Coed Troops

[Tron]

This has been in the making for a couple years now; was probably the long term plan all along. Venturing has been coed for what, it's entire existence, and has not had problems? My pack has been crossing over female AOLs to troops in other cities for 2 years now. What I suspect will happen is that the troops that go coed will survive and the other will die; my town has 2 troops, and I suspect that the troop that pulls the trigger on coed first will be the troop that survives. 

[nolesrule]

I don't have a problem with it per se, but I feel like it's going to ultimately kill off all but the strongest girl units in an area. I'm ASM in a girl troop and we struggle with resources, have barely enough scouts to maintain 2 patrols. If the boy troop we share facilities with were to start accepting girls (as unlikely as that seems based on the attitude of their committee toward us), that annual barbeque fundraiser they do that knocks off $500+ from the cost of high adventure trips is going to look awfully attractive compared to a smaller troop with limited resources.

Losing units won't look good for the DE metrics either.

[skeptic]

37 minutes ago, nolesrule said:

I don't have a problem with it per se, but I feel like it's going to ultimately kill off all but the strongest girl units in an area. I'm ASM in a girl troop and we struggle with resources, have barely enough scouts to maintain 2 patrols. If the boy troop we share facilities with were to start accepting girls (as unlikely as that seems based on the attitude of their committee toward us), that annual barbeque fundraiser they do that knocks off $500+ from the cost of high adventure trips is going to look awfully attractive compared to a smaller troop with limited resources.

Losing units won't look good for the DE metrics either.

Doing what is a best decision based on realities is what should be the focus.  That reality is that allowing Coed will allow units that have recruiting issues more leeway and ultimately likely simply become the norm.  One gender units can still function and carry on as their youth choose.  The program is NOT for adults directly, only as mentors and advisors.  Ultimately it is how well the basic program is allowed, using the patrol method and letting the youth do it with oversight for safety and adherence to YP.  

[Armymutt]

Maybe the kids today lack the hormones we had in the 90s.  I can tell you that back then if there was a girl around, a lot of the guys reverted to being inside the high school halls.  Everyone was trying to impress the girl at the expense of the other boys if necessary.  Going to be some sleepless nights for adults who have to maintain a vigil all night to keep the two groups separated.  Going to be interesting when the first Scouts BSA girl in a troop gets pregnant.  Going to make this name change thing look like a molehill.

[DannyG]

1 hour ago, Tron said:

 What I suspect will happen is that the troops that go coed will survive and the other will die; my town has 2 troops, and I suspect that the troop that pulls the trigger on coed first will be the troop that survives. 

I have already seen this effect in my area with linked boy/girl troops. My Cub Scout Pack was sending out girl AOLs 5 years ago. The last 2 years we had girls complete the full program and bridge up. The girls go to linked troops. The boys tend to pick linked troops too, to stay with their den mates even though they are in different troops/patrols. Especially if they have a sister in the program so they meet on the same night and go on the same weekend trips together. Families are busy; they don't want to split their kids up into different activities if they can help it. Single-gender troops are having a tougher time recruiting and keeping numbers.

Edited May 8 by DannyG

[DannyG]

3 minutes ago, Armymutt said:

Maybe the kids today lack the hormones we had in the 90s.  I can tell you that back then if there was a girl around, a lot of the guys reverted to being inside the high school halls.  Everyone was trying to impress the girl at the expense of the other boys if necessary.  Going to be some sleepless nights for adults who have to maintain a vigil all night to keep the two groups separated.  Going to be interesting when the first Scouts BSA girl in a troop gets pregnant.  Going to make this name change thing look like a molehill.

Kids today are different than 30 years ago. Though they still have hormones. Boy/girl troops put the boys' tents on one side of camp, the girls' tents on the other, and the adults camp in the middle.

[Armymutt]

Just now, DannyG said:

Kids today are different than 30 years ago. Though they still have hormones. Boy/girl troops put the boys' tents on one side of camp, the girls' tents on the other, and the adults camp in the middle.

Who stays up to make sure that line isn't crossed?  We used to be able to leave our tents and engage in all sorts of mischief without the adults knowing.  It's not like the campsite is surrounded by concertina wire.

