Great Examples of Girl Troop Successes

[SSF]

3 hours ago, Cburkhardt said:

Dear SSF:

This thread is focused on examples of positive activities and outcomes of girl troops.  There are plenty of other threads where you can engage in advocacy against girl troops.  Because you have decided to leave the BSA, I wish you good luck in finding different civic activities and organizations better calculated to your preferences.

I see that this message board continues to live in a bubble of 'we think.'

Only the views of the elites are allowed and anyone who disagrees is silenced. So much for the freedom to disagree on what is supposed to be an open forum. 

Cburkhardt I hope that your efforts to feminize the BSA fail, but as I said in my post that was removed, this war has already been lost. The real BSA is dead. Congratulations to you on your victory in contributing to that.

[Cburkhardt]

Dear SSF:

This thread is focused on examples of positive program activities and outcomes of girl troops.  There are plenty of other threads where you can engage in advocacy against girl troops.  Because you have decided to leave the BSA, I wish you good luck in finding different civic activities and organizations better calculated to your preferences.  The rules of this blog are to allow OPs to focus content and your posts are destructive to that rule. 

[RememberSchiff]

Ok then,  let's resume the OP discussion.  Thanks

RS

[Cburkhardt]

How to Obtain Free Uniforms and Equipment for you Girl Troop

Because we have 1,800 new Troops nationally and therefore a big number of new volunteer leaders, I'll post an occasional operating suggestion directed at how to quickly stand-up a quality girl troop.  The first suggestion is that you help your girls take advantage of the many complimentary services that provide used BSA uniforms and equipment to youth from under-resourced families.  It is critical that you get these girls into uniforms as soon a possible and that they have the basic equipment  to participate outdoors. 

In our Council we have two groups of volunteers who operate an informal warehouse of materials that they gather, organize and dispense to deserving Scouts.  Our urban-located troop is new and has a cohort of Scouts from families who need some help.  I think it is an indicator of a good, strong troop to have under-resourced families involved.  These are the children who can most-benefit from the examples of volunteers and the program we offer. 

We took five of our Scouts down to the "warehouse" of materials and they each received a uniform, backpack, sleeping bag and even hiking boots.  Where before there was sheepishness because of not having what the other girls had, there is now hard-to-describe pride.  You should have seen the smiles on them as they got out of their parents' automobiles at our first campout.  They show to meetings in full, precise uniform and say they receive over-the-top compliments from the public as they make their way to our meetings on public transportation. 

To secure this type of assistance for your Scouts, your first inquiry is to your Unit or District Commissioner.  That is the volunteer who occasionally touches base with you  to see how things are going and assure the Troop is aware of training and program opportunities.  Another person to ask is you "District Executive" who is the paid professional executive who works for the volunteers who govern the Council.  I also know there are individual community supporter "angels" who will gladly purchase uniforms for Scouts needing them.

Finally, be certain the Scouts hand write a personal note of thanks to the volunteers who run your use uniform/equipment exchange.  I guarantee they are rarely thanked. 

[SSF]

52 minutes ago, Cburkhardt said:

Dear SSF:

This thread is focused on examples of positive program activities and outcomes of girl troops.  There are plenty of other threads where you can engage in advocacy against girl troops.  Because you have decided to leave the BSA, I wish you good luck in finding different civic activities and organizations better calculated to your preferences.  The rules of this blog are to allow OPs to focus content and your posts are destructive to that rule. 

You are clearly troubled by any criticism against girls in the BSA. I'm not sure why you keep responding, and with the same copied and pasted response no less. 

In my original post that got removed, I called out the absurdity that was highlighted in the shameful and biased, "Girl Power" 'reporting' from the article that cocomax shared. 

If you put something out there that others find objectionable, then someone is likely to let you know that. 

And, just for the record, this is not a blog. It's a forum. That's why it's called "Scouter Forum." 

[Cburkhardt]

How to Lower the Cost of Summer Camp for Under-Resourced Scouts

Right now is the time when most Councils are asking families of Scouts to pay their cost of a week at the Council-owned summer camp.  The way this works in most councils is that the Troop volunteers collect these fees, deposit them in the Troop account, and then register the individual Scouts for your week of camp.  The reasons why you should get as many of your Scouts to camp are many and beyond the scope of this posting -- but the benefits of summer camp are especially important for new Scouts from families that have not yet experienced BSA programming.  So, most Scouts in all-girl troops will never have heard about BSA summer camp and how it works.  If you have not yet selected a week of camp for your girls, contact your council service center immediately and get the basics.  You will need to select a week, which typically begins on Sunday afternoon and ends on Saturday morning.

