A Scout Is - How to Know You are "Successful"

Again, I cannot express my gratitude enough to all of the readers.  This hobby of mine has doubled in readership every week over the last 3 weeks.  Please support the blog and Troop 1019 by hitting the follow button and getting notified when I upload a new blog. I am sorry for the delay since my last posting. It has been a busy week! 

I have become active on a few groups at this time on social media, and I can tell you that it is amazing being part of groups that are so proud to be family Packs, Troops for girls, or supporters of both. I have found them to be a welcoming change from the negativity and sometimes awfulness some pages can be. The pages themselves are good, but the comments are more of my issue.  When I look down through, 

I get a sense that because girls are not always welcomed, they are held to a higher standard. 

I found myself then reflecting that back onto my own Scouts, and honestly, that is not fair. I found myself getting critical about minor uniform infractions, and really pushing hard to make sure that at district events we did not stand out as not being true scouts. The realization that I have made over the last few months is that Scouting is different depending on the Troop you belong to. I started reflecting on the Scout Law, and Oath. The saying is not "A Scoutmaster is..."  The law starts with "A Scout is..."  Also, on my honor, I will do my best, to do my duty, to God and my country."  Nowhere in there is the need to feel that we have to go above and beyond simply because we are a female Troop. 

As a youth lead organization, I am there to help guide leaders. To teach young people, what it means to lead, succeed, even fail, reassess, and try again. When looking at what we are doing, and to determine if we are being successful we need to not necessarily look at advancement or merit badges. There seems to be a push to get every one of our female scouts to Eagle, sometimes as quickly as possible. I understand that if you were old in 2019 and aging out is a real possibility, pushing younger scouts at a fast pace can be counterproductive. We need to remember to allow our female scouts to grow and develop as they are ready. We are there to guide them and assist them. The best way for our leaders to assist these scouts is to keep scouting fun. 

We have a framework - I have taken these directly from the BSA website. They are all important, and no one should be seen as more important, and none of these should be a barrier to the program. 

The methods by which the aims are achieved are listed below in random order to emphasize the equal importance of each.

Ideals – The ideals of Scouting are spelled out in the Scout Oath, the Scout Law, the Scout motto, and the Scout slogan. - Remember the Scouts are to look at themselves and compare only themself to the ideals.  We can teach the meanings, but the Scout must come to understand where they stand. 

Patrols – This is a basic block, it teaches leadership, and democratic principles. Since Scouts only allowed girls for 3 years now, we must also understand that some Troops may only just now finally have older scouts that are ready to begin this process. We must realize that they may need a little extra guidance. It is okay if the adult leaders have a bit of a stronger hand right now. As the adults may still be operating as the model to teach our younger scouts. As soon as possible, transition to youth-led troops should be accomplished, but to do so at the cost of ensuring quality programming should be considered. Much like any goal, there are steps. Ensure you are working towards the goal, and if you need to take it in steps that is okay.  You may show up at a council event and not be the model at this time, and that is okay, and not a point of shame.  Don't project your desire for appearance to interfere with the process.

Outdoor Programs – Scouting is designed to take place outdoors. I know this is not a general truth, but the biggest draw for my own child was the difference in what GSA and BSA were doing. Outdoor programs are vital to differentiate ourselves. Also, remember that outdoor programs does not mean we have to do an episode of "Survivor Man" every time we go out. We can teach scouts to enjoy the outdoors in a comfortable manner, and also have some more challenging events. Again, we are making leaders using the outdoors, we do not have to make the next Survivor Man. 

Advancement – Scouting provides a series of surmountable obstacles and steps in overcoming them through the advancement method. I cannot stress the importance enough to let the scouts learn the importance and feel the pride in advancement. Holding female youth to the standards is important, its how they grow, and they will begin to feel the pride of their work. 

Association with Adults – Scouts learn a great deal by watching how adults conduct themselves. I cannot stress this one enough. Too many times I have had to be part of uncomfortable conversations with other adults. The girls are looking to you. I will vigorously defend our right to be here. I choose to be the ASM, because I find it important for the girls to see a strong woman leading, and how a man can gladly support that. 

Personal Growth – As Scouts plan their activities and progress toward their goals, they experience personal growth. As our scouts' progress, they grow. They are met with challenges and setbacks, and they learn. 

Leadership Development – The Scouting program encourages Scouts to learn and practice leadership skills. Every Scout has the opportunity to participate in both shared and total leadership situations. Shared success and failure are key to growth. 

