Re: Female on campouts
Gibson, Jim (JGibson@SUBARU.COM)
Tue, 19 May 1998 16:45:30 -0400
> one of our cm's has blatently decided that she is
> to become an sa,
> just because she says so! that is bad enough, but she is
> also insisting that
> she be allowed to go on the camping trips. ...
> the boys have decided that they do not want
> a woman on their trips because the presence of a
> woman changes the character of a campoutin
> regard to how they can act in camp, not that they act
> badly, but they would rather not have a woman around to
> cramp their style.
Now here's a can of worms!! :-) I'm sure that the ladies on the list
would be more than willing to throw in their 2 cents, but here goes mine
nonetheless.
I'm interested to know what type of boys' style will be cramped with a
woman on a camping trip. We don't have any women ASM's, but I could
guarantee that nothing would change -- in a meeting or a camping trip --
if one were, even suddenly, to appear. Also, the scouts aren't the ones
who choose their leaders, the Committee chair does. If it is decided
that this person would make a good leader, then so be it. Good leaders
can come in all shapes, sizes, and colors, and the scouts need to learn
this. Could the boys be taking cues from the men regarding this issue?
On the other hand, she might be pressing the point merely because of the
resistance (and its reason) she feels from the troop. If she wants to
be an adult leader, and an effective one, she will have to do it within
the program, not within her agenda.
I would encourage the other leaders in the troop to work this out
amicably. The worst thing for everyone is to have a bad leader forced
on the troop for the wrong reasons. But if everyone is on the right
page, it might make for an enlightening experience.
Jim Gibson, ASM
Troop 119
Merchantville, NJ
Terry Howerton Sakima Group, Inc. SCOUTER Magazine Kansas City |
