Sorry it's a little off topic but the girl scout topic reminded my of a little off humor tune, its kinda funny.
"Oh I wish I was a little Girly Scout, Oh I wish I was a little Girly Scout, cause' I'll tramp tramp tramp, through the Boy Scout camp, Oh I wish I was a little Girly Scout."

I was in the Brownies, then a Girl Scout until I was in 6th/7th grade. I loved being a Girl Scout. It was alot of fun. Fyi girl scout cookies are so good, the Samoas are my fave. LOL

I say they should stick with the badges, its tradition.

Ally

Grrrr about the Eagle Scout/Gold Scout thing. Adults are part of the problem. Last year Blazer Cheer and Ballerina both got their Gold Awards at the same time that several guys they knew got their Eagles. Each guy got his own article on the front page of the paper. My girls (and anyone else who got a Gold) got a group article way back in the schools section.

Scouting, especially the camping program, has helped make leaders of my girls. Our oldest 6 have been either CITS (and subsequently, counselors) or WITS (and later, wranglers)!

say it isn't so
 

I haven't been able to get the first link to open (some problem with my PC) but it breaks my heart to hear that Girl Scouts may be getting rid of the badges. I was a girl scout all the way through Cadettes (no Senior group in my area). I looked forward to getting as many badges as possible and loved wearing my sash so everyone could see them.

Somehow if Girl Scouts think that charm bracelets is going to make it acceptable to teenagers I truly don't think its going to work. But that's my 30 something opinion so maybe i'm out of step with the times.

Wow! I hadn't heard anything about this. Yes, I too was a girl scout from brownies to juniors to cadettes. My troop died out the summer before my last (junior/senior) year in high school, so I never did bridge to seniors, which was sad :(

I loved scouting and I totally agree that it helps develop leadership skills in young women, especially if you stick with it when you get a little older. My troops were always very active and they lead to my certification in canoeing and sailing. I wanted to be a SCIT the summer before my senior year, but I didn't turn 16 in time.

Somewhere in my pile of stuff to put in a scrapbook, I have my vest that's covered with patches and badges. I hope they think about all of the repercussions before they do anything rash. Maybe it's just me, but I wouldn't (nor would any of my students who are all pretty much in the age range between 11 and 17) join something known as Studio 2B.

I still have my badges from the Brownies. My mother was the troop leader. :)

I was in Girl Scouts from K-6th grade, I think I skipped one year. Why did I stop? Because it was dorky. And I say that in the most non-pejorative way possible. But, the fact of the matter is that a lot of 12 year old girls, myself included, aren't interested in being nature woman (the name we called my baby-popping, breast-feeding at the meetings, hippie wannabe leader). A little updating never hurt anything.

Yeah, "Studio 2B" is a name that's just trying too hard. But I think that if the focus is on girls developing into women, and developing friendships, that an update is needed. Popsicle stick crafts are not cool at 12 years old. Programs that appeal to the more tech-savy girls, and that are just not as corny would be a good thing in keeping people from leaving for the exact reasons I left.

I also have issues with the cookie selling, but that's another discussion all together...

I had some friends who were in girl scouts when they were younger, but dropped out as they got older. Why did they drop out? Their troop was boring. Sorry to be so blunt, but we all know those troops are out there and, unfortunately, probably outnumber the great troops.

I think that the enthusiasm and involvement of the leader is directly proportional to the enthusiasm and involvement of the girls. Honestly, my troop leaders were the best. They always managed to not only teach us how to work together, but always found topics that each of us loved.

Wow, I think this new plan is so silly sounding.

I was a Girl Scout through Brownies, but I had to quit simply because there wasn't an older troop in my area. I would have absolutely loved to continue, though, and even now envy people who got to go further in scouting. :(

I think this new plan sounds like they're pandering to the Britney generation. Really, the Boy Scouts still have plenty of membership, and they haven't had to come up with silly new names and abolish uniforms and badges.

My thoughts are this- they should emphasise opportunities for community service and leadership, since they can help with the whole college application process. They should also try to get rid of the whole "baking and sewing" image that I've always noticed people having. I really think the push for younger volunteers they're doing is GREAT...that is a step in the right direction. Maybe they should try to figure out what made Boy Scout's Eagle Scout rank so well known, and see if it might be possible to make the Gold Award more well known.

Well, that's my two cents. Of course, I don't really know much about scouting, but I think real, substantial changes in the way the program is run and public perception would be a bigger help than superficial changes like getting rid of badges and trying to sound "cool."

Not about badges
 

This isn't really about badges but I figured some of you ladies might enjoy reading it:

http://www.nytimes.com/2002/12/25/ny...COU.html?8hpib

-Rudey