Uniform – The uniform makes the  Scout troop visible as a force for good and creates a positive youth image in the community. I have seen a lot of arguments over the uniform. I think that this is not a defined issue, and is an issue of leadership in the Troop.  I think that when scouts are in the community they need their uniforms, this identifies who we are. The uniform is an opportunity to teach the scouts about appropriate dress, and how to dress for the occasion. We as adult leaders need to guide SPL's on how to convey this message. Many of us work in an environment that has a dress code, or expectation, but there are reasons to dress down, there are reasons to dress up. We can teach our scouts about this through the use of the uniform.  With that being said, the uniform should not be a barrier to Scouting. 

I stress the uniform as being a barrier because it is not a cheap investment. Shirt and Pants - $80 - before patches.  With all needed patches and items, a scout uniform is easily $125+, and if you are a parent wanting to volunteer double that. I will never forget the sticker shock when I became an ASM and my daughter crossed over. Within our first month of scouting, between registrations, summer camp, 2 camping trips, and uniforms, BSA was a $1000 investment. So if you are starting a new troop, you may consider how to slowly build up your uniform, a fundraiser for the girls to work to earn the money, time for parents to slowly amass the pieces, a chance to find donations. Being "uniform" is important, but the uniform should not be a barrier. 

We are successful as leaders when a Scout walks out of the weekly meeting, a better, more productive person than when they walked in. Eagle is not the only measure of success. I wanted to share something I came across this week from my Woodbadge counselor, 

This person did not need to earn Eagle to make a difference in the world with the confidence, and skills they were taught by a committed leader. 

“There is no teaching to compare with example.” - Baden Powell

We are the example.  

Toos Day: A Scouting Mindset 2/22/22!

 

A Scouting Mindset

When we are working with our scouts, the use of mindset is an important factor for both girls and boys. Today Troops 10 and 1019 did something amazing with our kids. We hiked around frozen waterfalls! For the sake of the crowd, we used a professional guide service.  If you are in Pennsylvania, I highly recommend Valley to Summit. Our guide is actually an active Scouter himself. Chad is involved with the national level COPE and Climbing programming. Was it the cheapest activity, no, was it worth every penny, yes!  When we are doing outdoor activities sometimes it gives us time to think about things, unwind, connect with nature, and reflect on where we are. Today was one of those days. First, I got to see our girls do something they might have never done, and may never do again. This experience is theirs, forever, it can never be taken from them. These things we give are gifts with no expiration date, and no return policy. These experiences will shape our youth in ways we may never know. This is why I think that mindset is something that needs to be addressed. 

If anyone has looked at my pictures, I am a 42-year-old, overweight male Scout Leader. 4 years ago I contracted a disease that gave me a 33% chance of never walking again, and about 60% chance of never making a full recovery. I am fortunate, that I have made around a 95% recovery and can share this new life with my daughter. I got emotional last fall when I completed a 10-mile hike with our troop.  It was the first long hike I attempted since my hospitalization. 

A little background on my condition. I was diagnosed with Acute Idiopathic Transverse Myelitis (TM). TM is not a common condition, but one day at work, I was not feeling well, and my legs began to feel heavy, almost as if I had done a workout and overdid it. The symptoms continued throughout the day, until around 6:30 PM I was taken to the emergency room due to weakness. I took my last steps for 3 days when I walked to the hospital registration desk. TM is an autoimmune response from the body that attacks the myelin (the lipid structure that surrounds your nerves) and causes inflammation and damage. My damage is located between T12 and L1. It took the lower half of my body away. I was in the hospital for five days, with countless tests. If it were not for the care of the hospital staff, and their drive to find an answer, I may have had a very different outcome. Everyone has a story, I know that, I just wanted to share mine. 

Back to mindset, as I digress. I came to Scouting with my second daughter. The time with her older sibling was sports. Wins/Losses, scores, records, competition. There is nothing wrong with this, in fact, I love sports. However, the background of coaching inadequately prepared me for Scouts BSA. I did not understand a setting where if you engage, you win, if you try, you win. I am not saying you master it and become the best, but you gain. You always get a plus in the growth column.  You fail, you grow, you succeed, you grow. This is quite a different mindset for me because there was no bad vs. good level. It was growth.  Honestly, it made me rethink some of my attitudes towards coaching youth sports.  It was growth for me. I also had to take a look at how I approached activities. Early in my leadership roles, I realized that my attitude, approach, and mindset would have more impact on my results with Scouts than my competencies, my knowledge of the aims and methods, and my understanding of what I was getting myself into. 

In the last 6 months, I had to face my own mindset issues. The first was in October. The Troop chooses to take on the Billy Yank Hike at Gettysburg National Battlefield.  This is a requirement for their historic trails badge. To be honest I was personally apprehensive. As I discussed before, I am still having fatigue issues with my lower body. I was not sure I could complete this myself. How could I approach this with a positive mental attitude? Then it dawned on me; others are counting on me. I had an honest conversation with our Scoutmaster and the Troop. I realized that sometimes as the leader the challenge is also for us. When we completed our hike, we celebrated the accomplishment. We celebrated with each other, not just us celebrating them.  We are in this together. 

