Girl Scouts -- Excluding Kids? (2014, gated, pay)

[Philip T]

Originally Posted by maddyzmommy

You're obsessed. I've never seen such long-winded swings from vaguely reasonable to undeniably cra-zay. Have fun gathering your expert witnesses, Gollum.

Aye! Moby Dick! The Whale!

And this all sheer madness just so kids do not get turned down from being part of an otherwise good program.

Desperation on the cusp of madness, I tells ye.

Aside from insanity of it all . . . I think they can make the change pretty easy.
Moderator cut: See Comment

[5stones]

WOW just WOW.

OK The GSA is NOT excluding your daughter. The troop at her elementary school is full and not acepting new members. (yes troops can do this it's up to the leader etc...) happened to us when we moved here the neighborhood troop was full. We found an alternate troop with a mix of kids from different schools etc... You can join a troop, it just may not be the one down the street. The Council will put you in touch with a leader who has room.

YES you can talk to the GS leaders! I have moved 4 times with 3 girls all GS and all had to find new troops etc... This is my youngest 3rd troop in as many states.

Futhermore if the local troop at your school is cliquey and elietist then WHY would you want your daughter in that troop? I am really glad that our neighborhood one was closed, we ended up in really super troop with very active leaders etc. We have 1 girl who drive about 45 minutes becasue the troop in her area was full.

As far as the Bronze, Silver and Gold awards... they are service project awards and require paperwork etc... you don't just get them given to you. (You have to do something that impacts your community and write up a plan etc...) My daughter earned her Bronze award last year, it's alot of work for the girls. So yes they are like the Eagle scout awards.

GS are a wonderful organization and all my girls have benefited greatly from the camps, and community service etc. For HS level they have some wonderful scholarship opportunites etc...
So please don't come on here spewing all the hatred toward an entire organization based on 1 troop.
Sadly yes the indivual troops are only as good as the leaders and yes there are many "queen Bee" types, but there are also many wonderful volunteers who spend thier free time making it a great expirence for many girls.

My advice, if you want your daughter to be in girls scouts then find out who in your area has an opening. OR... start your own troop, I am sure there are at least 4 girls would would love to join and may have been turned down by the other troop as well.

OR, find another organization. Remember, the GSA never said your daughter could not be a girl scout, only that the troop you want is not available.

[ChristieP]

Originally Posted by Philip T

Over all, it does not seem like they are getting much of a bargain from that executive staff you are talking about.

When I worked for the Girl Scouts, I made $17,500 annually and I had to buy my own uniforms (which were NOT cheap!) No health insurance, either. That hardly qualifies as well-paid...

Oh, the organization is NOT "GSA" like the Boy Scouts. It is the Girls Scouts of the United States of America. GSUSA. If you're going to sue them, you might want to get the name correct. And as others have told you, the Girl Scouts and the Boy Scouts are totally different organizations.

[Philip T]

Originally Posted by 5stones

WOW just WOW.

OK The GSA is NOT excluding your daughter. The troop at her elementary school is full and not acepting new members. (yes troops can do this it's up to the leader etc...) happened to us when we moved here the neighborhood troop was full. We found an alternate troop with a mix of kids from different schools etc... You can join a troop, it just may not be the one down the street. The Council will put you in touch with a leader who has room.

Partly correct. Partly not. Do you wish correction on that part that is not correct?

If you wish correction -- the actual practice is for the Council / Service Unit to NOT find a troop. They just tell the girls that nothing is available.

Did you not read that from the Professional?

I guess more to the point, did you even actually read this thread?

YES you can talk to the GS leaders! I have moved 4 times with 3 girls all GS and all had to find new troops etc... This is my youngest 3rd troop in as many states.

Good for you.

The local Council directed Very Specifically to NOT directly contact the local leaders.

Do you present to know more about the operation than the local professionals?

Futhermore if the local troop at your school is cliquey and elietist then WHY would you want your daughter in that troop? I am really glad that our neighborhood one was closed, we ended up in really super troop with very active leaders etc. We have 1 girl who drive about 45 minutes becasue the troop in her area was full.

Again, good for you.

I have NO idea if the local troop is cliquey or elitist.

I have never said any such thing.

Those were the projections by other folks posting on this thread. I cannot speak for or about a troop I know nothing about.

As far as the Bronze, Silver and Gold awards... they are service project awards and require paperwork etc... you don't just get them given to you. (You have to do something that impacts your community and write up a plan etc...) My daughter earned her Bronze award last year, it's alot of work for the girls. So yes they are like the Eagle scout awards.

Understood.

We were just reading the Bronze requirements this morning.

It actually does look like working on organizational reform of a public service organization such as the Girl Scouts would be such a project.

