Linked Troops - What are these?

[Hawkwin]

30 minutes ago, Treflienne said:

Because 11-14 girls and 11-14 boys naturally separate and don't want anything to do with each other.

Not sure I agree with that being a "natural" occurrence. I think that such preference is a learned behavior, not one that comes naturally or instinctually. I also think such preference is likely more cultural than it is natural.

 

32 minutes ago, Treflienne said:

Also, in a coed environment tasks can easily divide along gender roles, depriving the kids of a chance to learn valuable skills more commonly associated with the other gender.

I am in complete agreement on this. I don't mind if we end up with some sort of coed solution but I think gender-specific patrols and likely completely separate leadership roles will continue to be beneficial for both boys and girls.

 

33 minutes ago, Treflienne said:

But I can see families of girls (like mine) as well as families of boys wanting to keeping kids' experience single-sex.

Agreed, to a point. I really like the cub scout structure of single-gender dens that might report to a coed pack.

[Cambridgeskip]

1 hour ago, Treflienne said:

Because 11-14 girls and 11-14 boys naturally separate and don't want anything to do with each other.

Even at church we have coed elementary school stuff,  coed high school stuff, and separate boys and girls groups for the 6th-8th grades.  

Also, in a coed environment tasks can easily divide along gender roles, depriving the kids of a chance to learn valuable skills more commonly associated with the other gender.

The linked-troop option seems very nice in reducing the overhead involved in getting a new troop off the ground, and in providing institutional know-how.  But I can see families of girls (like mine) as well as families of boys wanting to keeping kids' experience single-sex.

My scouts here in the UK are 10-14 and I don't really see it.

Sometimes they seem to drift into single sex groups. We went punting back in June. We told them to sort themselves into boat groups and they ended up single sex.  A few weeks earlier we'd been sailing and they naturally sorted themselves into mixed sex boat groups. It just depends on what we are up to.

Our actual patrols, where most chores are done, are mixed and there's certainly no gender based division there. They simply get stuck into it together. Maybe it's the sort of girls that come to scouts rather than girl guides simply not standing for any having to do the cleaning nonsense but it certainly doesn't happen. This is what coed chores typically look like.

 

Quote

As far as I can tell, the only reason National is doing this is because they believe this is the only way they can make it palatable to reactionary leaders leaders while giving the revolutionary leaders a place at the table. Or, this is the best way for them to monitor program growth in hopes of pitching it to COs  looking for the next big thing.

I think that is a harsh way of describing it.

As an outsider looking in, while BSA top brass have made a hash of implementing it, I get why they have gone for this structure. The USA is one of the most diverse countries on the planet. Any solution had to allow for staying strictly same sex or allowing things to blur because of that diversity. And yes I can see that in practice those that want to will blur it. They are treading an extremely thin tight rope and I think this is as good a solution as any.

[David CO]

2 hours ago, qwazse said:

 

If they were "Scout Troops", then why does my CO need two of them? The only reason would be because there's two programs. The existing one for boys and a new program for girls who want to do the the things boy scouts do.

My crew never needed two advisors. Why? Because it was one program. Our pack never needed two cubmasters for the same reason.

 

...or BSA wants to collect a second chartering fee?

[blw2]

28 minutes ago, Cambridgeskip said:

Our actual patrols, where most chores are done, are mixed and there's certainly no gender based division there. They simply get stuck into it together. Maybe it's the sort of girls that come to scouts rather than girl guides simply not standing for any having to do the cleaning nonsense but it certainly doesn't happen. This is what coed chores typically look like.

There probably is a lot to do with the types of kids that come to scouts

but generally speaking

I can see an upside to this approach, in the development of my son anyway.  He has two sisters and gets along good with them.....but outside of that I'm not really convinced he ever really talks to girls.  I recon from time to time he might get tagged to a girl as a lab partner or something at school, but I'm sure that would never be by choice and likely this is a rarely if ever thing.  It would be good for him to have more friends that are girls...if for nothing else than for better understanding down the road when he starts to date.

[fred johnson]

2 hours ago, Cambridgeskip said:

The USA is one of the most diverse countries on the planet. Any solution had to allow for staying strictly same sex or allowing things to blur because of that diversity. And yes I can see that in practice those that want to will blur it. They are treading an extremely thin tight rope and I think this is as good a solution as any.

Fully agree.  Well said.  

[gblotter]

On 3/6/2018 at 1:36 PM, Eagle1993 said:

It looks like Troops start Feb 2019.

Now I have a definitive date to plan my exit from Scouting.

[MikeS72]

11 hours ago, Dixit said:

 How did he achieve 6 months of tenure since turning 10?

I questioned that when I first started helping out with them as Webelos, and the fact that he would only be 10 years and a couple of months old.

I was told that they had requested a waiver so he could move up to Webelos with his friends (even though he was a year behind in school), and that if he completed AOL he could cross over with them last month.

[MikeS72]

8 hours ago, Thunderbird said:

If the boy is in the 4th grade and just turned 10 in December, how did he meet the 6 month tenure requirement ("six months since completing the fourth grade or for at least six months since becoming 10 years old"?  He hasn't completed the 4th grade yet, so December + 6 months would be June.

When I asked the same questions I was told they requested and were granted a waiver.

[gblotter]

On 3/6/2018 at 1:03 PM, John-in-KC said:

One  chartered partner, one  committee, in theory two scoutmasters and two sets of assistant scoutmaster's

Two youth structures-- PLC, patrols, etc. Again, in theory

1

We do this already.

Two small LDS troops share one committee. The troops meet separately, have separate SMs and ASMs, separate youth structures, separate weekly troop meetings, separate campouts, separate summer camps.

The goal is not to run a combined Scouting program for the two troops - we simply want to cut down on the administrative overhead by joining forces for staffing adult positions on the committee. It works (mostly).

Edited March 8, 2018 by gblotter

[RiverRat]

On 3/6/2018 at 4:17 PM, NJCubScouter said:

Scoutmistress?

Just kidding, just kidding.

But that is proper.  We should go with that.

[WAKWIB]

12 hours ago, David CO said:

...or BSA wants to collect a second chartering fee?

By Jove, I think he's got it! 

[RememberSchiff]

2 hours ago, RiverRat said:

But that is proper.  We should go with that.

@RiverRat welcome to scouter.com.

[Tampa Turtle]

7 hours ago, RiverRat said:

But that is proper.  We should go with that.

Scout Queen/King as needed.

[Jameson76]

3 minutes ago, Tampa Turtle said:

Scout Queen/King as needed.

[ianwilkins]

6 minutes ago, Tampa Turtle said:

Scout Queen/King as needed.

Not sure, might get a tad confusing with UK and Commonwealth Queen's/King's Scouts.

"Uncle" Ian