Push for Coed Scouting

[Stosh]

http://www.apa.org/monitor/2011/02/coed.aspx

[Snow Owl]

And in the last 100 years, almost every school, college, university and work place has gone co-ed.  Go figure.  

 

watch, pretty soon they will even let women drive and vote! 

[TAHAWK]

https://www.niche.com/k12/rankings/private-high-schools/best-all-girls/

[Stosh]

https://www.niche.com/k12/rankings/private-high-schools/best-all-boys/ 

 

 

@TAHAWK you had me worried there, so I did a quick lookup.  I thought maybe the PC crowd had not posted a site for boys, or that it had been already sued out existence by now.

[RememberSchiff]

Will we first see a female Chief Scout Executive, a female National President, or a female U.S. President?

[qwazse]

Will we first see a female Chief Scout Executive, a female National President, or a female U.S. President?

Our current SE, she seems to be a pretty sharp tack. But, we have already groomed two CSE's for you all. It is a real pain when our people move up and we try to fill the vacuum they left with someone of not-yet-comparable skill. Time for some other council to start molding their exec for the job.

 

Regardless, I know as many female as male scouters who are more stringent about unisex program than Mike Surbaugh. So IMHO, sex of the exec won't be a driving factor. I'd wager this: if our CSE or national president over the years are replaced by younger scouters -- especially those with international experience -- we'll see more of a push towards Scouting USA. If they are replaced by older scouters, we'll see a push towards unisex ... possibly even the marginalizing of venturing and other LFL program.

[Eagledad]

Our current SE, she seems to be a pretty sharp tack. But, we have already groomed two CSE's for you all. It is a real pain when our people move up and we try to fill the vacuum they left with someone of not-yet-comparable skill. Time for some other council to start molding their exec for the job.

 

Regardless, I know as many female as male scouters who are more stringent about unisex program than Mike Surbaugh. So IMHO, sex of the exec won't be a driving factor. I'd wager this: if our CSE or national president over the years are replaced by younger scouters -- especially those with international experience -- we'll see more of a push towards Scouting USA. If they are replaced by older scouters, we'll see a push towards unisex ... possibly even the marginalizing of venturing and other LFL program.

That's pretty interesting and it got me thinking that moms were the  most hard core adults in our troop who wanted men leaders in front of the boys and a pure patrol method program. In fact, when I recruited CCs, I would look for the adults who supported my Boy Run Patrol Method philosophy the most and they were always moms.

 

Makes me wonder if a National President who is also a mother will be tilted more toward a unisex program as well as Patrol Method.

 

Barry

[Stosh]

I have no problem with co-ed Scouting USA as a new program offered to the youth of our country.  But one has to take it into consideration that BOY Scouting has a valid place too.  We have tons of co-ed youth programs.  Scouting USA can jump in and compete with them, but the uniqueness of an all-boy program will disappear.  Now it may not matter to a few, but all-girl or all-boy organizations may not have a wide market demand but they do hold an edge the other programs don't....and they don't have to compete with everyone else.

 

I have worked with co-ed youth programs my entire life and have no problem with the way they approach their programs.  However, what's my incentive to stick with Scouting USA if it's just like any other program out there that I'm already involved with?  As it stands now, I like the all-boy program of the BSA.  It's something different with a different focus and produces a different result for society than does co-ed with a more diverse need to fulfill. 

 

As it stands right now, starting a Red Cross Club of young adults will do more for "helping other people at all times" than religious programs or scouting programs.  How many Venturing Crews are prepared and get the opportunity to serve hot meals or helping people in a shelter in a disaster situation?  Just sayin'.