Sharing from our wall... After spending time lots of time listening and reading about all the different “controversies” in Girl Scouts several things have occurred to me. I have spent time reading all the different comments and really considering what I would like to see change in the organization. It occurs to me that much of what is happening in Girl Scouts is a reflection of what is happening in society in general – and what is happening between women in America. With all the choices we have now we have also spent many years arguing with each other about our place in society. Should we be stay-at-home moms or work corporate jobs? Should we stay married for the sake of the kids? Should we get married, have babies, or wait? What kinds of jobs are “right” for mothers? Just what is our place? Just as women have struggled with finding their place in society, GSUSA is struggling to find their place in our girls’ lives. Unfortunately, instead of just updating what was already a great program there seems to be a desire to completely change the program and not always for the better. There have definitely been road bumps along the way. We should not be arguing with each other about which way is the best but instead be embracing each others differences and looking at how we can include all girls who are interested in the Girl Scout experience. I believe that Girl Scouts will not be a fit for everyone. In order to have a strong program we need to decide what that our core is and work to make it better. When we try to be everything to everybody it weakens the program. This is not to say that there shouldn’t be choices and options but we tend to spread ourselves too thin. Personally, I am a conservative Christian but I am okay that Girl Scouts is not a Christian organization. If you are looking for a strictly Christian organization then this is not the place for you. If you are looking for a place that embraces girls of all religions or of no religion then this may be a good fit. Personally, I have some issues with the new Ban Bossy campaign. I’m not crazy about the slogan but when I read through the materials I think it is a good start. My main concern is that we are defining leadership very narrowly. Leadership is not just about standing in front of a room and talking to people. It is not only corporate leadership. All girls ARE leaders. The comments I read say that some girls are leaders and some are only followers - this really limits our girls and their talents. Yes, some girls are comfortable standing in front of a group and talking but some girls lead from behind or beside by encouraging other girls and extending a hand out. Anyone that has influence over another person is showing leadership. We need to deliberately encourage and teach girls leadership skills according to their talents. Personally, I think a great place to learn these leadership skills is from working in the outdoors and teaching younger scouts. Learning new skills and passing them along to others. It is not experienced in the classroom setting. I also recognize that not all troop leaders are comfortable in the outdoors. We are so fortunate to have all the choices we have in this country. We need to embrace all the talent available to us and have some real conversation about the direction of GSUSA. All the name calling and anger does not advance our cause. Take a deep breath and really take a moment to think about what the other person is saying – what their experiences may be – before responding. Let’s respect each other and be a sister to every Girl Scout. Thanks for sharing Susan!
Posted on: Thu, 13 Mar 2014 18:11:31 +0000
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