the early 2000's, then making it more or less compulsory around 2010. I was a leader of a Venture Unit at the time other sections went mixed, and there was resistance from some who feared they would have to "girlify" their programme. As far as I know, this hasn't happened, and membership has grown every year since 2002. GirlGuiding doesn't seem to be withering on the vine either, that seems as popular as ever. Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nola Posted July 29, 2015 Share Posted July 29, 2015 Aren't we the only country left in the world without co-Ed scouting? And it would double the member base too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qwazse Posted July 29, 2015 Share Posted July 29, 2015 GSUSA still has a huge sway in these parts. I don't see them going anywhere,@@Scouter99. As long as there are malls and makeup... I prefer it when my crew is balanced girls vs. boys (it's mostly boys at the moment). As a parent I would have preferred "one stop" shopping. I think a more productive change would be to allow SMs and ASMs to earn Eagle ... and require them to earn First Class. That would, among other things, open the way for adult females to experience the rank advancement process and maybe give girls a greater "me too" kind of feeling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gone Posted July 29, 2015 Share Posted July 29, 2015 Sorry, I'd tap out if we went coed. I get Venturing and it's a good idea. But Boy Scouts has a purpose. If BSA goes fully coed I know many who'd also leave. That'd be a sad day. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stosh Posted July 29, 2015 Author Share Posted July 29, 2015 I like the way it is set up now. Elementary and Middle School youth wouldn't do well with co-ed, but Venturing requires a HS/College level maturity to make it work effectively. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peregrinator Posted July 29, 2015 Share Posted July 29, 2015 Sorry, I'd tap out if we went coed. I get Venturing and it's a good idea. But Boy Scouts has a purpose. If BSA goes fully coed I know many who'd also leave. That'd be a sad day. I know a number of people who left Scouts Canada when it went compulsory co-ed. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hedgehog Posted July 29, 2015 Share Posted July 29, 2015 Coming from a parent of a 12 - soon to be 13 year-old - boy --- please no. The younger boys are very different than girls their age -- the drama for boys is internal (skills, confidence, etc.) where the drama for girls is external (relationships with friends). Boy Scouting at that age allows a safe place to fail and an encouraging place to suceed. Between 11 and 13 these boys make a transition from a child to a young adult. In Scouting, those boys are the center of attention and should be. The T-1st program gives them a sense of accomplishment from learning skills and the outdoor program gives them a place to practice those skills and be independent. Having older boys guide younger boys is amazing. Our Troop has a wonderful dynamic where the older guys include, befriend and mentor the younger guys. Throw girls in the mix and that dynamic changes dramatically. The boys only structure allows the boys to both be more mature (in taking responsibility) and more immature (as I refer to the boys as our bunch of oddballs). How many 9th grade boys would talk openly about having a heat rash on their buttocks or clogging a flush toilet after a day on the trial or almost getting stung while going behind a tree if girls were part of the Troop? Wait, maybe that isn't such a bad idea... There is something special about Scouting remaining "a game for boys under the leadership of boys under the direction of a man.†LIke @, I get Venturing (and have toyed with starting a Venturing crew) but think that co-ed should remain an option. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perdidochas Posted July 29, 2015 Share Posted July 29, 2015 Can you imagine the PR mess it would make if the people couldn't get their thin mints anymore? The Boy Scouts would have to start selling cookies which the remnant vestige of GSUSA would have the BSA in court before the chocolate cooled. You can get thin mints in the store now. (not labeled GSUSA, but the same cookie nonetheless). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perdidochas Posted July 29, 2015 Share Posted July 29, 2015 I may stand alone, but I think there are merits to having separate groups for boys and girls. Having co ed groups changes the dynamics. I agree. I'm in process of forming a Venturing Crew, and that's my main concern. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perdidochas Posted July 29, 2015 Share Posted July 29, 2015 Coming from a parent of a 12 - soon to be 13 year-old - boy --- please no. The younger boys are very different than girls their age -- the drama for boys is internal (skills, confidence, etc.) where the drama for girls is external (relationships with friends). Boy Scouting at that age allows a safe place to fail and an encouraging place to suceed. Between 11 and 13 these boys make a transition from a child to a young adult. In Scouting, those boys are the center of attention and should be. The T-1st program gives them a sense of accomplishment from learning skills and the outdoor program gives them a place to practice those skills and be independent. Having older boys guide younger boys is amazing. Our Troop has a wonderful dynamic where the older guys include, befriend and mentor the younger guys. Throw girls in the mix and that dynamic changes dramatically. The boys only structure allows the boys to both be more mature (in taking responsibility) and more immature (as I refer to the boys as our bunch of oddballs). How many 9th grade boys would talk openly about having a heat rash on their buttocks or clogging a flush toilet after a day on the trial or almost getting stung while going behind a tree if girls were part of the Troop? Wait, maybe that isn't such a bad idea... There is something special about Scouting remaining "a game for boys under the leadership of boys under the direction of a man.†LIke @, I get Venturing (and have toyed with starting a Venturing crew) but think that co-ed should remain an option. If BSA does go coed (which I anticipate in the next 20, not the next 5 years), I would hope that options remain for boys only troops. I know at this time Venturing crews can be boys only (and I guess girls only) as well as coed. I think we wouldn't have a single boy SPL if we had coed Troops. Girls understand the politicking much better than do boys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gone Posted July 29, 2015 Share Posted July 29, 2015 If BSA does go coed (which I anticipate in the next 20, not the next 5 years), I would hope that options remain for boys only troops. Think of the permutations of "options" that BSA will have to manage with that combined with Monday's decision. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gone Posted July 29, 2015 Share Posted July 29, 2015 LIke @, I get Venturing (and have toyed with starting a Venturing crew) but think that co-ed should remain an option. We have our Boy Scout unit, a coed Venture unit and a all-boy Venture unit. All three flourish. It *can* work. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stosh Posted July 29, 2015 Author Share Posted July 29, 2015 You can get thin mints in the store now. (not labeled GSUSA, but the same cookie nonetheless). Dog gone it! Ya shouldn't have told me that! I used to have to wait a whole year to stock up. Now all I have to do is go to the store? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eagledad Posted July 29, 2015 Share Posted July 29, 2015 Human nature of boys before puberty is to hang around in herds. The female nature is more independent thinking, so yes they accel in leading up to puberty. However, boys who come from a good leadership program before their puberty are very good leaders after puberty even with females because their more forward nature is equal. But the boys who weren't in good leadership programs are the ones who struggle with their aggressive opposite gender because they simply don't have the skills to lead the group. I don't have a problem mixing the genders after puberty because the basic development of character has been programmed. But that doesn't mean it will be a good mix, hormones are still a problem and should be considered as a very powerful challenge in the development of young adults. One of my boy run mentors that taught me a lot about scouting quit because he grew tired of the challenge. The sexes shouldn't be mixed before puberty because it distract everyone (youth and adults) from the task of building moral and ethical decision makers. I find that two out of three adults who push for mixed scouting are coming from the political correctness agenda, not the character development agenda. Barry 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blw2 Posted July 29, 2015 Share Posted July 29, 2015 Cool. I like those cookies better then popcorn. yes so true..... but the elves are already knocking that line of goods off the pedestal! https://www.keebler.com/en_US/cookies-and-more/fudge-shoppe/coconut-dreams-cookies.html and https://www.keebler.com/en_US/cookies-and-more/fudge-shoppe/grasshopper-cookies.html 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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