I was a Brownie/Girl Scout in my youth, and had what sounds like a similar experience to your younger brothers. Definitely not a good one.
I wanted to get outdoors and do the fun stuff I always heard the Boy Scouts did (building fires! shooting arrows!, making “hobo” meals for dinner!!). But all my GS Troop ever did was weave wallets (that wouldn’t hold diddly) and other inane (to me) crafts. So after a couple of years, I opted out.
I for one, was absolutely THRILLED when I heard the news a few years back that girls would be allowed to join Boy Scouts (the older youth program for teens). Granted, I bailed long before I was a teen, but if I had known that would be an option after a few years of making friendship pins and decorating pinecones, I might have stuck around to become an Eagle Scout myself!
It’s funny (sad) how many people talk about their experience in scouting the way you do - whether it was Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts. The last photo of my dad and me was actually from a Girl Scout training hike. We “helped“ some senior Girl Scouts prepare for a longer camping trip by going out for a short weekend hike. I was glad to see Scouts BSA include girls, but really think both organizations have things to offer all kids. The Girl Scouts now have some amazing STEM based badges.
I was a Brownie/Girl Scout in my youth, and had what sounds like a similar experience to your younger brothers. Definitely not a good one.
I wanted to get outdoors and do the fun stuff I always heard the Boy Scouts did (building fires! shooting arrows!, making “hobo” meals for dinner!!). But all my GS Troop ever did was weave wallets (that wouldn’t hold diddly) and other inane (to me) crafts. So after a couple of years, I opted out.
I for one, was absolutely THRILLED when I heard the news a few years back that girls would be allowed to join Boy Scouts (the older youth program for teens). Granted, I bailed long before I was a teen, but if I had known that would be an option after a few years of making friendship pins and decorating pinecones, I might have stuck around to become an Eagle Scout myself!
It’s funny (sad) how many people talk about their experience in scouting the way you do - whether it was Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts. The last photo of my dad and me was actually from a Girl Scout training hike. We “helped“ some senior Girl Scouts prepare for a longer camping trip by going out for a short weekend hike. I was glad to see Scouts BSA include girls, but really think both organizations have things to offer all kids. The Girl Scouts now have some amazing STEM based badges.