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For me the point of Boy Scouts was getting the hell away from my parents and hanging out with my friends for one weekend a month and for a week in the summer. Having learned to canoe, row, sail, waterski, shoot a rifle, shoot a shotgun, tie knots and lashings, first aid, lifeguarding, astronomy, cooking, camping, etc., was a nice side benefit.
Thing is, I was in Boy Scouts in the era before gaming became really, really huge and sucked in kids by the tens of millions. Word on the street is the Boy Scouts are having a hard time competing with the X-Box and such for teenagers' time and attention.
You probably had a really bad troop. I did, so I didn't see the point for the longest time. My husband, on the other hand, had a wonderful experience and is constantly surprising me with skills and experiences he has had. He learned all sorts of things like creating hiking trails, sailing, beekeeping, and just loads and loads of other things. Each troop is different and offers different things. He was lucky and we weren't.
Each troop is only as good as its leader. How much time do they invest in the troop in planning and activities? I know one troop leader whose girls sit at meetings and play with their cell phones. They have a snack, and play with cell phones. Not very productive and it ain't teaching them much but apparently that is what they want to do. Honestly my older girls (2) havn't had a meeting yet. They have worked with the Daisy's and Brownies in their meeting and the Juniors in their meeting, and they have gone on a camping trip with the Juniors. But as far as what they are doing on their own?? They have yet to tell me what they want to do. *It is up to THEM* When Christmas rolls around and they didn't earn any IP's, wonder what they will say? I know what I will say.
Anyway, Scouting can be very beneficial. It teaches children lots of things that they wouldn't know otherwise.
Good Luck and I hope you can see there is reason.
Karen
Great point! I am an extremely organized soul and my co-leader is a 12 year veteran of Girl Scouting. Together we make an awesome team - usually at GS functions we're the troop doing some song or activity surrounded by other girls wanting to learn. The school my dd attends has 2 Brownie Troops and one Junior Troop. The other Brownie Troop earned 6 Try-It patches last year and 5 fun patches, did one Service Project. We've already earned 6 (or 7 in some cases) Try-Its, one of the Journey patches and 7-11 fun patches (depending on the girl's level of participation in our field trips) including the ones they're getting for our 2 completed Service Projects. I generally mark the Try-Its I know I can fit activities around, give the girls 3 to vote on for next week and assemble it all generally the morning before the meeting, plus type out and print a newsletter, letting the parents know what we're doing, what's expected of them and what's coming up.
Of course, I run a small troop. Any more girls than 8, and I think the PARENTS would wear me out with their phone calls (4-5 per week, the day of the meeting). Generally already answered in my newsletter. Then ONE week I skipped the newsletter and they ALL called.
For notification purposes of your troop think about using this. www.callingpost.com
I use it ALOT and for .10 you can leave a 60 second message and it will then call all your parents on the list and relay the message. WORKS like a charm.
My daughter is in Girl Scouts and loves it. They camp at least once a year usually twice and they go to fun dances and events. For her, it's all about bonding and forming relationships. I'm okay if that is all that she ever gets out of it because I feel that making and maintaining relationships is huge!
I was in the cub scouts. We got the book and pretty much did stuff in that. We had a weekly meeting and did arts and crafts type stuff, recited pledges, learned to fold a flag, and did the pine wood derby with all the other troops at the local college. It was fun but I wasn't that into it. I did that for...2 years...?...can't seem to remember. But after we did the same stuff for two years in a row I lost interest and decided not to go on to Boy Scouts. Like was said above. If you have a motivated troop leader the experience can be completely different. Our problem was out troop leader was just another mom who knew very little about camping, hunting, fishing, shooting, etc, etc....which were all the things we were generally interested in and what scouts usually participate in. I signed up thinking I'd get to go on camping trips and stuff like that...nope.
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I know what I will say.