Today we did a five-mile hike, on ice, around Ricketts Glenn's amazing waterfalls. We hiked 18 of them in total today. I was nervous I would hold the team back. I was excited, I was getting outside. I was happy to be with such amazing leaders. Nobody won an award today, there was no score. However, each time I saw a leader encourage a scout to push further on when the scout thought they had no more to give, or each time I heard laughing, I realized that there is more to life than keeping score. When your children are learning to work together to accomplish hard tasks together. Adults are coming together to guide youth leaders, and enjoy each other's company. Teaching young men, and young women how to work together, while independent Troops, when they come together they are there to accomplish a goal. Teaching youth to work together is really preparing them for the world beyond youth. Learning how to respect and rely on each other. They will reflect the mindset of the leaders. Due to the amazing support of our partner Troop and the mindset of their leadership, our girls have never been treated as second best. Because of the mindset of our girl leaders, our kids know they belong. When the mindset is growth, the outcomes are limitless. When we celebrate each Scout's contribution, and not "who dominated" we teach growth. 

Today our kids learned that when things get tough they can rely on their own mindset to improve their situation. Our Scouts were challenged today. Some were beyond their comfort zone. They had leaders that wanted to help them in their challenge. They had the right mindset. I watched a 15-year-old take control of a group of 17 kids, and this is not the most assertive kid I know, but he took on the role of leader. I watched kids take on a challenge with a positive outlook.  They rocked it. 

 

The leaders that make this possible come from a "With" attitude. They are there to be with the kids. They are there to be part of the activity.  They come from a point of wanting to participate and enjoy the moment. Attitude is infectious. A negative attitude can derail even the best experiences. That is why leaders need to show up and be excited to engage. Leadership is an active mindset. You have so much influence over the kids, and how they respond. Realizing that challenge does not come with winning or losing. Realizing that growth is the goal, and domination is not, can make you a better leader. We should not be ranking our Scouts on who is the best. We should be recognizing growth, challenge, and accomplishment. This is how our mindset can improve the lives of all the children we touch. 

Troop 10/1019 at the bottom of 90' waterfall. 

Let's Talk Advancement - Keeping the fun, moving forward, and making it count.

First, let me say that I am overwhelmed by the response I have had to this blog. I assumed that through writing this, I was simply making my cathartic journal public. I did not expect the number of eyes that have actually taken the time to read my writing. I am not a writer by trade or profession. I am a school teacher, that simply loves Scouting with my daughter. A father that is proud of his daughter's fearless drive to do something that was never done before in our town. I am so proud of her and her drive. I have noticed changes in her that I did not expect. If anyone here is currently raising a child between 11-17 years old, you all know that sometimes our own Scout struggles with being obedient, and clean, but she's trying harder. I will say I have seen her become more friendly, courteous, kind, cheerful, and certainly, brave. 

If you have not already done so, please click the "Follow" button. 

These writings will always and forever be dedicated to Abby, Troop 1019, and all the young women blazing a new chapter. 

Let's Talk Advancement

I was a participant in Woodbadge Class N6-544-21. I was tasked with writing "tickets" as part of my training. These "Tickets" are essentially what goals do you have for yourself, your troop, and the greater Scouting community.  How will you improve, recruitment, retention, diversity, and access? What will you do?  What change can you effect in 18 months?  One of my goals was to create a social media page where people could get real information from someone that is doing it. A place where we can develop a community of support for each other, and exchange ideas. After I started doing research, I found this has already been thought of. I have found a wonderful active page on Facebook Scout BSA Girl Units, but to complete my goal, I created a more local page Scouts BSA Girls Units - Central PA, but I decided that this was not enough, made this blog. You can find me on Facebook on either of those pages.  

Now back to why I am writing today. 

When people talk about Scouting, the one thing they focus on is the Eagle Scout.  People often mention that some of the most successful people in their career fields were Eagle Scouts. When you look at a simple list of names, these are some pretty impressive people: Neil Armstrong, Justice Breyer, Bill Gates, James Lovell, Mike Rowe, Steven Spielberg,  Ernest Green, Hank Aaron, Martin Luther King, Jr., Colin Powell. These great names, all males, for now, are some of the greatest members of our society. They are part of the 8% of Scouts that attain the rank of Eagle. Yes 8%, they are important, but what about the other 92%. 8 out of 100 will attain the rank of Eagle, but we just don't teach our skills, crafts, and values to those select few. Every child that joins scouts is an opportunity to improve their life. Through the aims and methods of Scouting, each child is learning skills that even if they do not realize at the moment, will help them in the future. 

