Re: Girl Scouting and BSA
Alan Houser (troop24@EMF.NET)
Sun, 27 Aug 1995 23:24:33 -0700
Elizabeth Grimsley <e.grimsley@GENIE.GEIS.COM> wrote:
>It sounds like some on this list would like to start a Boy Scouts is better
>than Girl Scouts debate. For those that do, I suggest that you also include
>in the comparison 4-H, Boys/Girls Clubs, Awana, Campfire Boys and Girls,
>Little League, church youth groups, Exchange Clubs, Junior Achievement, etc.
I have to apologize for that. In looking back at my subject line, that is
what I was suggesting, but not what I was intending.
>Why? Because these other youth organizations have as much association with
>BSA as does GSUSA. Each program is as strong or as weak as its volunteers -
>their skills and the time/energy they are willing to commit. Each program
>has something to offer to youth in the United States and there is not a
>single organization that is right for all.
I couldn't agree more.
> [snip...]
> 4. The girls in each troop in Girl Scouts decides what what direction
>the troop will go. There is no lockstep program that they must follow,
>although there is a progression in the badges/skills at each level. This is
>why you'll see some troops that go on long outdoor hiking/rapelling/canoing
>trips or bicycling through Europe, others that do plays, and others who just
>enjoy crafts or service projects in their community.
But the problem here is that the girls (and boys) cannot go off camping
without the support of the adult leaders, mostly parents. It astonishes
me that with all of the outdoor life that takes place here in California,
that it is so difficult for a Girl Scout troop to get a camping program
established. I know that it can happen. I have seen them out there, but
not very often.
And if the girls want to do it, and they can't, then no amount of finger-
pointing is going to make up for the fact that the program has failed them.
And one can argue till blue in the face about the advantages of a girl-
only program for building esteem and self-confidence, but it only works
if the girls are in the program.
My question was, and still is, where did it fail? Was it at the Council
level or was it at the parent level? And then, what can be done about it?
Alan R. Houser ** Scoutmaster, Berkeley Troop 24 ** troop24@emf.net
** WWW page ** http://www.emf.net/~troop24/t24.html **
Terry Howerton Sakima Group, Inc. SCOUTER Magazine Kansas City | 
