Sometimes these pieces are somewhat long...perhaps I now have a short attention span...I was a proud Boy Scout in Glasgow in the early 1960's...a very fine experience...took me to Ireland...different parts of Scotland...good skill set learnt...but alas things change...Good Planet Earth is becoming like a lunatic asylum...with the lunatics in charge...reasonable...rational ...logical ..thought sacrificed to the alter of new age nonsense...
The Scouts became too big and too unwieldy. When you start living by the corporate dollar, you will die by the corporate dollar. Same thing with donations - the big donor will always be the boss. People forget the purpose of something and then they think they are the purpose of it - and I guess that's the way its always been. Also, there seems to be a kind of design to this that followed the old-school 'personnel dept' becoming 'human resources'.
There are certainly many benefits to sex-segregated Scouts, and I don't doubt the unfortunate developments that led to opening BSA to girls. Just wanted to note that the here in Israel the Scouts have been co-ed since their founding in 1919, including Jewish religious, Muslim and Christian troops. No lack of patriotism or masculinity in Israel, so *if done right* loss of those qualities need not be an outcome of integration. Most Israel Scouts go on to serve their communities and country in different ways including challenging military service.
One big difference vs US Scouts is that parents do not play any role in the troop. So no hovering moms or dads. Leaders are generally young adults who have been long-time Scouts themselves, and are upstanding examples of Scout values. Teenage Scouts lead the equivalent of Cub Scouts. So they learn to be leaders and self-sufficient from a young age.
Sometimes these pieces are somewhat long...perhaps I now have a short attention span...I was a proud Boy Scout in Glasgow in the early 1960's...a very fine experience...took me to Ireland...different parts of Scotland...good skill set learnt...but alas things change...Good Planet Earth is becoming like a lunatic asylum...with the lunatics in charge...reasonable...rational ...logical ..thought sacrificed to the alter of new age nonsense...
The Scouts became too big and too unwieldy. When you start living by the corporate dollar, you will die by the corporate dollar. Same thing with donations - the big donor will always be the boss. People forget the purpose of something and then they think they are the purpose of it - and I guess that's the way its always been. Also, there seems to be a kind of design to this that followed the old-school 'personnel dept' becoming 'human resources'.
There are certainly many benefits to sex-segregated Scouts, and I don't doubt the unfortunate developments that led to opening BSA to girls. Just wanted to note that the here in Israel the Scouts have been co-ed since their founding in 1919, including Jewish religious, Muslim and Christian troops. No lack of patriotism or masculinity in Israel, so *if done right* loss of those qualities need not be an outcome of integration. Most Israel Scouts go on to serve their communities and country in different ways including challenging military service.
One big difference vs US Scouts is that parents do not play any role in the troop. So no hovering moms or dads. Leaders are generally young adults who have been long-time Scouts themselves, and are upstanding examples of Scout values. Teenage Scouts lead the equivalent of Cub Scouts. So they learn to be leaders and self-sufficient from a young age.