I Was Against Girls in Scouts.... But

[5thGenTexan]

I was a Cub Scout earning AOL and a Boy Scout briefly in the early to mid 80s.  We didnt have siblings tagging along nor did we have sisters doing the same stuff we were but not getting credit.  So the girls have always been there reasoning has not been a convincing factor for me.  I was against girls in Cub Scouts and Boy...  Uhhh Scouts BSA.

What's the logically next step for someone with my views on the subject??

Yep, I had a lenghtly discussion with my CM about laying groundwork for a female Troop in our area.  My daughter is a 5th grader this year and a member in another national scouting organization.  The have been working on their drawing badge. <eye roll>  My daughter and one other girl want to camp and do outdoor things but no one else in the Troop wants to do those activities.  So, they make posters and stuff at their meetings.  With my training and experience I almost feel obligated to create the opportunity for my daughter and what I assume are other interested girls to have the scout experience they want.

[Treflienne]

And the advantange of an all-girl troop using the BSA materials, (instead of materials from "another national scouting organization"),  is that since BSA has camping and outdoor skills built into the rank advancement progression, such a troop will attract girls who want to go outdoors and camp,  enabling those girls to find each other.  It avoids the all-too-common problem of

18 minutes ago, 5thGenTexan said:

My daughter and one other girl want to camp and do outdoor things but no one else in the Troop wants to do those activities.

 

[MattR]

I think the best way to keep your sanity is to do it for the kids you're working with. If you didn't have siblings tagging along with you when you were a scout then ask these new scouts if they, too, don't want siblings tagging along. Keep them away from the boys if that's what they want. Do it for them, not for anyone else.

My council is a wreck, numbers are down, parents struggle to volunteer, there are all sorts of reasons to walk away. But there is one reason to keep at it. The scouts I work with.

So have fun with these new scouts.

[5thGenTexan]

13 hours ago, MattR said:

I think the best way to keep your sanity is to do it for the kids you're working with. If you didn't have siblings tagging along with you when you were a scout then ask these new scouts if they, too, don't want siblings tagging along. Keep them away from the boys if that's what they want. Do it for them, not for anyone else.

My council is a wreck, numbers are down, parents struggle to volunteer, there are all sorts of reasons to walk away. But there is one reason to keep at it. The scouts I work with.

So have fun with these new scouts.

The only tag along siblings I have are other leaders kids.  I kinda have to deal with it I guess.  One sibling is a Lion.  Two others are not even old enough for that. 

 

Our recruiting sucked this year.  The DE went to some Join Scout Nights, and another district committee member went to other.  We (the Pack) we not allowed to speak, just smile and wave.  District representative did all the talking.  They took their $11 for national.  So, the next week we lost a lot when they finally got to hear about our program and oh there are dues.  This year we are going to have an event for the community before JSN to pretty much show off and let people see what we do.  

[Pale Horse]

6 hours ago, 5thGenTexan said:

The only tag along siblings I have are other leaders kids.  I kinda have to deal with it I guess.  One sibling is a Lion.  Two others are not even old enough for that. 

 

Our recruiting sucked this year.  The DE went to some Join Scout Nights, and another district committee member went to other.  We (the Pack) we not allowed to speak, just smile and wave.  District representative did all the talking.  They took their $11 for national.  So, the next week we lost a lot when they finally got to hear about our program and oh there are dues.  This year we are going to have an event for the community before JSN to pretty much show off and let people see what we do.  

I've seen this type of comment before. Some people seem to be operating under the impression they are subservient to the DE/District reps.  They are in no position to dictate how you run your Pack events, or whether you are allowed to speak. Don't invite them to JSN, problem solved.

[Eagle94-A1]

9 hours ago, 5thGenTexan said:

The only tag along siblings I have are other leaders kids.  I kinda have to deal with it I guess.  One sibling is a Lion.  Two others are not even old enough for that. 

At the Scouts BSA level, you need to be EXTREMELY careful with the tagalongs. I've encountered major issues with "Family Scouting." I left a troop over the issue, and the troop is reversing their 'family friendly" policy because it was causing so many problems.

[5thGenTexan]

4 hours ago, Pale Horse said:

I've seen this type of comment before. Some people seem to be operating under the impression they are subservient to the DE/District reps.  They are in no position to dictate how you run your Pack events, or whether you are allowed to speak. Don't invite them to JSN, problem solved.

They controlled the whole thing at the district level.  They schedule the JSN night.  This year then went to so far as to have plastic bins made up for each unit containing apps, little boys life mags, pens, etc.  Its my understanding (I was sent to the gym with the youth to play games during the actual meeting) that the rep from the District took the girl apps we had and WOULD NOT take their money and told em we would call when there were enough girls.  So... we are having our own event before school even starts where people can come out and see what we do.  I also want to hit up the preschool that is physically at our CO to let those kids know they can be Lions when they start Kindergarten.

[FireStone]

10 hours ago, 5thGenTexan said:

They controlled the whole thing at the district level.  They schedule the JSN night.  This year then went to so far as to have plastic bins made up for each unit containing apps, little boys life mags, pens, etc.  Its my understanding (I was sent to the gym with the youth to play games during the actual meeting) that the rep from the District took the girl apps we had and WOULD NOT take their money and told em we would call when there were enough girls.  So... we are having our own event before school even starts where people can come out and see what we do.  I also want to hit up the preschool that is physically at our CO to let those kids know they can be Lions when they start Kindergarten.

That's ridiculous. I run recruiting for my Pack and I'd quit the job in an instant if my district wanted that much control over how we recruit. 

Guess I'm lucky. My DE showed up at our last recruiting night and the only time he talked to me was to just say that he was impressed with what we were doing. Beyond that he watched from the sidelines and that's exactly where a district rep belongs at a recruitment event. 

Edited February 18, 2019 by FireStone