Girls allowed to join Cub Scouts in Az

[Eagle92]

BP,

You think BSA would have learned its lesson the last time they tried something similar.

 

As for this old fogey, I'll remain active, remain doing what the Scouts and Venturers ( SCOUTING IS OUTING as GBB once said and that is what the youth want) and i will complain and do my best to see things get back to where they should be. And I bet the loss of membership will help get things back to where they belong.

[shortridge]

And I bet the loss of membership will help get things back to where they belong.

 

Nah. There are 1.6 million Cubs at present. If you figure that just one in six has a sister of roughly the same age, that's an extra 260,000 new kids that would jump onto the registration rolls almost automatically. That would far outweigh any protest drop in registration.

 

My position is a little complicated:

 

>> I think coed Scouting is the way to go, and will be the wave of the future.

 

>> I think the gentleman and his wife doing this work with the refugee community in Arizona ought to be applauded and supported.

 

>> I think the rules in place ought to be followed until such time as they change across the board. Special, "one-off" waivers for certain situations isn't fair and leads to confusion. As I said before, it sends mixed messages to volunteers in the trenches who have to field questions about co-ed Scouting. I hope that the council staff in Arizona is prepared to answer those questions after the staffer's statement in the paper.

[Basementdweller]

Eagle....I am more than a little surprised, I thought your view was a little more moderate than that.......

 

 

[resqman]

BSA cannot be everything to everyone. It has to pick a niche and do that well. The program was designed and built around serving male youth.

 

Boys and men need to have some time away from the female dominated school system to give them a chance to discover themselves without the female viewpoint telling them to sit down and be quiet.

 

We have family friends with 2 girls. We have 2 boys. Around age 5 the mother of the girls suggested we give our boys a book so they can sit and be quiet. My wife looked at her and said, Why so they can dissemble the book to figure out how it is made? Boys and girls are different.

[Eagle92]

Base,

I am responding specifically to this comment, and maybe I've read to much into it, or maybe am putting a bit of a personal perspective into it from an incident this weekend:

 

no detailed set program other than to just have fun.

 

Yes scouting is FUN, but it is a game with a purpose. We want the youth to become self reliant, to be challenged, and to succeed. The youth WANT the outdoors, and independence.

 

Here is the incident. My pack moved up a large den of Webeleos this past year. Some of the parents are still thinking along the lines of Cub Scouts, and it's gotten to the point where the older youth are getting ticked off with the adults interference. SM has intervened with the dads, and some of the dad are still not getting the Patrol Method and how scouting works.

 

Sorry to go off on a tangent.

[momof2cubs]

resqman: thank you for putting it much better than I did. I was trying to put it into words and I wasn't as eloquent, since my argument got cut down. Thank you.

 

I for one, am beyond grateful for scouting. It's a great place for my sons.

[moosetracker]

Sorry resqman isn't any eloquent then you.. Stero-typing for women will be around for much longer then stero-typing blacks, muslims, mexicans and others.

 

Sorry.. School is not feminine.. It just is and you will find few of both genders who will excel or hate it, and the majority that just tolerate it as it is an necessity they way most of us tolerate a 9 to 5 job..

 

Boys can be readers or not.. Girls can be readers or not.. Boys can like bugs, Girls can like bugs.. Boys can gossip just as well as girls can.. etc, etc..

 

But there are some out there who will still put girls in pink dress and deny them the opportunity to play baseball just because it is not feminine.. I do hope you don't have any girls, for I would feel sorry for them if they are not the type to like frills and lace and don't wish to play with dolls.

[moxieman]

RememberSchiff wrote:

but leave the dog home.

 

Why leave the dog home? Just co-register with Dog Scouts of America (http://dogscouts.org/) and Spot can go to camp with you.

 

Yes, that's a real organization. There's a Dog Scout Troop in Downeast Maine that's done fundraising to obtain pet oxygen masks for local fire departments, 'cause Fluffy and Fido need just as much help if they're pulled from a burning building as their two-legged owners.

[Eagle92]

YES LEAVE THE DOG HOME!!!!!!!!! Don't get me started on that one.

[Basementdweller]

Had a family bring two mastiffs to a family camp out once, despite being told no. The camp ranger sent them packing.

 

 

[qwazse]

I support Cub scouting being coed. Not dumbing down the program or changing it for girls, then it would be Girls Scouts and that is not what most girls want.

 

The GS in my crew rarely quit their troop. So I wouldn't expect any real bump in numbers in the general population. A good GS/brownie troop has as much draw as a good CS pack.

 

On the other hand, when there are some CO's that only have resources for one unit, they'll pick one that can draw both sexes and have parents combine efforts. And in some cultures within our country, families insists on that sort of thing (e.g., the "sibling patrol".)

 

That said, I don't see us mixing Jr. High girls and boys in an outdoor program anytime soon. We'd need a lot more direct-contact moms with an SM ilk for that sort of thing.

[BartHumphries]

"How long before the pinewood derby gives way to a cookie making contest?"

 

Wait, what's wrong with a cookie making contest? As long as nobody has a problem with people eating dough while they make cookies, it's a really fun activity -- everyone loves raw cookie dough, right?

[nugent725]

Ok, time for my $.02...

 

(gets on soapbox)

 

A Scout is Friendly, Courteous, Kind, Brave.

 

To me, discrimination is none of these, in fact standing up against discrimination fits all of these (especially Brave). I am of the opinion that Scouting should be a safe haven for all (regardless of what is in your pants and what kind of person it is interested in). I think that saying someone cannot join based on their sex, or orientation thereof, (and I'm not trying to hijack this thread with that topic) is no different than saying someone can't join because they are Black, Hispanic, or Asian. Furthermore, accepting females into the program will only go to teach the young boys how people are not always the stereotypes they are portrayed to be.

 

(steps off soapbox)

 

I think that it is only a matter of time until the BSA follows the lead of many of the WOSM nations who have made their program co-ed. Technically, the BSA already is co-ed with Venturing, and has been since 1969, when it was Exploring. Just because girls/young ladies want to join doesn't mean that the program has to change. Especially since the things that would likely be changed, are some of the things they are joining for in the first place. You don't need to "sissify" the program to attract/accommodate female youth...if they're not interested in the program as it stands, then it's no different than a young boy who is not interested in the program. People want to join the BSA for what it offers - not what they could change it to offer. If a young girl wants a program that is more like the GSA than the BSA, they will join the GSA - so why not offer it to those that want the BSA program instead of the GSA program?

 

YIS,

 

Ryan

 

 

[Scoutfish]

"Wait, what's wrong with a cookie making contest? As long as nobody has a problem with people eating dough while they make cookies, it's a really fun activity -- everyone loves raw cookie dough, right?

 

I agree! First it's cookies, then we move up to pizza, then you start messing with burgers and fries.

 

One day it will be bacon wrapped filet mingon and an awesome beef roast with potatoes and carrots. Maybe you become a barbeque baby back ribs connoisseur.

 

One thing I can say is this: If my wife ever gets tired of putting up with me, I will not go hungry...nor will I have a diry house or dirty laundry!

 

And besides...who doesn't like cookies every now and then?

(This message has been edited by scoutfish)

[desertrat77]

For most, life is coed. The sooner boys and girls learn to work and play together, the better. I'm as traditional a scouter as can be, but I'm all for coed scouting. I think it will bring new life and energy to the program, making it better for boys and girls.