This brings us to using what is already given to help our Scouts grow. Advancement. Working with your senior patrol leaders, and looking at the requirements for advancement. Outside of merit badges, this is one area that will afford scouts a chance to work on their leadership and teaching skills. This is the way they can demonstrate the EDGE method, and really take ownership of the operations of the Troop. Showing the leaders that advancement skills and merit badges are connected. That many of the skills that you need to advance can be done by working on merit badges. Working on these badges as a group or as partners is a way to increase enjoyment. 

If you look at the path to First Class and the Eagle Required badges, you can find the cross-over. 

BSA Rank Requirements

BSA Required Eagle Badges

o First Aid

o Citizenship in the Community 

o Citizenship in the Nation 

o Citizenship in the World o Communication o Cooking 

o Personal Fitness 

o Emergency Preparedness or Lifesaving 

o Environmental Science or Sustainability 

o Personal Management 

o Swimming or Hiking or Cycling 

o Camping 

o Family Life

If you look at First Aid, you can use the merit badge to complete -Tenderfoot - Requirement-4, Second Class - Requirement 6, First Class - Requirement 7.  The reason I mention this is working on a merit badge often entails more real-world practical exercise and will result in longer retention of this skill.I bring this back to the 92% of Scouts that do not make Eagle. I think that learning basic first aid skills is something that will benefit them for the rest of their lives.  These skills can be worked in a group and be made enjoyable.  Add a little makeup for a bruise, or some fake blood and gash from Party City, and you have yourself a pretty enjoyable and real experience. Take the time to add the enjoyment, and even some of the not as fun badges can get done. 

In our Troop, we rotate our offerings of merit badges. We are small so we can do this with some flexibility for now. We did Space Exploration in November/December. This was a great time. Building rockets, doing a little bookwork, launching rockets. That was great fun. In January we started communication with them. This one is not always the Troop favorite, as there is a larger portion of the population more afraid of public speaking, than death. Yes, that is a true statistic. Letting the kids follow their interests helps keep them interested. By the end of this summer, all of our April 2021 AOL scouts will be First Class. They just kept moving forward because they were motivated, but also because we made them work enjoyable, and they are progressing together as a group. 

I would highly recommend if your Scout is able to pass the swim test, they should complete the swimming merit badge at summer camp. Camping is done in the Troop. As you can see that what works is that the Scouts work as a unit, teach each other, learn from each other, and enjoy the experience.

If you are beating the national average of 8%, keeping them moving forward as a group is essential. Also when others see your Troop is having fun, it makes others want to check it out. Celebrate success, recognize progress, be there when it gets hard, encourage, and strengthen. Even if 90% of the kids that you are working with do not reach Eagle, they are still learning the vital skills needed. They are going to be able to handle adversity, and may get exposed to a future career field they will excel in, and be one of the 92% of extraordinary people in their field that are not Eagle Scouts. 

2021- Summer Camp - Finger Carving Merit Badge Recipient

Toos day! A weekly Celebration of the Good Times

Toos Day - Including the Adults, Increasing the Adults

Starting today, we will have Toos day. These articles will focus on the adults, and what they truly mean to the groups they are involved in. 

Baden Powell once said, “The Scoutmaster guides the boy in the spirit of an older brother.” When I watch good adult leaders this holds true. They are members of the Troop and they are part of what is going on during the time together. Three years ago, my view of Scout leaders was a bit different than what I have met. I pictured older men, wearing their old Scout Uniform, operating in a drill sergeant type role. While supporting leadership by being a leader themselves, this image does not hold up to scrutiny. 

I have met many amazing people over the last few years, and the ones that I am drawn to are those that are encouraging the fun. I am fortunate that I am excited for our weekends and weeks away no matter the situation. When our Troop is solo, the small group of leaders enjoys our time with each other as much as we treasure giving the experience to the kids. When we are paired up with our boy counterpart Troop, It only increases the enjoyment. We share a common goal of allowing our Scouts to learn and grow in a fun environment. We are also comfortable cross-training the kids. The male leaders from our partner troop will just as gladly help and instruct our girls as we will instruct their boys. We share a set of common beliefs and values. It makes me want to be there on the weekends with the kids because there are times of shared enjoyment while it is work. 

My advice to Troops is to include pictures of the leaders in your posts and updates. You never know who is on the fence about helping out your Troop.  You can never be sure what skills they possess or how getting them involved can enhance your program. You never know of the parent looking to connect a little more to their ever-growing child, and a car ride and campout could be that bonding event. If parents only see the tired Scoutmaster after a long weekend of camping, they might only see the work. They will miss the play portion that makes the tired expression on our faces.  

