WisconsinMomma

The only race I have heard of in our Troop is of the boys who want to finish their Eagles and get out before the girls arrive. However, I think this is short sighted and the girls won't be in their Troop, so what do they care? But, it is out there. ETA: This could really hurt our troop if the 16 year olds start bailing out early, it is nice to have older boys to lead the way for the younger ones.

I just don't care when girls start getting the first Eagle. They should follow the program, but if it only takes 22 months or whatever, so be it.

I think at this time it's too early to tell how much interest there is from families of girls for BSA programs. I mean, it's still barely getting started. At our Back to School night when we have a recruiting table, it will be interesting to see if any families of girls will ask for info. Also, I know a lot of girls' families but I need to be careful not to step on the toes of the GSUSA, which of course has many girls right now. I think the girls' programs will start very very small, but that's OK because it will be more manageable. I think it will take at least 2 years before we know whether the girls program really sticks and has sufficient demand or not.

I talked with another mom today after an event. She has an older daughter (15) in Girl Scouts who basically just does camp, a son who left Cub Scouts because he didn't like the group of boys in Scouts and was getting bullied, and a daughter who is in Scouts. The Girl Scout leader is very very very active and always taking the girls to do things. I asked my friend if their family would be interested in the BSA, now that there are opportunities for girls. She didn't know. I also don't know, because this is all still in the very early stages. It was difficult to have the conversations talking about girls and scouts but not saying girl scouts. But it was OK. In my pack, I think I will ask the CO if they will charter a separate Pack for the girls with their own Pack number, and we will share Pack Committee meeting night and share Pinewood Derby (because of equipment and setup challenges). But we will need leaders for a girl Pack. The Pack meetings could be on the same night but in different rooms in the same building. It will be interesting to see what the other committee members and CO think about it.

I really don't think it's going to be that bad, to be honest. But it may depend on the area of the country you live in. I just heard about a library in Alaska that is having a drag queen storytime, led by drag queens and where children are encouraged to dress up as the opposite gender. In comparison, bringing in girl units to the BSA is very, very modest and mild.

Do you think they will be willing to sponsor an all girls Troop too? Or a Venturing crew? Or a girl cub unit? What you really really need are parents of girls who are willing to volunteer and get trained. That's your core.

Yes, but.... as volunteers we have influence over this, and we can say -- let's have an all girls troop -- and encourage that path rather than single gender patrols in a mixed troop path. Sell it -- girls will flourish with other girls. Plus, BSA wants girls Troops, not single gender mixed troop troops, so let's help them get there. The best defense is a good offense?? Or the best offense is a good defense?? Eh, you know what I mean. The parents are going to go to wherever the girls are welcomed. So let's make some all girl Troops that have good foundations to build on. Districts should get on this.

I don't think Scouts will go fully co-ed, if as volunteers we can get girl Troops and Packs off to a strong start. Now, I can't speak for rogue troops and packs that don't follow BSA policy, you'll always get some of that, but if Scouters work to help girls make great girl Packs and Troops, then each gender can have their own strong program. There will likely be some interaction at merit badge fairs and such, but staunch single gender folks just won't go to those events.

Here's what I"m thinking -- we need to make strong girl Packs and Troops and help them get off the ground, so they can maintain their separation and independence from the Boy Packs and Troops. Does that make sense?

Yes, contact the Chartered Organization with your concerns and ask them for support. Your Committee Chair, if she is lying about her husband's criminal record, should be removed from that position, IMO. The Chartered Organization should also be able to ask the husband not to come on outings. Lastly, you should talk to your council Scout Executive and ask them for how you should handle this, to make sure the Scouts in that pack are protected. You also have the option of finding another pack. Best wishes.

This is a very old thread, but I will throw in a few things. At the beginning of the school year, there is a lot going on, and sometimes dens don't really get rolling right away in September. Everyone is adjusting to back to school, etc. Den leaders should have a plan and a calendar for the year, but the calendar also gets some input from the families in the dens. I would always check with the families to see what nights they're available, and this took a little while to work out. With my dens, we tried to meet 2x a month plus a monthly pack meeting. But sometimes it varied.

Yeah, but just because that's what some Packs are doing doesn't mean that's what our Pack has to do.

The name change isn't a big deal to me. That's minor. For the Pack I'm more concerned with whether the Pack should have one Pack and separate boy/girl dens, or a separate Pack number for the girls. I don't know. Like would the girls want their own pinewood derby or is it easier and cleaner just to have one mixed gender one? All the den stuff would be separate of course.

Name change? No biggie. Mission, Vision, Values, Ideals, Aims and Methods, etc? That's the real stuff.

