no more girl scout badges?

[FuzzieAlum]

I work with a Girl Scout troop and I heard this weekend that badges are going to be phased out for Cadettes and Seniors and replaced with charm bracelets. The concept is the same (you work toward knowledge in specific areas), just the symbol you get for it is different.

I guess girls in high school and junior high feel like big dorks wearing badges, and it makes sense to make the change if that's keeping girls from staying active.

Still, it makes me sad. Badges have been a part of Girl Scouting from practically the beginning, and I loved earning them as a junior (never made it beyond for reasons that are beyond the scope of this post). But it's just nostalgia ... Girl Scouts has always done a terrific job of updating itself with the times without losing its core values or diluting its program, and this is another example.

I don't see anything about this on the national Girl Scouting site, though. Has anyone else out there heard anything about this?