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posted by CoolHand on Friday October 13 2017, @12:41AM   Printer-friendly
from the somebody-get-the-popcorn dept.

A major shift from the Boy Scouts of America:

Irving, Texas – October 11, 2017 – Today, the Boy Scouts of America Board of Directors unanimously approved to welcome girls into its iconic Cub Scout program and to deliver a Scouting program for older girls that will enable them to advance and earn the highest rank of Eagle Scout. The historic decision comes after years of receiving requests from families and girls, the organization evaluated the results of numerous research efforts, gaining input from current members and leaders, as well as parents and girls who've never been involved in Scouting – to understand how to offer families an important additional choice in meeting the character development needs of all their children.

"This decision is true to the BSA's mission and core values outlined in the Scout Oath and Law. The values of Scouting – trustworthy, loyal, helpful, kind, brave and reverent, for example – are important for both young men and women," said Michael Surbaugh, the BSA's Chief Scout Executive. "We believe it is critical to evolve how our programs meet the needs of families interested in positive and lifelong experiences for their children. We strive to bring what our organization does best – developing character and leadership for young people – to as many families and youth as possible as we help shape the next generation of leaders."

[...] Starting in the 2018 program year, families can choose to sign up their sons and daughters for Cub Scouts. Existing packs may choose to establish a new girl pack, establish a pack that consists of girl dens and boy dens or remain an all-boy pack. Cub Scout dens will be single-gender — all boys or all girls. Using the same curriculum as the Boy Scouts program, the organization will also deliver a program for older girls, which will be announced in 2018 and projected to be available in 2019, that will enable them to earn the Eagle Scout rank. This unique approach allows the organization to maintain the integrity of the single gender model while also meeting the needs of today's families.

I'll admit it, I was a little surprised by the announcement. As a longtime member of the BSA and an Eagle Scout, I find this extremely interesting. I know some who are dead set against it, and others who are totally for it. My personal opinion is that it will be a good thing, both for the BSA and for the young men and women who become part of the organization.

The biggest loser in all of this will probably be the Girl Scouts. I can see their membership numbers dwindling rapidly if/when this takes off.

As a side note, Scouting has been co-ed in many countries for decades.

Both the Boy Scouts and the Girl Scouts have seen decreasing membership in recent years, and both have been trying to find ways to increase their membership. In this context, they now seem to be butting heads:

The Boy Scouts will soon include girls, and not everyone's happy about it.

The 107-year-old organization announced Wednesday that younger girls will be allowed to join Cub Scouts and that older girls will be eligible to earn the prestigious rank of Eagle Scout.

[...] For months, Girl Scouts USA had a notion BSA would try to start recruiting girls. In August, Buzzfeed News obtained a strongly worded letter in which GSUSA President Kathy Hopinkah Hannan accused the BSA of courting girls to boost falling enrollment numbers.

From the letter:

We are confused as to why, rather than working to appeal to the 90 percent of boys who are not involved in BSA programs, you would choose to target girls.

What are your thoughts? Were you ever a boy scout, or a girl scout, or did they ever affect you in any way? And do you think the BSA should be praised for opening their doors to girls or should they be castigated for 'targeting' girls who would be better off staying with their own kind?


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  • (Score: 2) by c0lo on Friday October 13 2017, @02:20AM (7 children)

    by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Friday October 13 2017, @02:20AM (#581515) Journal

    I think the Girl Scouts USA is in an unenviable position

    Depends on the sale-pitch...

    E.g.: door-to-door, foot-in-the-door marketing is a valuable skill in the today's society. Many boys should want to acquire it by selling cookies girl-scout style.

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  • (Score: 5, Insightful) by The Mighty Buzzard on Friday October 13 2017, @02:40AM (3 children)

    by The Mighty Buzzard (18) Subscriber Badge <themightybuzzard@proton.me> on Friday October 13 2017, @02:40AM (#581521) Homepage Journal

    Man, you don't have to sell Girl Scout cookies. You just have to knock on the door and hope you can carry that much money. Things are like crack.

    --
    My rights don't end where your fear begins.
    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 13 2017, @10:22AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 13 2017, @10:22AM (#581676)

      I submit the theory that thin mints must taste better, based on the exclusionary proof that nothing tastes better.

      Rene Descartes might have agreed.

      Cookie eato, ergo sum!

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday October 14 2017, @01:04AM (1 child)

      by Anonymous Coward on Saturday October 14 2017, @01:04AM (#582111)

      Are they made with real Girl Scouts?

  • (Score: 1, Offtopic) by MichaelDavidCrawford on Friday October 13 2017, @03:59AM (2 children)

    by MichaelDavidCrawford (2339) Subscriber Badge <mdcrawford@gmail.com> on Friday October 13 2017, @03:59AM (#581537) Homepage Journal

    My grandfather bought his piano from a door-to-door piano salesman. I have since inherited it.

    --
    Yes I Have No Bananas. [gofundme.com]
    • (Score: 2) by kazzie on Friday October 13 2017, @05:05AM (1 child)

      by kazzie (5309) Subscriber Badge on Friday October 13 2017, @05:05AM (#581573)

      Was the salesman carrying a demonstrator around with him?

      • (Score: 2) by MichaelDavidCrawford on Friday October 13 2017, @07:09PM

        by MichaelDavidCrawford (2339) Subscriber Badge <mdcrawford@gmail.com> on Friday October 13 2017, @07:09PM (#581951) Homepage Journal

        I gave you the reader's digest condensed version. Here's the whole story:

        That salesman showed up on my grandparents' front porch, where he offered the piano to grandma.

        She told the salesman to get off her property.

        Grandpa was somewhat late coming home to work. When he arrived he said to Grandma "Look what I bought!"

        The now-mine piano was in the bed of his pickup truck. The door-to-door salesman sold it to grandpa when they passed on the road.

        Grandma got a new washing machine out of it.

        --
        Yes I Have No Bananas. [gofundme.com]