Start small with new potential leaders, a shorter outing. I would not suggest their first experience be a weeklong summer camp. Get them on a hike, or an easier Scout Adventure. Remember that as we get older we are allowed a challenge by choice mentality, and we get to decide with a 2-foot rule, if we don't like it we walk away. Scouters need to feel the same feelings as Scouts. It has to be an enjoyable experience. You will have adults that have all kinds of backgrounds. Some will have never camped before, but they are all willing to try something if it looks fun. Also, mention a nap... A Scoutmaster is Sleepy. 

The photographs of adults with kids are an important tool for recruitment. Try to capture the moments as candid with genuine expression. As a father of teenage children stealing these moments is awesome. It also shows our Scouts that adults still like to have fun and try things that are challenging. We need adult leaders to help. When you only have 2 leaders for the outings, it puts pressure on them.  They have to start scheduling their lives around these trips. It puts the "if I can't make it, I will let the kids down" pressure on us and leads to burnout. By recruiting more members to join the activities it means that life can happen and it will not impact the Troop. Also, there is no rule on how many adults can join you on an outing. If you are 1-1 ratio that is just fine.

Remind parents that they can join. Talk about the joy you get out of serving the youth. 

Show them the experience their kids are having, so they can actively engage in conversations with them about what they are doing. It will build a connection to the Troop. 

Show them the value of the challenge. 

Show them the joy of camaraderie, and what it's like to simply enjoy a night around a campfire. 

“When a (Scout) finds someone who takes an interest in (them), (they) respond and follow.”

Scout Sunday (Saturday for some) - When things go perfectly!

 

A Scout is Reverent...

Sometimes as a leader, Reverent is one of the more personal aspects of our Scout Law, and sometimes difficult to demonstrate without impressing on someone else's child my own beliefs of faith, and spirituality. Yes, one of the requirements of Scouting is the belief in a higher power. However, just because a child is in your troop does not mean they follow your same faith. Interfaith ideals are important, helping teach scouts how to respect others of different faiths is important.  In your own troop, your scouts can be members of any faith, so explaining your Duty to God, may not be their Duty to God. Allowing Scouts to learn to appreciate the faith of others is an important factor in Scouting.  I have attended some Vespers at events that I loved. I learned about others' faiths, and how they reflect on my own, maybe with a different "Big Guy" but the messages are the same. You can read the words of another religious text, and still find the imagery beautiful. I have also had the thought, that my own pastor's head may explode calling that church service. However, Reverent is still an important part of Scout Law. Just remember that Reverent and Morally Straight, can be defined differently by different people, so keep an open mind. If one thing I have learned in Scouting is that these two topics can be touchy subjects, but lead to some of the best adult idea exchanges I have had scouting.

So today was our Scout Sunday. I have only experienced this once before, in February 2020.  This was right before Covid-19 took its toll on any in-person gatherings, and is still having its effects. In 2021, there was no Scout Sunday. I remembered enjoying the time with the pack and wished we would have had our last one. However, it was not to be last year. 

2022 was time to bring it back. Our Troop was excited about this event coming back. It brought a sense of normalcy. Yes, we had to mask at the request of the church, but this was something small to be part of something bigger, a national day of recognition. We share our charter organization with a Pack, and Troop for boys.  Once again, our brother organization was the example of how cooperation and comingling can be done successfully for the benefit of all our kids. 

Our church has sponsored a girls troop since 2019, due to just getting things started, they missed Scout Sunday in 2020. While the members of our charter organization knew we existed, they have not seen us in existence. Today that changed, and it was perfect. 

Our Scouts served in a few ways today, some were greeters, some held the door, some did readings for the service. Each Scout got the opportunity to take on the challenge they were most comfortable with. For some simply saying good morning, and handing out a bulletin or worship aid was assertive enough. It had them use the communication skills we work on in a real-world environment. Some held the door because a Scout is helpful.  Lastly two girls, and two boys elected to read scripture. We showed the organization, and greater scouting community that we can have young men, and young women working together to serve, and nothing bad comes from that. They came together to worship, and it was beautiful. 

Scout Sunday is an important event to help solidifiy your relationship with your charter organization. This is time when you get to meet with the leader of the congrigation. You can learn what the organization needs in terms of service. The example is that in the bulletin, it noted they were looking for help with cleaning the cemetary. Amazingly we were already looking to work with a local stone cleaner to learn the process of resetting, and cleaning headstones. It is a win-win. The pastor was so excited that we are volunteering to be the point on this activity. We are adding value to our organization, and making ourselves part of part of the relationship, and not just a group that needs a meeting space. We got to meet the members of the church and start building relationships. You never know what may come from that. Lastly, I got to see my 8th grade English teacher, introducing my daughter was a fun experience. My teacher was unsure how I have a child that old, when she hasn't aged a day. 