[Eagle94-A1]

13 minutes ago, skeptic said:

 That reality is that allowing Coed will allow units that have recruiting issues more leeway and ultimately likely simply become the norm.  One gender units can still function and carry on as their youth choose.  The program is NOT for adults directly, only as mentors and advisors.  Ultimately it is how well the basic program is allowed, using the patrol method and letting the youth do it with oversight for safety and adherence to YP.  

Not necessarily. I talked to one professional recently, and the implied message was  that we need to create a coed pack, and have a girls troop, or no longer get recruiting support from council. Grant you We have had 0 support for over a decade now, so it will not make a difference. 

 

1 minute ago, DannyG said:

Kids today are different than 30 years ago. Though they still have hormones. Boy/girl troops put the boys' tents on one side of camp, the girls' tents on the other, and the adults camp in the middle.

Where there is a will, there is a way. I cannot tell how many couples I saw when I was involved in Venturing. 

[Armymutt]

1 minute ago, Eagle94-A1 said:

Not necessarily. I talked to one professional recently, and the implied message was  that we need to create a coed pack, and have a girls troop, or no longer get recruiting support from council. Grant you We have had 0 support for over a decade now, so it will not make a difference. 

I was going to ask exactly what sort of recruiting support your council provides.  Ours provides nothing.  They might print up some flyers that are universal.  That's not helpful.  They don't send anyone to the schools.  They don't show up at open houses to help out.  

[scoutldr]

20 hours ago, AwakeEnergyScouter said:

Such wonderful news! Finally, US scouting normalizes. 

"Normalizing" is not always a good thing.  

[nolesrule]

31 minutes ago, Armymutt said:

Maybe the kids today lack the hormones we had in the 90s.  I can tell you that back then if there was a girl around, a lot of the guys reverted to being inside the high school halls.  Everyone was trying to impress the girl at the expense of the other boys if necessary.  Going to be some sleepless nights for adults who have to maintain a vigil all night to keep the two groups separated.  Going to be interesting when the first Scouts BSA girl in a troop gets pregnant.  Going to make this name change thing look like a molehill.

I know of several youth couples in separate troops that attend OA events regularly, work summer camp staff together and are even in the same Venturing crew.

The reality is the potential is already there, and no one is staying up all night to supervise.

Edited May 8 by nolesrule

[skeptic]

29 minutes ago, Armymutt said:

Maybe the kids today lack the hormones we had in the 90s.  I can tell you that back then if there was a girl around, a lot of the guys reverted to being inside the high school halls.  Everyone was trying to impress the girl at the expense of the other boys if necessary.  Going to be some sleepless nights for adults who have to maintain a vigil all night to keep the two groups separated.  Going to be interesting when the first Scouts BSA girl in a troop gets pregnant.  Going to make this name change thing look like a molehill.

It does not appear to have been any real issue in the larger World Scouting.  Adolescent youth are just that, and a coed unit is no more a real problem than simply having classes together or even going to Sunday school.  It is normal life for youth, and the coed part is NOT the problem, if there is one.  It is poor supervision and lack of parental involvement to teach right and wrong.  JMHO of course.

 

[AwakeEnergyScouter]

Just now, nolesrule said:

The reality is the potential is already there, and no one is staying up all night.

My troop had zero couples in my entire time. All coed all the time including tenting together.

[Eagledad]

34 minutes ago, skeptic said:

It does not appear to have been any real issue in the larger World Scouting.  Adolescent youth are just that, and a coed unit is no more a real problem than simply having classes together or even going to Sunday school.  It is normal life for youth, and the coed part is NOT the problem, if there is one.  It is poor supervision and lack of parental involvement to teach right and wrong.  JMHO of course.

 

“Boy” Scouting has been a program of ethical and moral growth without the distraction of normal that compromises the growth that eventually contributes to the greater good of normal.

Ethical and moral growth are a worthy sacrifice in today’s self centered search for importance. 
 

Barry

[skeptic]

12 minutes ago, Eagledad said:

“Boy” Scouting has been a program of ethical and moral growth without the distraction of normal that compromises the growth that eventually contributes to the greater good of normal.

Ethical and moral growth are a worthy sacrifice in today’s self centered search for importance. 
 

Barry

Agreed; but that does not have to be lost with Coed or even with changes in views of normal human interactions.  We are only one of the players, and the family should be the number one, with schools and maybe churches  involved as well as families allow.