Girls Just Wanna Be Cub Scouts

[qwazse]

Be careful what you ask for @@Stosh, I would not be surprised if more than a few Boy Scouts would love to have the Girls join the troop and be on their events and activities with them ... even if it was for the 'wrong' reasons.

My experience:

Girls ain't honey and boys ain't flies.

[Renax127]

My experience:

Girls ain't honey and boys ain't flies.

Heh, never heard that before.

 

Some people act like boys are incapable of acting rationally around females.

[qwazse]

Heh, never heard that before. ...

It's an original from my advisor's school of hard knocks. Feel free to to quote me the next time someone whines that crews steal boys from troops, or some DE spouts off that female venturers will help us boost membership. Not until they come with their own boat ...

[gumbymaster]

Heh, never heard that before.

 

Some people act like boys are incapable of acting rationally around females.

 

Not incapable. But I do have two anacdotal/experiential frames of reference for my comment.

 

1. Being in a Co-Ed explorer post focsed on leadership development training (running a NYLT equivalent) and using the patrol method ...

    a. The boys (NYLT campers) are a little smitten for the first couple of days with the Female Counselors (on ave. 2-3 years older) or fellow troop/patrol members.  Several of the girls are likewise smitten.

    b. By the end of the week is is a non issues for most (other than the relatively few that think they have a summer romance - usually restricted to exchanging contact info for later)

    c. For the post members/staff it is also a non issue for most (although there are a few parings - even several marriages, no obvious PDAs)

 

2. Summer Camp Staff.  (histoic ratio: about 30-40 staff members, about 6 over 30 years old, 4-6 females)

  a. The boy campers were always very smitten with the 14-30 year old Female Staff members.

  b. Historically, almost all the high school/college aged female staff members that were not in a committed relationship before camp did become paired to some degree with one of the similarly aged male staff members.

 

Again, I'm not impling that things will happen - with the proper application of YPT and other co-ed measures; just that in the short term (i.e. when you actually ask the boys/vote/etc.) they might be in favor of in the hope or fantasy of what might/could happen rather than the reality of what does happen.

Edited December 9, 2015 by gumbymaster

[SeattlePioneer]

If BSA were to admit girls to Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts,  I's say that the odds are very high that GSUSA would go bust or be forced to merge with BSA within a year or two.

 

 

Imagine all the tears that would be shed over that!

[qwazse]

If BSA were to admit girls to Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts,  I's say that the odds are very high that GSUSA would go bust or be forced to merge with BSA within a year or two.

 

 

Imagine all the tears that would be shed over that!

I disagree. BSA would only accrue the girls interested maximizing their outdoor skills. They are mainly girls who were already done after a year of brownies. A generous guess would put that at about 20% of all American women. That's just market share. The yield from that number would, of course be smaller.

 

GSUSA's base is not disenchanted in the least. They are a fun lot to be around, if you get an invite to help, do so. (While there, encourage moms to get the maximum outdoor education training that they can.)

Edited December 9, 2015 by qwazse

[ScoutingRadio]

Thanks for all the comments 

 

Regarding the GSA going bust - you could then ask how the Girl Guides stay functioning 

 

Its two different programmes. Some girls are more outdoor than others.

[Stosh]

We have boys that hate camping as much as some girls.  Neither program is a good fit for all youth.

[ScoutingRadio]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKZ7GEhPprg

 

Enjoy watching our virtual campfire with some of your comments.

 

Hope you like to get involved in the future. All you need is a PC and webcam

[Peregrinator]

If the BSA did allow cub scout dens and boy scout troops to admit girls, it probably would not be too long before it became mandatory - assuming the UK and Canadian examples are any indication!

 

There would probably be exceptions made for "bona fide religious organizations" who don't believe in co-education for youth.

[qwazse]

 

Enjoy watching our virtual campfire with some of your comments.

 

Hope you like to get involved in the future. All you need is a PC and webcam

I had a moment to watch your show. Nice interview of one of our scouters.

 

Let's clear up one assumption. There's a lot of marketing speak about the venturing program. Folks often cite the Venturing program as an example of a growth as a result of being open to girls. However that division is the most rapidly shrinking (down to 158k in 2014 from 192k in the previous year). If retaining members is any guide, it seems that our unisex divisions are the ones to follow.

[ianwilkins]

Let's clear up one assumption. There's a lot of marketing speak about the venturing program. Folks often cite the Venturing program as an example of a growth as a result of being open to girls. However that division is the most rapidly shrinking (down to 158k in 2014 from 192k in the previous year). If retaining members is any guide, it seems that our unisex divisions are the ones to follow.

 

Wow! That's some drop! I'd be cautious about sticking a flag on it and saying there's a definitive reason for it though. Presumably while it was growing it was mixed too? Otherwise I'm guessing the marketing wonks wouldn't be shouting about it. But I guess "why Venturing is shrinking" is a topic for another thread.

 

Ian

[Cambridgeskip]

Re venturing..... when the old Venture Scout section existed in the UK I seem to remember that numbers dropped when increasing numbers of 18 year olds started going to university in the late 80s and into the 90s meaning that venture units lost many of their older members for most of the year and they drifted away. At the same time though SSAGO (Student Scout And Guide Organisation) which is affiliated to WOSM but not directly to TSA or GGUK saw its numbers climb.

 

Does an equivalent to SSAGO exist in the USA? It might be interesting to see what its numbers look like.

[qwazse]

@@ianwilkins and @@Cambridgeskip, as with most things there is no single cause.

 

I don't have statistics on APO, the college service fraternity (http://www.apo.org/Home) or the unit scouting reserve, my anecdote is that of the nearly 100 graduates from our troop and crew who I know, only one joined that organization.

 

Education, war, etc ... cost more and pay less ... Thereby shrinking a young adult's free time. Parents of said adults are pulling double-shifts attempting to defray those costs. So, there are strong economic pressures working against our most vibrant Americans participating in the program (which itself is demanding more in fees and paperwork than it ever has before).

 

Nevertheless, it betrays a decade of ignorance propagated by organizational deceit when you have volunteer and professional scouters who say, "Look to Venturing's vibrant growth as an example of the success we can have with a co-Ed program." (My paraphrase of several statements from different folks over the years.)

[ianwilkins]

Nevertheless, it betrays a decade of ignorance propagated by organizational deceit when you have volunteer and professional scouters who say, "Look to Venturing's vibrant growth as an example of the success we can have with a co-Ed program." (My paraphrase of several statements from different folks over the years.)

 

Yes, it's not rocket science (it's much more nuanced than that but anyway...) do stuff the kids want to do at a price the parents can afford. All the groups I know that thrive it's because of enthusiastic leadership and a good programme.