Combined Boy Scout and Girl Scout group?

[kari_cardi]

Has anyone heard of this or a similar idea? Was it successful? A local homeschool group is trying to start up a scout group that would combine a Cub Scout pack, a Girl Scout troop and a Boy Scout troop. They will meet at the same time/place and combine as many resources and activities as possible. The group is still at the interest stage, so it doesn't actually exist yet. I'm intrigued.

 

[moosetracker]

There was some article posted here awhile back, something about a couple running a cub pack but in included girls and seemed to run all ages even older the cub scout age.. But it did not state they were trying to combine the program, just put all this kids regardless of age or gender through cub scouts.. I think they were refugees from another country..

 

I believe they couldn't officially register them all either..

 

Strange, I thought Girl scouts were run like a den pack all the way up, so they are smaller loner groups.. don't know that much about it though..

 

I don't know, trying to find things that intrest that whole age range would be difficult. The older boys/girls I think would tire of it fast.

[IM_Kathy]

it would be possible if you have enough adults to run it and enough space.

 

basically you'd have a Boy Scout Troop, a Cub Scout Pack of the different dens, and a Girl Scout Unit with different troops for the age levels.

 

now being involved with both for several years I can see where some activities could be combined especially with the younger girl scouts and cubs as well as the boy scouts and the older girl scouts.

 

The biggest issue is getting each all set up. Technically you wouldn't have to have your own girl scout unit - could join another unit but if you want things under one roof then better to be own unit.

[Eagle92]

Hate to say it, but I don't see it happening. I know when I was a DE, I begged, yep begged, the local GSUSA organization to partner with me in doing the round ups. Never happened. Long history of dislike and distrust between the two organizations IMHO.

[Scoutfish]

Is it possible that the homeschool group isn't so much trying to have a combination of Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts and ...ummm....ahem....Girl Scouts , as it is just trying to be a Charter Organazation that is willing to sponsor each group?

 

My Co has a Cub Scout Pack, a Boy Scout Troop, a Varsity Crew and Ship as well as those micheif

causing Girl Scouts .

 

The pack as well as the Boy Scout troop meet on Mondays and the rest meet some other time- not sure exactly when though as I do not participate with them.

 

So, our church has them all, but they are not combined.

 

And the Girl Scouts are another set up all together as I understand it, not like BSA at all.

[momof2cubs]

Eagle: our local girl scout groups don't like our pack either; our CM ran into the same thing. *shrug*

 

We have a meet and greet day at our school a few days before school starts. This is an opportunity for parents to meet the teacher, get school supplies, sign up for the PTA, pre-pay for lunches, and meet vendors for after school activities. Our pack sets up a table this day. The girl scouts do not. And we keep getting parents asking us about girl scouts and we do not what to tell them.

 

I think it has to do with the fact that they are not just one cohesive unit like a troop or a pack. They are run separately as our equivalent of dens and patrols.

[shortridge]

If the goal is complete integration, try Campfire USA.

 

If the CO really wants to use the different programs as they were intended to be used, then use Cubs, Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts.

[ScoutNut]

There is no such animal as a Girl Scout "Unit", or a Girl Scout Charter Organization.

 

Each Girl Scout Troop is an independent entity "owned" by the local GSUSA council. Usually a Girl Scout Troop would consist of a single grade level from K-12. Sometimes you will have a Girl Scout Troop that consists of a single Girl Scout level (Daisy, Brownie, etc). Each Girl Scout level is grade specific, and usually consists of two grade levels (except for Cadettes who are grades 6-8).

 

There is nothing wrong with doing activities in co-ed age appropriate groups with local Girl Scout Troops.

 

However the concept of one big conglomerate "Scout" group of all age/grade levels and gender will not fly.

 

Just run the different programs as they are supposed to be run, and if some of the groups do some activities together, more power to them.

 

Just remember that the safety rules and policies of BOTH BSA and GSUSA would have to be followed.

 

 

[kari_cardi]

I think the goal is to provide the benefits of being a scout with the convenience of having it all under one roof at the same time. IME homeschool families prefer daytime activities and to include as many kids as possible in each activity. The person organizing it has not mentioned anything about a charter organization. She has said that she is looking for interest to share numbers with each council and that neither has approved the new units yet.

