Starting in February 2019 girls will be allowed to join the Boy Scout portion of scouting, which will be called Scouts BSA. We have been discussing this since the announcement last year, and with the full support of Arapaho United Methodist Church and our troop committee, we are planning to start a troop for girls next month.
What is NOT changing:
- Our boys’ troop will continue to operate as-is
- Scouts BSA will NOT be coed; there will be a separate troop for the girls
- The ideals of scouting, as spelled out in the scout oath and scout law
- The scouting program will still build character, teach citizenship/leadership skills, and encourage physical/mental fitness in an outdoor setting with lots of camping and high adventure opportunities
- Advancement requirements will stay the same
What is changing:
- Girls will be allowed to join Scouts and form their own troop with a separate Scoutmaster and leadership structure
- Our girls' troop with be designated as Troop 444-G
- T444-G will operate separately, but under the guidance of a single troop committee. This structure will allow the girls' troop to leverage the experience of our established committee and have the best chance at a successful start
- All troop activities will be separate with the exceptions of opening/closing flag ceremonies and courts of honor
- Our committee will evaluate the best use of resources as the girls’ troop forms, operates, and grows
- There will likely be some camp-outs that both troops attend. These will be the ones that are difficult to set-up or require specific adult training such as shooting, climbing, or watersports. In these cases, the troops will camp separately and participate in activities at different times or in different groups.
This will be a learning process for us all as we stand up the new troop. I appreciate everyone’s support as we start this new chapter in scouting.
For more information about Scouts BSA:
Troop 444-G Information Session
Can each of you please:
- Share this information with your scouts and let me know if you or they have any more questions, and
- Thoughtfully consider whether you know someone who might be interested (spouse, daughter, friend, neighbor, co-worker, etc) in learning more about our girl troop
- Send me a message with contact information of anyone interested (you can send me an email by clicking on my name below)
Thank you,
Kyle Donovan
Troop 444 Committee Chair