GS are a wonderful organization and all my girls have benefited greatly from the camps, and community service etc. For HS level they have some wonderful scholarship opportunites etc...

Agreed.

So please don't come on here spewing all the hatred toward an entire organization based on 1 troop.

No Hate on my part.

I see they have a severe dysfunction on their intake and placement model that appears to harm and exclude thousands of girls per year.

And again, as you may not have read, and as stated by the Professional, she knew of at least two other troops that appeared to intentionally exclude new members, and outside of City Data, I have now heard of others.

Do you consider this a good thing?

Since we both like the organization, why would you not want this corrected?

Sadly yes the indivual troops are only as good as the leaders and yes there are many "queen Bee" types, but there are also many wonderful volunteers who spend thier free time making it a great expirence for many girls.

And as also quipped before . . .

Bees, including Queen Bees, can be managed. There is even an old Beekeeping patch for the practice.

My advice, if you want your daughter to be in girls scouts then find out who in your area has an opening. OR... start your own troop, I am sure there are at least 4 girls would would love to join and may have been turned down by the other troop as well.

For the fifth time. (does anyone actually read these threads before posting?)

My daughter is in a unit across town.

There at least 4 other girls locally being excluded. As incompetent as the Service Unit is at placing kids, they are also incompetent at finding and training leaders.

The service units' actual response and practice is to simply dump these other girls and have no placement available.

Do you consider that a suitable solution?

OR, find another organization. Remember, the GSA never said your daughter could not be a girl scout, only that the troop you want is not available.

Or fix what is broke.

Is that just not within the American model or soul anymore?

You know I was joking about the Negroes part, but you understand that various organizations had to be sued to make that become NOT the normal, status quo, way things are.

Often a change can be painful or scary thing.

And I understand. Change can be painful. Often organizations continue in various dysfunction for years after identifying the problem, because the fear or pain the change may cause.

And so they continue until the dysfunction causes them Greater Pain than the change.

So I am the Greater Pain.

But really curious -- why do you figure it is ok for thousands of girls to be excluded every year?

[Philip T]

Originally Posted by ChristieP

When I worked for the Girl Scouts, I made $17,500 annually and I had to buy my own uniforms (which were NOT cheap!) No health insurance, either. That hardly qualifies as well-paid...

You were not National Executive Staff, were you?

And I do not think anyone said anyone was well paid.

I am questioning the competence of the National Executive Staff for letting a known problem go on so long. No bargain in incompetence.

Oh, the organization is NOT "GSA" like the Boy Scouts. It is the Girls Scouts of the United States of America. GSUSA. If you're going to sue them, you might want to get the name correct. And as others have told you, the Girl Scouts and the Boy Scouts are totally different organizations.

I agree and understand the Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts are Very Different organizations. That has been a theme throughout the thread.

Big G was the one promoting that they were parallel and similar organizations. I have offered him correction, but he is quite insistent.

And 5stones was the one using the term "GSA."

You understand that I do not control what other folks post?

But I appreciate the fact-checks. Any others you see?

[Big G]

I think the Dallas forum audience is played out on the topic. You're not going to find any more converts to your view here.

I'd suggest taking the issue to the Parenting forum on City-Data.

Enjoy!

[TurtleCreek80]

You finally said something correct- you ARE the "Greater Pain."

Best of luck to you in your wild goose chase.

[Philip T]

Originally Posted by TurtleCreek80

You finally said something correct- you ARE the "Greater Pain."

Best of luck to you in your wild goose chase.

Thanks. A lot.

Another favorite Simpsons' Quote:

Marge -- I guess one person can make a difference. But most of the time, they probably shouldn't.

[5stones]

My daughter is in a unit across town

So, the GS organization is NOT excluding your daughter.
Thank-you case closed.

[blrb2012]

So I've found a similar experience still in 2015.

Of all the neighborhood K girls, only my daughter has an interest in scouting. Yet in the older elementary grades we have several girls every year who have joined.

Scout rep gives all the girls in her class "Girl Scout stickers" advising of the upcoming info meeting - and my daughter thinks she actually is a scout already thanks to the sticker and all the happy smiling faces on the brochure she brought home!

We go to the info meeting, only to be told she may or may not get a troop, directly to her face .. she is heartbroken... or we can do the Juliette status on our own etc.

I am already leading my son's boy scout den so can't do both troops this year...

However our boy scout structure is very accommodating to all boys that are interested! It's a shame girl scouting is not like this. I was a girl scout all the way through high school/earned gold award, and was very disappointed now as a parent in the entire recruiting approach and then laying it out for the child that there likely isn't room after getting them all excited unless your mom starts a troop or someone wants you...my daughter feels terrible thanks to this meeting today!