Re: co-ed scouting

This topic is not that easy to conclude anything about, as one might wish. The
rather complex perspectives leaves a lot of us like Jo, who writes
> As the mother of a son and a daughter (and a leader in both flavors of
> scouting), I have very mixed feelings about co-ed scouting.
But let's focus of some of the arguments:

Pro:

---
- teach 'people of equal value'
> Still, co-ed activities, such as joint service projects, could help
> boys and girls see each other as co-workers and allies, and perhaps
> eventually as people of equal value, which would benefit both males
> and females. Perhaps that is the way to begin. <Quote:P Jo Paoletti>
My experience is that the scouting activities have a very strong force in this
matter. The very concrete activities we have forces the boys/girls to drop
out any pre-disposed beliefs and focus on the activity: Who is best for
this and that etc. So it might very well be the boys and the strong girls
who carryies the heaviest backpacks, but it is not necessarily the girls who
cook the food and it might very well be the girls wich are best in climbing,
rapelling an that sort of things. So co-ed scouting teach 'people of equal
value' and (what I consider equally) 'let people do what they are best at.'

Contra:
------
- matureness:
> Girls mature at a somewhat
> faster rate than boys, and with a mixture of 12 year old boys and girls,
> very likely the girls would be able to out perform the boys at most things
> including Scouting. <Quote: Olan Watkins>
For this age, I personally believe the argument is right, but not for younger/
older groups. And it is possible to maintain a troop with girls 1 year younger
than the boys, even though I must admit one have to find and explanation to give
the boys why it is so.

Consider also:
-------------
- the boys/girls opinions
  This is important in a democratic organisation and especially in this matter,
  which bother each member of the troop. But it is difficult to get an trsut-
  worthy answer. And the answer is unpredictable: Olan has the expirience that
  the 12-years boys/girls prefer to be seperatet, but Lorney reports the opposit
  conclusion

So if we want to make better people for a better world, I think we should teach
them so TOGETHER. And our activities are suitet for co-ed scouting, girls also
want adventure, outdore experiences etc.

Yours In Scouting

/jqrn
-------------------- Phone:(+45) 89 42 35 36 -------------------
Joern Lodahl                            Institute of Mathematics
Graduate student                            University of Aarhus
(Regional Science)                                       Denmark
-------------------- E-mail: jqrn@mi.aau.dk --------------------

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