JulietteMom

ScoutNut, it's not that the other troop needs 'fixing'...my husband and I simply have different ideas of what scouting should be: we think it ought to be about 'growing the girl', each to their own abilities and interests while challenging them a bit and exposing them to different things to 'TryIt' out. It's about community and service and honor and self-confidence and learning new skills and teaching those skills to each other. It's about encouraging each other and applauding each other's efforts, not competition.

This growth can happen in a group dynamic, which is why we'll go out of our way to incorporate other troops into our activities and to include her in GS camp and large GS outings.

We are in Vermont....not a lot 'in our area'. ;-) There were NO troops two years ago, and only two now of Brownie level that she can actually get to (within reasonable driving distance).

ScoutNut, thanks for the comment about the time and effort I'm putting into this decision; it's not an easy one to make, and we want to do it right so everyone benefits. :-)

Thank you all for your input...

Here's my thinking: I'm waaaaaay too busy to start a troop, and don't really want to join another troop as co-leader, just for the purpose of changing the way the leader does things (that seems to be a great path toward conflict, NOT something the girls need to see!). So, we go Juliette and work with the troops to help make area GS more cohesive and more energized. For example, I plan to organize and conduct the Bureau of Land Management's "Girls Get with the Land" patch next year, and possibly do the EPA Waterdrop patch for other area troops as well, work on some other outdoor, "more robust" patches and badges with my daughter and invite and involve the other troops ~ hence strengthening the girl-group bonds as well as encouraging my daughter to explore all her interests. Nobody gets jealous or feels like they are in a competition, nobody feels I'm pushing them to change their troop, everybody's happy.

Juliettes will also give our family the freedom and flexibility to do all things Girl Scout (GS camp, major outings, patches & badges) while not being bogged down with permission slips, money issues, dues, registration forms, etc. so on.

I've found a few resources online, and was hoping to hear from others about their experiences with Juliettes, whether at a council level, a troop level, or as the parent of a Juliette. :-)

Hey, thanks! I got to surfing, and found that with some simple 'googling'...great info there. :-)

Hi, everyone! Seems this is a terrific place to get ideas, learn from other people's experiences, and get feedback from a variety of perspectives.

Our daughter will be 7 in a couple months, was a Daisy with a local troop, and we've been told that we won't be allowed to earn extra patches or badges other than what the rest of the troop can earn. Soooo...we are registering her as a Juliette and I am coordinating lots of projects to do in cooperation with her former troop and other local troops, as well as encouraging other time-crunched families to register their girls as Juliettes. I'm looking into what is involved in becoming a Juliette mentor, and am having a devil of a time finding resource materials. I hate to just get started, then find out I'm missing some vital steps.

I've gotten in the Council and service unit e-mail loops, so I've been to the first Safety/Paperwork meeting, and will attend any others they offer. Going to try and find relevant handbooks (like Safety-Wise) second-hand or free to keep my personal costs down, as well as uniform pieces for the child-unit.

Anyone have any thoughts about finding Juliette guidelines and resource materials?