The cost is usually between $300 and $400 for the entire week, including food.  For families used to sending their girls to private "sleep-away" camps, this fee will be astoundingly less than what they are used to paying (usually no less than $1,000/week).  And, a great advantage to BSA summer camp is that she gets to go with her friends from her Troop.  private sleep-away camps and most of the camps run by other youth service organizations are usually attended on an individual basis -- meaning the girls have no idea who they will be attending with (at least the first time).  In Scouts BSA, the Scoutmaster Staff of the Troop and others from the Troop Committee attend with the Scouts -- so your girls are nearly assured of a great time with friends and leaders who will watch over them.

Now the big point of this posting:  Your under-resourced Scout families can almost always apply for what is called a "campership".  This a play on words (scholarship-campership, get it?).  What it usually means is half-off for a needy Scout.  In our Troop of 26 girls, five have received these generous camperships from our Council.  It is just another wonderful advantage to having a good Council -- because the staff there finds the "angels" to pay those fee reductions.  So, our girls get a whopping $200 discount off summer camp.  After that, I quietly assure as Scoutmaster that there are sufficient family resources to pay the balance.  If not I arrange with our stellar Episcopal Church CO to make up the necessary difference.  However, we never make it entirely free, because to do so cheapens the dignity of the family involved. 

[RememberSchiff]

This thread has been moved to Open Discussion.

[cocomax]

Girls doing good News Story:

Girls in the Boy Scouts: 
How a Local Groop Broke Into 
the Nation's Biggest Boys-Only Club

https://www.sonomacountygazette.com/sonoma-county-news/scouting-girls-in-boy-scouts

 

*** Notice how  these news stories talk about "girls in the Boy Scouts" and how girls are joining "Boy Scouts", there are even quotes from the girls about being happy that they are joining "Boy Scouts". 

[cocomax]

Girls doing good News Story:

Redding all-girl Boy Scout troop among the first in nation

REDDING — By the time Boy Scouts of America officially allowed girls to have a troop, about 10 girls in Redding had already earned badges, gone camping and defeated 19 male troops in an outdoor skills challenge.

https://www.newstimes.com/local/article/Redding-all-girl-Boy-Scout-troop-among-the-first-13742483.php

[Cburkhardt]

The number of Scouts BSA youth is 3.1% bigger compared to last year at the end of March. Hard to believe but true.  When the girl-specific numbers come out I am certain it will provide more evidence of our developing organizational membership turn around.  And, many girl troops are relatively small, having just started off-cycle.  I will be really interested in the October and November figures, which will show us all the potential for stabilizing and re-setting us for long-term growth.  But, this very early indicator is  very encouraging.

[RememberSchiff]

Always good to provide links (or footnotes  )  to source information. 

My $0.02,

Edited April 10, 2019 by RememberSchiff

[Cburkhardt]

Would normally like to do that, but this comes from official reports as of the end of March, the details of which are not published.  But, this is indeed the actual number.  

All-girl Troop unit formation has been incredibly strong — much better than expected for the off-cycle start in February.  As a result, the big scale-up of these units will probably take place in the fall when the core girls who attend summer camp begin to really take charge of their troops and bring in their friends.  That will also be a very natural time to reel-in additional Scouters specifically interested in staffing these units.

[Setonfan]

Talking to a few folks at National, the numbers are really surprising them.  The new ScoutsBSA girl numbers are growing daily and still gaining at around 800-1000 per week.  There are now over 1600 troops formed.  Interestingly, it is anecdotal at this point, but the reports from the “linked” troops are that they are seeing more new boys of varying ages.  The reports generally go along the lines of families coming together.  And, although also anecdotal, it appears the recruiting and sign ups as mentioned here in a couple of posts of girls is quite different than boys.  The girls absolutely come with their friends and often, the troops grow very quickly, as opposed to boys who tend to join individually.   

It seems they are finding some definite best practices also for the Cub recruiting- many packs had huge success, others did not.  The good news for the BSA is that the successes were everywhere, with no consistency.  Urban, rural, Deep South, west coast, etc.  So, it seems the program really works, but you still have to work for the new families.  Interestingly, some of the Councils who had the most resistance and were most upset about the change have had the best results.  

[Cburkhardt]

We are having girls simply materialize at our Troop meetings and want to join on the spot based on what they have read about Scouts BSA and heard about our Troop.  A 14 and a 15 year old just this week.  So we are now at 28 without any specific recruiting activity since January.  And, 19 are going to summer camp so far.  As I have been at the granular level on this, for about 1.5 years, my intuition is that this is going to indeed be big.  It is almost as though a dam is about to break and will flood us with new people — boys, girls and Scouters.  This is going to happen in 2 or 3 years and not incrementally over a decade.  Be part of this.

[RememberSchiff]

Well hopefully, accurate membership data will be made public before or at the National Annual Meeting, May 29-31, at Gaylord Rockies Resort & Convention Center (CO).   I am also hoping for the same information from my Council meeting in June. 

Edited April 11, 2019 by RememberSchiff