Demonstrating our skills, and completing public speaking requirements at the same time is another great benefit. Reading in front of a large group, and showing the skills, that we profess we are giving, is a great way to really demonstrate that it is more than words. We shared the reading responsibilities with the boys troop because that is how it should be done. We met with the leaders as equals, as it should be. We showed that while we are both members of this charter organization, we are different Troops that both add value to their church. 

Finally, and most importantly, the sermon focused on the values of Scouting.  The opening speaker made the connections to Scout Law and the church.  The pastor did a sermon on asking to help others, because a scout is helpful. While I am sure somehwhere the pastor takes the opportunity to focus on reverent, however,  this time the pastor showed that the works we do are all reflective in our duty to God.  He made good works, and good living a simple yet powerful way to show that you are reverent. 

Afterwards the fellowship brunch gave a chance for so many adults to interact with the Scouts, and leaders.  For our Troop is was an opportunity for many of the older members to talk about how wonderful it was to see our girls doing Scouts. There were statements of how they wish they would have had the same opportunity, and statements of encouragement to keep doing the good work. We got the kids together for a picture, and they all got together. As you can see we share the same aims, but we have our own identies. These opportunites are also important because we are not just helping them learn how to be scouts, but how to interact and appreciate each other. They are learning that boys and girls, and work together and mutually respect one another. They learn that as their own worlds go further, leaders come in many forms. However, most of all, they laughed, and enjoyed this momemt. These good times will help them rely on each other when things get tough. 

I could not be more proud of these girls and their commitment to each other, their goals, and most importantly to Scouts BSA. I am glad I get to be a part of their journies.

Scout Sunday Theme - 

On my honor, I will do my best

To do my duty to God and my country and to obey the Scout Law;

To help other people at all times;

To keep myself physically strong, mentally awake and morally straight.  

I hope you have the same experiences. 

Teaching Your Girls to Address Resistance.

This week was the birthday of the Boys Scouts of America. It turned 112 years old. That is quite an accomplishment. For 109 years the organization did not have the full participation of female members. Boys Scouts was seen as the name implies, as a boy exclusive organization. Now for 97.5% of the existence of BSA, it was an all-male organization. Many organizations were founded as gender-exclusive groups, that have successfully made the transition to being co-ed. No one thinks twice when a woman goes to work out at the YMCA - Young Men's Christian Association. Eventually, I feel that Scouts BSA will be in the same boat.  This is not going to happen overnight. With just a simple scan of social media pages, including the official Facebook page of Boy Scouts of America, you can find that many are not as excited to see the inclusion of girls. Many will openly oppose, make negative comments, or extoll the downfall of the organization due to the inclusion of female scouts. 

These are just a few comments that I was able to quickly find on the official Boy Scouts of America page. They are even more prevalent when a local or national news story is run.  When traditions change it is not unexpected to have some that push back against this change. Also, most of what I have found is that those most vocally in disagreement with the inclusion of females are not involved with Scouts BSA.  I lead with these ideas because while the vast majority of comments on social media, and interactions at scouting activities are positive, not all will be. The overwhelming support I have been exposed to at least publically is amazing. However, not every interaction my own child has had was a positive one. 

There are different settings where girls may run into opposition or oppositional comments. Teaching your female scouts how to respond is important so they can confidently, and quickly respond to naysayers. I know some will say they should need to be taught how to respond, but I took a different approach. Bullies will not back down until someone stands up for themselves. I am not saying that all of these situations come from a place of bullying.  In some cases, a lack of understanding can be the cause, and the response of the Scout can help further the aims of scouting, and inform a larger population that girls are here to stay. 

Situation 1:

    The unit is doing a community event. The girls are in uniform and acting as direct ambassadors for the Scouts BSA program.  The most common issue here is from a basic lack of knowledge that girls are in Scouts BSA. We have been asked if they were"wearing their brother's uniform". These questions are the easiest to understand and address.  I have taught my scouts to respond with "Nope, we are here with our all-female troop. They started allowing girls to join in 2019, and we are some of the first."

Often times this is met with further questions asking them about their Troop and what they are doing. Many times this is also starting a discussion with older members of the community that are happy these girls have a chance to do something they wanted to do as a child. 

It is not very easy for a person, even if they are not in favor of the inclusion of females, to be directly rude to a child right in front of them. Killing them with kindness is a great way to defuse situations. 

 

Situation 2 - Resistance from within your own Pack/Organization.

