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Girls in the BSA


MattR

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Amen.  A Scout is courteous.  78,000 girls joined Cub Scouting in just a few weeks this fall.  In a couple of weeks, it’s likely there will be a lot of troops starting, from what I’ve heard (one council alone has almost 90 troops ready to start with trained leadership, older Venture girls taking key positions, etc.).  Guess National found a few out there that actually wanted the program.  You are right, Matt, online forums often bring out the worst (and I’ve watched this one for a long time before joining), however, the personal attacks and just constant negativity would certainly fail to inspire any new leader.  I’ve not recommended any new leaders to check this one out from fear they will become discouraged with so much negativity.  Some complaining is just fine, but really, if most would just act like Scouts, this could be a place of support and encouragement for all.  Just my .02.  

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Thank you for this. I’ve also gotten tired of the constant arguing and trying to turn back the clock. After years of advocacy for girls and gays, we finally have an inclusive program. The decision has been made and these girls - our girls - are going to be Scouts. Let’s give them an amazing welcome!

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On 1/29/2019 at 3:13 PM, mrkstvns said:


Best of luck, Eagle91!

Just curious...does "non-linked" mean that your CO has no boys-only troop under its auspices?

That's correct.  In my neck of the woods there are a number of existing Troops (5 in the immediate area), but none fall under our CO.  Our CO does however have a cub scout pack.

While "linking" to my son's troop would have certainly been easier (and I think the CO would have supported it), the scouts there are overwhelmingly against having girls in the BSA in general, and most certainly against sharing meeting space.  Rather than force it, I feel being non-linked gives these girls the best chance for success without having to worry about ruffling any feathers...Little extra work on my end, but I'm happy to add to that 1 hour a week ;)

That being said, i think all units are eventually going to be co-ed, you just have to give everyone time to adjust...

-Dave

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No intention on my part to rekindle an argument about the merits of girls in Scouts BSA.  I find the numbers of initial signups very encouraging.  As a Scoutmaster (with less than a year on the job) of my son's Troop, and the father of a 2d grader girl in Brownies/Girl Scouts, I am supportive of both Scouts BSA and the Girl Scouts.  If the numbers are there to form a troop, and adequate parent volunteers exist, go for it and more power to you. 

What I find troubling is the continued pushing from our council on this issue.  We are a small, but growing troop that is making the transition to a boy-led troop.  The ranks of our parent volunteers are not deep.  When myself and a few new ASMs stepped in, whether the troop should be folded into a neighboring troop was on the table.  We elected to push forward and move towards a boy-led troop.  Difficult, but rewarding, and working.  Our small community also has a rather vibrant Girl Scout program, with a lot of overlap between scouting families.  Our committee discussed the issue, and owing to a lack of capacity from parents, the absence of any expressed interest from girls in the community, and respect for the existing GS organization in town, elected not to actively recruit the formation of girl troop.  If a quorum of girls comes forward with interest, with appropriate SM/ASM support, we would not turn them away from linking the Troop or sharing the parent committee between the Troops.  We just are not actively recruiting girls to join Boy Scouts. 

I had a discussion with our district rep about the issue, only to have a council rep follow up.  I have had to justify that decision on a repeated basis.  The continued pushback is growing tiresome.  I feel as if the agenda being pushed ignores there is no one size fits all answer for existing troops, the troop committees and the COs.  Thanks for allowing me to vent.  

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15 minutes ago, Jeff1974 said:

What I find troubling is the continued pushing from our council on this issue.

That's different than in our area.  For our troop, the push definitely came from a couple of girls in particular, who recruited friends to participate and parents to volunteer.  Then the local Boy Scout troops and Cub Scout packs stepped up to help,  inquiring of their families whether they knew any of any more interested girls.  Finally the girls worked out which Boy Scout troop to link with -- deciding between several very appealing offers. 

In another nearby town, the push came from some high school girls who wanted a chance to do eagle.

In this context, our council has seemed supportive but not pushy.

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It is the "first" official day folks.  I am with another poster in hoping this will not turn into more than it needs to and get "discussed" to death.  We have continuing programs to deal with as well.  This is just one more opportunity for some of us directly, and all of us indirectly.  How we respond reflects on us as Scouter, and how we adhere to our basic foundational standards.  YIS

 

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