Comments on Girl Scouts of the United States of America: Washington Times Covers New Girl Scout CMO

This article was but it did say some negative thin...

2008-07-20T22:10:00.000-05:00

This article was but it did say some negative things about the program saying that it is feminism and it leans leftward. Girl Scouts is not pushing a type of political veiw. I am a girl scout and I personally lean right. Girl Scouts is about Leadership, Community Servie, and being Understanding.

I love Girl Scouts, too. My wife and I and a anoth...

2008-07-08T13:20:00.000-05:00

I love Girl Scouts, too. My wife and I and a another mom are co-leaders of our Cadette level troop. I'm still a little worried about the direction Girl Scouts is taking. Sure, the camping and other activities aren't being discarded, but it's always said with an air of toleration instead of promotion.

From the article: "The Girl Scouts will continue its long-standing traditions of camping, hiking and community service, but it also is promoting programs that help build self-esteem and encourage healthy living choices".

This sentence encapsulates the worries of traditionalists like myself. We've always incorporated the self-esteem and healthy living choices into the camping, hiking and community service. You should see the satisfaction my girls have in being able to put up their gigantic tent while some parents are trying to figure out how to get their brand new tents put together. That's self-esteem. Meal planning for camp includes healthy living choices. And campfire talk is a great time to talk about other choices in life.

I do appreciate the attempt to promote the Girl Scouts more. And I'm open to the argument that the girls should be choosing their program. When the awards and advancement start requiring a different type of program, though, I start feeling like my traditional view of Girl Scouts is being denigrated and that they method I'm using to teach girls about their abilities and leadership isn't valued.

I will admit that girls don't like getting stuck in the arts and craft area. When I tell girls about our adventures they perk up with interest. Many of the drop-outs, not due to lack of parental support, are because the girls didn't like doing stuff they thought was boring. I'll spread the word about the new opportunities available, but I'm still going to promote the outdoors more.

I too find it a bit divisive to add in the negativ...

2008-06-24T15:59:00.000-05:00

I too find it a bit divisive to add in the negative responses about Girl Scouting leaning "leftward" away from tradition. It somewhat implies that change is negative, and a new CMO is too? I'm not sure why it was even mentioned. Miss Richie discusses building strong confident young ladies and about gender equality, sure that's the heart of feminism, but in no way does it automatically mean that tradition will be thrown out the wayside. In fact she is very careful to say that the core of Girl Scouts remains the same. If anything being a girl scout offers opportunities to explore traditional gender roles as well as non-traditional. It is providing a well rounded picture of what kind of woman one can become. Allowing the girls to choose a path for themselves. How amazing is that? Very. I love the Girl Scouts and I certainly hope they continue to provide a wholesome outlet for our future generations.

Glad to hear that "they are doing a good job." Sh...

2008-05-02T15:36:00.000-05:00

Glad to hear that "they are doing a good job." Shouldn't that be a "we?"

This is a good article overall but can anyone tell...

2008-04-03T13:34:00.000-05:00

This is a good article overall but can anyone tell me why it started talking about feminism and politics? This was supposed to be about the new CMO not the criticism of the Girl Scout organization. Girl Scouts are trying to teach today's girls that they are beautiful, can be self sufficient and can do anything their heart desires. This is what our society needs. Call it feminism all you want, but the world is changing and we need to work hard to prepare the minds of young girls so they can become women of "courage, confidence and character." I believe the Girl Scouts is doing a wonderful job and should keep up the good work!