Recently at the University of Scouting, I attended a roundtable for female troops. This was an amazing experience. Under the current operational model, every Charter Organization can make the choice to allow girls to join. They can allow family scouting at the pack level and can offer to sponsor a female troop at the older stages. In the discussion with other leaders, I learned just how much the growing pains could be. Some members resigned or simply held beliefs that girls should not be involved.  When my daughter first joined her Pack in 4th grade, the decision to include girls was never discussed with the Pack on a smaller scale. The committee without much input from the Den Leaders simply said yes. 

When we signed up my daughter, it was a bit of a surprise to the den, including the current only boy members. Some of the kids were not happy that their boy hangout was being invaded by a girl. Due to my own ignorance, and assumption that the kids wouldn't care, I did not have a discussion with my daughter about how to respond to resistance from within.  The day before her first den meeting, a few of the boys were not nice to her and pushed her down on the playground. They told her scouts' were for boys and she should quit. My kid came home devastated. These were her classmates. Her friends until she tried to join their Pack. What I learned to pass along is that when something like this is new, it is important to discuss with all the stakeholders what is about to occur. Even delaying the start of the female scouts for an extra week would have allowed the dens to tell the current members, and put forth expectations for behaviors and how to welcome the new members. The happy end is that these boys ended up being some of her closest friends. They still talk, and their bond has helped them navigate life now going into middle school. This resistance was caused by a failure of adult communication. 

Situation 3- Resistance from the old guard. 

While most of the resistance I have encountered has come from outside of scouting, from people no longer active, or who have never been active, occasionally we run into other Units that are not as open to the idea that there are now girls in the camp. As recently as our Spring Camporee, we had an adult leader that did not like that the boys and girls were doing the activities at the same time. He complained that the girls were a distraction to his boys, and were not in their appropriate uniforms. Mind you the uniform was "Class B".  Our young ladies were wearing a pair of workout pants, and t-shirts. Not exactly revealing and definitely not a distraction. He went as far as complaining to the District Executive. We are fortunate that we have a very supportive council. He was shut down.  My advice here is to let adults deal with adults.  The lesson that I have given our girls is that if another leader is being inappropriate, remain calm, walk away, and get one of their leaders to address the other adult. Some are still active in scouting but do not believe that it should be open for all. This attitude will change, over the years, but we need to navigate that now.  My belief is that feelings such as this are only furthered because of the way that girls in scouting have been implemented. As long as groups can make a choice to exclude members based on sex, this will cause this issue to still fester and will allow groups to harbor thoughts and feelings without the needed exposure and experience of what girls in scouting are like.  I could not imagine if on any other basis that organizations could exclude members that this would be acceptable. However, these are the rules that we currently have. 

When our Scouts have a negative interaction with Scout from another Troop the initial response is to restate affirmatively that they belong. "I am with Troop 1019, Scouts allows for girls now, I surely belong here."  I have also taught the kids the say "A Scout is Kind", "A Scout is Friendly", or some other of the Scout Law. Showing that you are living under the same Scout Laws is important to understand one another as equals. If the other Scout does not get the message, they are again to inform their leaders and allow us to deal with it as adults. 

When done right, a coexisting of Troops is an amazing thing.  We are fortunate that at our charter organization the boys and girls share the same aims, support each other, and are learning how to interact with each other professionally. They cheer for each other in competition, they laugh with each other while doing activities, but they know the rules and expectations. We camp together 4-6 times a year. We work together, we laugh together, and we Scout Together. We call them our big brothers, and we are their sister Troop. Our Leaders are friends, we enjoy each other's company, and working with each other Scouts. This is how it is supposed to be. This is how it should be. This is how we will continue to work together to make this experience meaningful for all the Scouts we work with. 

Girls Scout Too! 

So your daughter wants to join Scouts BSA....

 So your daughter wants to join Scouts BSA...

    When my daughter was 9 years old, she came home from school very excited. A representative from Scouts BSA, New Birth of Freedom Council came to her school and told her the most amazing news, Pack 233 will be accepting girls for the first time ever. While she was excited, I was a bit more apprehensive. 

    My daughter, Abby, has watched both of her cousins enjoying numerous outdoor activities, using pocket knives, and their overall joy of hanging out every Tuesday with their friends. Abby wanted that in her life. I on the other hand being from the smaller town that I am from saw this as a chance for my daughter to learn a little about the potentially ugly side of adults. What I did not expect was that my 9-year-old was fully aware of this, and wanted to take on this challenge. She also had a lot of faith in the better side of humanity and knew there were a lot of others that would think it was amazing. She also was aware even at the age of nine, that she was blazing a trail for girls behind her.  Abby, from the day she joined, wanted to become the "First Eagle Scout Girl" from our town. She knew that when she reached a milestone in scouting that she would be the first girl to do so.  I was inspired by her passion to lead a new path for girls in our town, and I was ready to help her.  While this is partially my journey, the truth is Scouting is about the youth. This journey is Abby's and I am simply a guide to help her. 

