Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
They're saying the adult members (leadership) need to subscribe to their statement of faith. Not that they won't accept Jewish, Muslim, or atheist kids.
Believe it or not, when I was in Girl Scouts a million years ago, the whole troop used to sing a "Christian" grace before meals, and we sang some gospel songs/spirituals in with our other campfire songs. But there were definitely kids (and leaders) there who were not Christian.
I suppose both of those things would be a big no-no today.
I understand they will "allow" girls of different faiths - but it is a Christian organization developed and directed at Christian girls. Fundamentalist ones at that. Many mainstream Christian fsmilues would be hesitant to embrace the values espoused.
As long as they don't expect their faith to be recognized or validated.
"Sure you can join - just as long as you embrace our beliefs and suppress your own. Welcome!"
WWJD?
I suppose it is something like enrolling in a parochial / Catholic school and accepting that values will be taught from an explicitly Christian perspective. Lots and lots of Jewish, Muslim, and atheist kids (and Protestants, for that matter), go to Catholic schools for the academics, not for the faith-based activities. And they manage to do just fine.
And for what it's worth, most non-Christians, even kids, if they are honest, recognize that "Christian values" mirror their own beliefs more often than not.
I suppose it is something like enrolling in a parochial / Catholic school and accepting that values will be taught from an explicitly Christian perspective. Lots and lots of Jewish, Muslim, and atheist kids (and Protestants, for that matter), go to Catholic schools for the academics, not for the faith-based activities. And they manage to do just fine.
And for what it's worth, most non-Christians, even kids, if they are honest, recognize that "Christian values" mirror their own beliefs more often than not.
You seriously do not know what people of other religions believe.
Muslims and Hindus and Jews do not believe Jesus was the son of God and believe God is singular which means Jesus and the Holy Ghost cannot be God.
I said Christian values, not Christian doctrines. You know, things like loving your neighbor, forgiving and living in peace with others, respecting parents and elders, caring for the poor, etc. Most people generally agree with Christian values even if they are Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, or what have you.
I was a third-generation 4-Her, and it was a really great program with a very wide range of activities. It is coed, secular, and to a large degree funded by the county agricultural extension service.
I was a third-generation 4-Her, and it was a really great program with a very wide range of activities. It is coed, secular, and to a large degree funded by the county agricultural extension service.
I second the 4-H idea, while I didn't go that route with my child, I really do wish we had. (You can do 4-H with guinea pigs and a puppy too, its not just for farm animals, plus all the other activities)...
I thought it was just Christian based. I didn't know it was ring-wing evangelical. I am looking for something not so focused on cookie sales.
Not every troop is cookie-driven. Look around and "shop" some other troops -- while it's fun to be in a troop with your friends, it's also a chance to make new friends.
We did cookie sales, but they were definitely not our main focus. Some of the girls really got a kick out of it, some others were bored out of their mind with it, and maybe sold 2 boxes of Thin Mints to their parents. :-) I had the same troop from kindergarten all the way through high school seniors -- 75% of the troop received their Gold Award. We were never a big rah-rah cookie troop (and that's before you could sell them online -- in fact, we were PROHIBITED form selling cookies online in the early 2000's, for safety reasons. GS is big on safety . . . )
A lot of new troop leaders are gung-ho on cookie sales. They calm down after a while. :-) We ended up finding other ways to finance our activities -- the girls organized badge nights for younger kids, overnights in churches where Brownies could earn 3 badges in one night. (We always tried to get a badge from another country for them to try -- i.e., a "candy making badge" from Great Britain was a popular one.) We hosted Daddy-Daughter SockHops for Valentine's Day, "Fly Up to Juniors" Day for Brownies to complete many of the requirements to get their rainbow "bridge" badge (am I dating myself?), a "Songs and S'Mores" evening with a local guitar player/entertainer and a chance to make s'mores, and even trivia nights for the older girls, with prizes. We had a very large service unit -- over 100 troops, and the monthly leader meetings might have 120-130 leaders present. The girls came up with the idea of organizing a badge workshop for the children of the leaders during the meeting -- they charged $10 each, and the leaders got babysitting and their kids earned a badge. They probably earned $200-$250 each night, and grossed between $150-200, depending on the badge. The rule in our Council was that a troop had to participate in cookie sales in order to be approved for other fund-raising activities - which was only fair, since the Council receives a large portion of their operating funds from cookie sales. So we would sell cookies -- but we were never one of the "top cookie troops." And we were all fine with that. :-)
By the time my girls graduated high school, they could confidently and coolly organize and execute the heck out of an event with hundreds of people, including adults and kids. They are all confident and active young adults in the mid-20's now, which includes an attorney, a child therapist, a restaurant owner, a paralegal, a doctor (almost - one more year!), an actuary, and one young lady working on her PhD in some bio-science I can't even pronounce. :-) When my daughter was at college, she called me amazed that no one in an organization she belonged to had any idea how to organize "a simple fun run!" They just didn't have the skills. She could do it in her sleep. :-) That practice in organizing and planning different events helped her in so many different areas of school, work and life.
While we were in Girl Scouts, we did a lot of different activities -- and to be fair to everyone, the money had to be earned by the troop, so no one would be left out if their family couldn't afford it. We went to the Mall of America, for a special program on retail marketing (and a fun time at the Mall!). We went to the BMW manufacturing plant in South Carolina to see cars being made. We went to a dairy and saw ice cream being made. We went to NYC during the Christmas holidays and went to a special program that included working with the choreographer on dance steps, working with a vocal coach to try some of the songs, and seeing a matinee. We swam with the dolphins and attended a day-long dolphin encounter, behind the scenes with baby dolphins and the trainers, including dolphin races! We earned our SCUBA certifications. We did some camping, but the girls didn't really enjoy the outdoor stuff past 5/6th grade. We saved up for each girl to go on a week-long graduation cruise where they went diving in the Caymen Islands, zip-lined in Jamaica, parasailed off the coast of Haiti and enjoyed a day in Cozemel. We also did a TON of service and charity projects that benefited the children's hospital/Ronald McDonald house, the local animal shelter (a popular one), and helped kids with homework at a woman-and-children's shelter. One of my girls won a national prize for her work with battered women and rape victims.
So, this was a long way to get to the point: Don't discount Girl Scouts just because a leader is gung-ho on cookies. Find out who the service unit director for your area is, and talk to her (usually a woman) about wanting a troop that is focused on a lot of different activities. She can probably point you in the right direction. (In high school, our troop had girls from four different high schools.) Also consider being a co-leader or ask to form a parent advisory committee so you can have a strong voice in programming.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