Yes, I'm just trying to wrap my head around how this will work in advance. What I am potentially envisioning: 1. Girls Troop with separate troop number 2. Same Chartered Organization 3. Perhaps same meeting night and time, different room in the building for troop and PLC meetings 4. Perhaps same committee members and resources for merit badge counselors, Eagle Coaches, EBOR help, etc. 5. Separate checking accounts and fundraisers, but perhaps the same treasurer managing both accounts. 6. Separate outings and events. 7. Same Committee Chair, but different Scoutmasters, ASMs, etc.

I'll also tell you that with some people, email is a terrible, terrible form of communication in conflict. I have given up using email most of the time unless it's simple or I know someone really well.

Our den leaders and cubmaster attend the meetings, as most of our committee meeting time is about planning the Pack meetings and upcoming events. But we work as a team on that stuff. Parents are always welcome.

I would expect your council to have records if your advancement chair is doing their job, but given that this pack runs a little goofy, it's hard to say. But check in with them. I personally would not sweat over Cub advancement records except for Religious emblems and Arrow of Light, which follow a Cub in to Boy Scouts. I would expect any pack to just take you at your word of your son's achievements. Best wishes for everything and thanks for being a Scouting family.

I'm just curious about the situation. Was this at a den meeting? Who is / where was the den leader? Is the cubmaster's father a registered leader? Why is he attending the meetings? Some of this sounds weird. But in your situation, I would also make a break with that Pack, unless your Den is a good den and then I'd just go to your den meetings and stay the heck away from the Cubmaster. Things can get tough in smaller towns and it can be a tough divide between homeschooling and regular school parents. I hope you find a group that serves your family and that you have a great Scouting journey. My older son (with ADHD) and my family had difficulty once with a person in our Troop, but that person got out of Scouting. I feel you are owed an apology and reconciliation by the Cubmaster. But it also sounds like that is very unlikely. So, take care of your family and make positive relationships wherever you can find them. You don't want to be all alone out there, and there are friendly people in Scouting. As for taking it up the chain, that is OK to a point, but don't make it into a war. The most important thing is finding the right, welcoming group for your son, and making as many positive relationships as you can so he and your family have a lot of community available to you. In our Troop, there are many waves I could make, but I have to remember that it's not about me and my ideals. My sons like their Troop and I don't want to undermine their experience by being a difficult parent. So I really try to choose the things that are meaningful, and stay out of the way on many other things. While I help out, I am not a dominant parent in the Troop and I think that benefits my kids.

OK, so, my Pack needs to talk about whether we are running with a girls program next year. My sons' troop, or their CO will also need to talk about whether they are forming a girls' troop. The Pack and Pack CO seems open to having girls. It may just be a matter of getting organized and recruiting leaders. The Troop committee seems to have an overall negative view about a girls program. It seems that no one wants to mess around with it -- except, maybe, me. And maybe I know some women I could recruit for a new troop.... But then again, I have all sons and don't personally need a girls troop, but it's something I could get involved in as a leader. I'm afraid to even bring it up with my sons' troop committee. LOL. I expect they're going to shut it down the second I bring it up. Maybe it will be better than that but it does need to be discussed as this is a major change in the BSA and they need to talk about how they will work with or not work with the new program. Any suggestions? Also the new episode of Scoutcast, the Scouting Podcast is very good about bringing girls into the program.

And hey, it's only 4 months to the next election, so this one isn't a big deal, is it? Try to minimize the issue and prevent the guys from taking it all too seriously. They should focus on having fun and working together.

Why not give both boys a little bit of time to cool off. Elections can be emotional, and rejection can be rough. Give it some time and neither one is right to try to punish the other.

I think it's very possible that female units will want to camp with a different style than boy units, especially as they are learning and getting started. Another case for having some separation. An outdoor activity every month may not always look the same and the boys and girls desires may be different for what they would like to choose, and that sounds OK to me.

This is a good reason to keep the boy and girl units separate, at least as separate dens in Cubs and then patrols in Boy Scouts. Then it's more about the den and patrol activity. Separate units with some crossover volunteering sounds fine too.

I would think about this as if the girls/boys were separate Cub dens. Den 1's leader is sick, they cancel something, unless they have someone ready to fill in. Den 2's leader is not sick, they have their meeting as normal. So if one of the groups has unstable leadership, the committee works to recruit support for that group so it can function. Your troop will need to recruit more women for campouts. Note that I have not camped with my sons' troop, but that does not mean I am unwilling to camp. I am not currently needed on their camp trips. If our Troop puts together a girls unit and needs some help, I will likely pitch in where I can.