The following are the lessons learned at the start of our journey. I am sharing this because when your daughter makes the decision to join, there are some things you want to look for and understand even before the application is submitted to join. 

I will use the term -Unit - This is a reference to the scouting organization you will be joining. There are a lot of different Packs, Troops, and Crews.  While we were involved in a Pack and Den, and now a Troop the term unit simply refers to where you are joining. 

1. You are making a choice on where to start your child's journey. 

    This is an organization you are choosing, and much like many other things we do for our kids, you don't have to choose the closest or most convenient unit. Go to the scout sign-up night for a Pack. Talk to the leaders, talk to other parents that are there. This is a chance to get a feel for their philosophy on scouting and be sure that this is where you want to send your child. Most often you will choose the Pack or Troop that the scout's friends are in, but not all packs accept females, and not all packs have female components. Most times there will be a few packs that you can choose from in an area, some might be a few more minutes to drive, but it might be worth it in the long run. 

2. What is the history, and plan for the unit to include girls. 

    When we first joined our pack, they were not ready to take in females. They were open to the idea and agreed to allow girls to join, but they did not have a plan for how that would look, or what to do once the first girls signed up. The rules for females joining BSA are murky at best. The current rules for Scouts state that the program is not Co-ed. The current rules actually make girls joining problematic. Technically your daughter will be required to join a separate Den. In practice, the Packs that are making it work are using a method that will have your child work with the appropriate aged Den while being officially in a den of all girls. What makes scouts fun for the kids is working with their peers. My daughter's Den was a group of girls from 1st-4th grade. When they would come to Pack meetings, however, they would work with the boys that are the same age. My daughter joined as a Webelo and worked with the other 4th grade boys. Because of the visiting status, a parent, or female leader was required to be with her at all times. This realistically meant that I was committing to being at Scouts with her every week. Be prepared to make that commitment. 

    Why such a long explanation, well the first month of Scouts, we were simply put in the basement of the church because the Pack did not have a plan to implement family scouting. Ask what their plan is and how they run their Pack. If they are unsure, then you may want to ask some more questions and get guidance from your Cubmaster, Committee Chair, and Charter Organization Rep. Nothing can be more difficult than feeling excluded. Honestly, I was ready to throw in the towel and walk away but my child did not want to quit before she even started. It finally got worked out, and she loved it. 

3. What is the plan once your daughter crosses over Arrow of Light. 

    While there are a lot of co-ed Packs, and BSA is a little more flexible for younger scouts, Once your child completes Arrow of Light, and crosses over to a Troop, the rules are considered black and white. Troops are 100% same-sex, no exceptions, no grey area. The number of female troops compared to male troops is about 10%. This means that for every 10 Scout Troops 1 will be for females. This is vitally important to realize as your daughter starts to enter the upper ranks of Cub Scouts. Most Cub packs have a Troop that the boys seamlessly flow into. This is often not the case for female cubs. This is often a hard realization for kids, as they come to terms with the fact that these boys, brothers really, will not be a part of their next step. I know in my case this was met with a lot of sadness, and grief. 

    However, not all is despair. 4th grade will be a vital year to your daughter's scouting experience. On, or before, your daughter enters their first year of Webelos (4th Grade) you need to figure out what the next step is. You should ask your leaders, "Where do girls go once they complete Arrow of Light?" Hopefully, they know, if they do not, then this is where you will need to get in contact with your district or council. You will need to find your local girl troops. To visualize this, I would suggest you go to beascout.org and enter your zip code and choose Troops.  For example, when I enter mine, I have 17 Scout Units within a 10-mile drive from my house, only 1 is a Girls Troop. You may have to drive to keep your child involved, but that is not the reason I am telling you this. 

    Once your child is a Webelo, they can start to visit and attend outings with a Troop as a guest.  This will be important because your child can start to build a relationship with their future Troop and the transition will be easier. For Boys crossing over is just a continuation of what they already know. For girls, this is often not the case. They will be finding a new home and new people. If your daughter knows the other kids and has a relationship with her new Troop this will make the transition very easy. In our case, we got in contact with Troop 1019 in October of Abby's 4th-grade year. By April of 5th grade, she was excited to join her new friends. She knew where she was going, and when the Scoutmaster of 1019, and the SPL came to her crossing over, she was excited to see them and get welcomed to her new Troop. 

As an Assistant Scoutmaster, I make it a point to know every female scout that is currently a Webelo or Arrow of Light Scout, and we as a Troop actively engage their families, and the scouts themselves. 

I am proud of my child. She has really put her full self into her commitment. She wants to be a leader and role model. She wants to give back and be a Den Chief, and I am glad she made me want to come on this journey with her.