The issue with girls in Scouting

[Karolyne]

I've been lurking around this forum for a while now, but with all the rattle around this topic for a while now, I decided to join and offer my (rather controversial perhaps) opinion on it.

 

In fact, IMHO, GSUSA ship is sinking. The question is how fast, some people say 5 years, others 20... But I do believe that GSUSA, due to it's mismanagement and constant alienation of core (scouting) membership in favor of glorified daycare and arts-and-crafts club. Troops are collapsing left and right and those that do not are usually very exclusive and nigh impossible to get in. There are some isolated islands here and there that still try, but they are few and dwindling in number.

 

The question is, what will happen if (or rather when) GSUSA folds. Suddenly, it's vast resources, active and passive will be up for grabs. And here is, IMHO crux of the matter with BSA. BSA leadership is afraid that GSUSA potential successor will take too much out of their book, while also making the whole thing co-ed or so-called family friendly. With that, they will suddenly have much more powerful competitor that will likely start to cut into their own membership. And for that, they are instead trying to be themselves the one who will tap into the vast free resources that collapse will leave behind. But only way to effectively do that, is if their core is co-ed or if venturing is expanded to such high point, that it will essentially become the coed BSA scouting.

 

Also, I could be wrong...

[qwazse]

@@Karolyne, welcome to the forums.

It seems that, numerically, BSA and GS/USA are on the same trajectory.

As far as resources go, there won't be much left as camps for both groups are being sold off to pay for professionals.

They already have coed competitors, none have "cracked the code."

 

The one thing that any youth movement needs: youth willing to commit to it. Those are getting harder to find.

[fred johnson]

There are not enough volunteers to have segregated dens and/or troops.

 

So true.  That's why I believe a co-ed version is the only one possible.  Similarly, I don't think there are enough adults to "understand" a different parallel program.  It would need to be the same requirements, structure, etc.  We could not manage two different sets of requirements and program content.

[Tampa Turtle]

Interesting read in Slate. Wish they had given equal coverage to GSUSA's woes:

 

http://www.slate.com/articles/double_x/doublex/2017/10/why_there_s_never_been_more_bitter_rancor_between_the_girl_scouts_and_the.html

[RememberSchiff]

Interesting read in Slate. Wish they had given equal coverage to GSUSA's woes:

 

http://www.slate.com/articles/double_x/doublex/2017/10/why_there_s_never_been_more_bitter_rancor_between_the_girl_scouts_and_the.html

Wow. I have not read that the membership increase would go entirely to pay for liability insurance.

 

BSA did not respond to questions about the ongoing lawsuits, but documents indicate that costs related to these cases may be one reason why BSA is beefing up its insurance reserves by making some changes to increase revenue. The organization recently announced that it would be increasing annual membership fees from $24 to $33 beginning in December. An email to area participants from the Glacier’s Edge Council, a BSA unit that encompasses parts of Wisconsin and Illinois, explained why:

 

The Boy Scouts of America has seen a dramatic increase in liability lawsuits which has decreased our movement’s financial position by between $40 to $50 million annually since 2010. An increase in the annual membership fee is required to financially stabilize our movement. All of the funds generated from the increase will go directly to the National BSA General Liability Insurance Fund.

Edited October 11, 2017 by RememberSchiff

[ianwilkins]

The Boy Scouts of America has seen a dramatic increase in liability lawsuits which has decreased our movement’s financial position by between $40 to $50 million annually since 2010. An increase in the annual membership fee is required to financially stabilize our movement. All of the funds generated from the increase will go directly to the National BSA General Liability Insurance Fund.

Crikey! How big are the reserves? Are BSA about to be litigated out of existence?

[qwazse]

 

Wow. I have not read that the membership increase would go entirely to pay for liability insurance.

Annual reports ... financial statements ... the juice is in the footnotes (so I teach my Sunday School kids).

 

Crikey! How big are the reserves? Are BSA about to be litigated out of existence?

Not just BSA ... every youth organization in the US faces aggressive litigation on a number of fronts. BSA is merely the whale by virtue of its large membership, reach across multiple communities, prolonged activities in isolated locations, and meticulous record-keeping back in an era when there was no authority on exactly how to handle incidents.

[Tampa Turtle]

A case where a journalist puts together what is lying in plain sight. I still would have appreciated some data on GSUSA's finances.

[Snow Owl]

Has anyone seen any evidence of implementation?  The rumor mill is churning but I have not seen anything recent.

[numbersnerd]

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/boy-scouts-will-admit-girls-allow-them-earn-eagle-scout-n809836

[John-in-KC]

Closing the thread.  National has made the decision.  It's a done deal.