AZScouter

I never intended this to be a discussion of co-ed scouting in general, but since foxwhisker opened the door... Nearly every country in the world has co-ed scouting. Mexico, Canada, England, Australia, Germany, the list goes on. Do you know who doesn't? Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan... puts us in good company, no? We've made great strides and one day we will be co-ed, I'm fairly sure of that. Jamboree is not a "Boy Scout" event, there were many young ladies in attendance including two from our council (my daughter is one). I agree the OA is a Boy Scout program and can accept that unti

Allow me to clarify something. I a boy is jointly registered as a Boy Scout and a Venturer, he can "double dip". That is, if he participates in an event he can get credit in both programs. Anything he has done prior to being registered as a Venturer does not count. The only exception to this is a certification such as First Aid or CPR. If he joins a Crew and drops out of the Troop prior to attaining First Class, he cannot continue Boy Scout advancement. If he is a First Class or higher he may continue advancement. This very topic was thoroughly discussed at Philmont this past ye

Backpacker, I could not agree more that the OA is not the same anymore, but I hardly think that is because a few women have been admitted. The BSA as a whole has changed and continues to change. I don't think we can blame that on women either. Twenty plus years ago when I was a Scout women were Den Mothers or members of the committee and only went camping on the annual family camp. At that time the OA was a secret society and none of our rituals were divulged to non-members. All this has changed, and I think few would argue that they've changed for the better. Other changes are not s

Proud Eagle - Thank you, you brought up many points I had not considered. This whole issue came about when the leadership of our section allowed girls (not members of the OA or even Venturers) to attend our conclave. You can imagine the problems. Additionally, we have many female members of the OA in our section, some of whom are very young (early 20's). Combine these things and you can understand why it came up. I agree, the issue of co-ed scouting is a whole other can of worms, but they are very closely related.

My wife and I did Girl Scouts with my two oldest. Simply put, it is an inferior program in every way, shape, and form. A male wanting to help or be a leader is made to feel like an interloper. I know probably 30 men who have experienced this. Additionally, men cannot be a unit leader, only a co-leader. In fact there are not ever adult uniforms available for men. My daughters did a combined five years in GSUSA and camped out twice, once was in the leaders back yard! They saw the Boy Scouts go camping monthly. The BSA refers to the "Scouting Family"; Dad and Mom are Scouters, the boys

Recently I was involved in a conversation about females being allowed in the Order of the Arrow. Of course, women can be nominated as adults into the OA. That is wonderful, but what about girls. Venturing is the fastest growing division of Scouting. Venturers, male and female, can staff JLT, Summer Camp, Cub Camp, etc. They can attend Philmont and other High Adventure camps. They have many opportunities, but it would seem they are not honorable enough to be members of Scouting Honor Society - the OA. The obvious answer is that they have to be a First Class Scout in order to be c

I just finished reading these posts and I too detected a negative comment (the one about GIRL scouts). I have encountered a few people (thankfully very few) who wonder why a man with no sons would be involved in Boy Scouts. I have been involved in BSA for thirty years (since I was 8), Arrow of Light, Eagle, and Vigil. I have been a Scout/Scouter longer than I have been married, longer than I've had children, heck, all my life. I have been a Leader with three Troops in three states and a District/Council Scouter as well. In case you have not figured it out yet I have only daughters. What I