I got a random leader survey from GS USA. They asked what I thought of my experience in Girl Scouts so I told them, they gave me a small box but I just kept typing.
I think that work needs to be done on fundraising. Cookies are our thing but they can be better. Councils bordering each other should be the same price because families sometimes cross the boarders and then question why ours are more expensive than theirs. I also think that the rules for outside fundraising need to be loosened up. Not all girls like selling cookies. All troops don't sell thousands of cookies, especially as they get older and less girls in the troop. But troops need money to survive.
I am a proud Girl Scout Mother of 2 girls, an Ambassador working on her Gold Award and a Cadette working on her Silver award. I am also a proud mother of an Eagle Scout. I have supported both organizations for many years. I think they both have given my children opportunities to do things that they might not have had otherwise. I am also the proud Girl Scout Leader of 2 troops, for 12 + years of over 50 girls in total through the years. Each troop is down to 3 girls now, but these 6 girls are committed and have been together since they were Daisies. I have watched these girls grow from shy and silly children into confident and courageous young women. Not only have the girls developed strong friendships, but the adults have too. We have so many great memories together that I cherish. At the end of every ceremony I always thank the parents for giving their daughters the gift of Girl Scouts. Because I really believe that it is a gift to be part of this organization and watching their daughters grow has also been a gift.
The thing that saddens me is the relationship between Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts. I do not agree with the changes made to Boy Scouts over this past year and I feel it has devalued the organization and the rank of Eagle Scout. I don't think that Robert Baden-Powell and Juliette Gordon Low would be very happy with the way things have been. They were friends and that friendship is where our journey began. In the beginning we celebrated Thinking Day because it was Robert Baden-Powell and his wife Olave Baden-Powells birthday, the founders of the Scouting Movement. I think that some need to be reminded of that.
I also wish that the Girl Scout Gold Award got more recognition. People including myself always say is equal Eagle Scout. But in fact I have learned recently while my daughter is working on her project that the two are not equal. Girl Scouts requires more hours, must be sustainable and gets less recognition. Another difference is that Eagle Scout is considered a rank and Girl Scout Gold is an award earned. I would love to see the statistics how how many girls earn Gold compared to Eagle. In my daughters troop that was once 25 Brownies and now 3 Ambassadors only my daughter is going for Gold. In my sons Cub Scout Pack that was once 21 went down to 3 for the last 4 years in Boy Scouts all 3 earned Eagle Scout.
I probably could have gone on more but like I said the box was small and I'm surprised it didn't stop me from writing what I did. (I also posted this on my other blog, https://oneleadersguidetoscouting.blogspot.com/ )
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