 

I want to reiterate that I am NOT the organizer and do not plan to sign my family of scouts up. We are very happy and very involved in our Cub Scout pack, Boy Scout troop and Girl Scout troop.

 

I do find the idea interesting and was wondering if anyone had experience with something similar. I agree with the pp that it would likely work better with the younger crowd. We don't have Campfire USA here that I know, but it seems that 4H might be a better fit.

[IM_Kathy]

ScoutNut... Girl Scouts structor does have Units and/or Communities.

 

there's National, Council, Unit, and sometimes a Community.

 

in these parts each troop are part of a unit. Basically in BSA terms... the Unit is the pack and the Troop is the den.

 

Larger Units will sometimes break it down to communities... so if the unit covers a large area they will break it down to different towns, schools, neighborhoods, or however they want to do it.

 

I've just turned over the job of Service Unit Manager which would basically be Cubmaster. I have this final year of being a Troop Leader as my daughter is finishing high school this year and I said I would stay through her years.

 

I'm involved with the Hartford-Carlisle Unit in Girl Scouts of Greater Iowa council.

[ScoutNut]

GSUSA Service Units are closer to BSA Districts than to a Cub Pack, and the SU Manager would be closer to a cross between a Charter Organization Rep, a BSA District Commissioner, and a volunteer BSA District Executive. Communities, neighborhoods, etc within a Service unit are still groups that are a lot larger than that of a single Cub Pack or Boy Scout Troop, and really have no correlation in BSA.

 

The closest GSUSA equivalent to a BSA Pack, or Troop would be all of the Girl Scout Troops in a single school. There is usually a volunteer GSUSA School Coordinator who helps form Troops at their school, works with their leaders, and in some cases, helps the leaders plan school-wide Girl Scout activities. The best BSA equivalent for a School Coordinator would be a BSA Unit Commissioner.

 

I volunteered at the GSUSA Troop, SU, and council levels for about 15 years.

 

Because of the many differences between the two organizations, it really is not easy, or even a good idea to compare BSA and GSUSA.

 

 

 

 

 

[qwazse]

I think if the facilities are sufficient, having them meet simultaneously is a good idea. Our groups don't share the same meeting times or space, but we do invite one another to some activities/service projects. I'm sure if we saw each other more often, more of our activities could be shared in common.

 

The real issue is leadership. It's a rare adult who is willing to be trained well in one organization. Rarer still one who is willing to be trained in both. It takes time for all the adult leaders to get a sufficient understanding of the different rules they are working under, and at a certain point it's not worth the effort to do lots of things in unison.

 

By the time they reach high school, they could all be venturers -- in addition to members of their respective troops -- and really increase the information sharing between groups. But that's probably beyond the objectives of homeschool organization.

[BadenP]

Sooner or later this kinda thing is gonna happen, the only real obstacle is having the committed adults to make it happen, all the rest is nothing but paperwork since neither the BSA or the Girl Scouts is going to turn down new units. The training can be split up initially and completed over time so they all don't have to complete both trainings immediately.

 

Eagle92 sorry to hear as a DE the GS rep didn't cooperate with you. In my districts we had full access to all the schools and the GS rep and I set up displays at schools passed out literature, and in some schools we even got to do an assembly with all the kids. That working relationship really boosted both our numbers and we even did school recruitment nights together. Then the GS rep moved on and the new one was not interested in doing any joint ventures. The result was in her first year she lost over 50% of her units, however I still had complete school access and continued to help my units grow.

[Eagle92]

BP,

I wish we had the cooperation you did. Trust me I beg and pleaded, telling them that I have a bunch of girls interested, and that we should work together. Didn't happen.

 

I know that in the councils I've been in, neither the GSUSA or BSA units would use each other's facilties, I was amazed at how many Girl Guide units went to the two Scout Association camps I worked at in the UK.

[BDPT00]

Sounds like a perfect opportunity to look into American Heritage Girls. Many are home-schooled, and they could share a chartered partner with BSA. They would tend to cooperate with BSA; not fight against them.

BDPT00