Girl Scouts

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DiZent

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I was a Girl Scout when I was young & my daughter was a Girl Scout. I have heard a lot of talk lately about Girl Scouts supporting a gay agenda, contraception & abortion. People boycotting cookie sales, etc. My granddaughter recently joined Daisy Girl Scouts. I went to both the National & local Girl Scout websites & found nothing objectionable. I also checked the USCCB faq about Girl Scouting. Basically, the National organization says they have no opinion on these issues, but local councils might have some affiliation with local Planned Parenthood, etc. The World Association (WAGGGS) has several documents which support “reproductive rights” which is a known euphemism for contraception & abortion. A portion of the membership fee does go to WAGGGS, with no restrictions.
 
Hi DiZent,

Can you provide a little bit more clarification - is this a statement about the Girl Scouts or do you have a question? I will be curious to follow and contribute as my daughter is now coming of the age to look into the Scouts.
 
There have been many discussion on this…try the search feature to read those threads.
Basically, I have come to the conclusion that it depends on your local council.
A good parent will thoroughly investigate the parish chapter you plan on having your child participate in. Just like you would for any other group. In person. Meet the Leader. Ask your priest. Ask other parents. We had a troop at our parish that was run by decidedly Pro-Life and devout Catholic women. They had a good thing going. They ended up joining with another parish when the group got too big.
But I understand that not all troops are equal. Good luck in your research!
 
I believe from what I’ve heard on Catholic radio, it’s the association with WAGGS and what they represent.

My friend’s daughters are a part of American Heritage Girls and she really likes it.
 
Can you provide a little bit more clarification - is this a statement about the Girl Scouts or do you have a question? I will be curious to follow and contribute as my daughter is now coming of the age to look into the Scouts.
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I had some concern about my granddaughters because of what I had heard about Girl Scouts supporting the gay agenda, contraception & abortion and association with Planned Parenthood. When my daughter was in Girl Scouting, there was a controversy about allowing the girls use whatever expression for God they used in their homes (Creator, Allah, Jehovah, etc) when they said the Girl Scout Promise. The older girl program seemed to be very career oriented. I did not encounter any program materials that mentioned sexuality, sexual orientation, contraception, abortion, etc. My daughter quit after 7th grade & the Girl Scout program has been completely reorganized since then. I browsed the GSUSA site & the local council site. I did not find any objectionable content in the current program material, handbooks, badge requirements, journey booklets, etc.

The USCCB has provided an FAQ based on dialogue between GSUSA & the USCCB Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life & Youth (LMFLY)

usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/who-we-teach/youth/catholic-scouting-questions.cfm

National Catholic Committee for Girl Scouts & Camp Fire also provides information about the Religious Emblems programs & Patch series for Catholic Girl Scouts.

nccgscf.org/index.htm

NCCGSCF suggests a MOU between the Local GS council & the Diocese, and provides a sample.

So my conclusion is that Girl Scouts is a secular program that can be used in a Catholic setting. The program focus is on leadership and skills. Program enhancements such as the Religious Emblems & Patch programs provide opportunities for girls to explore & grow in their faith. Whether the Troop is sponsored by a secular organization or the parish, every effort should be made to have a Catholic parent on the Troop Committee as Religious Emblems Coordinator. Parents are encouraged to review any program materials used by the troop and get to know the troop leadership. I will not discourage my granddaughters from being Girl Scouts.
 
Rmac81 said:
I believe from what I’ve heard on Catholic radio, it’s the association with WAGGS and what they represent.

My friend’s daughters are a part of American Heritage Girls and she really likes it.
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We looked at AHG. There are very few AHG troops here, and little support for starting one.
 
To me, it is very sad that it has come to this. When I was a Girl Scout 45 years ago, it was about having fun and being a good person. We learned knitting, crochet and other crafts. We went camping and earned badges. Emphasis was placed on having a good moral character, helping others and doing good deeds.

Sexuality and reproduction did not enter the picture. We were 10 for heaven’s sake. I was too busy playing with my dolls to notice boys. I had never even heard of sex.

In those days education in such matters was best left to the parents.

Anyway, I applaud all of you for researching what your daughters are being taught and where membership dues and cookie money is going. I hope you find the answers you are looking for.

God bless you.
 
Brendan said:
Here is a link to the statement

usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/who-we-teach/youth/catholic-scouting-questions.cfm

It’s in a question and answer format, several answers and a few 'we’ll have to disagree"
resolutions.
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I am glad the USCCB has finally given some guidance in this matter. As to the OP, it sounds like so much is deferred to the local level that the best answers will depend on the specific troop, making sure they have nothing to do with PP or WAGGGS, and otherwise follow Catholic moral teaching.
 
DiZent said:
We looked at AHG. There are very few AHG troops here, and little support for starting one.
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We have 8 Catholic AHG troops in the Metro Detroit area. My girls are in AHG and they LOVE it.

My favorite part is that they are modeled after the BSA in that there is one troop with multiple squads ( like patrols or dens in the BSA). So all my girls are in the same troop, meet on the same night, in the same location, and do the same activities.

As a parent, that is a LOT easier to manage than each grade level being it’s own troop.

Plus, if there is a larger troop that has older girls, there are BSA style leadership opportunities… I am the Scoutmaster of a BSA troop, and if there are any questions on meeting agenda, upcoming activities, what badges are we going to work on etc… I simply direct that to the primary boy leader, the SPL (Senior Patrol Leader). My job is to drink coffee, drive and sign paperwork 😛 😉 AHG follows a very similar model of girl run, girl leadership.
 
Also, three years ago, the troop my girls are in created an “AHG Respect Life” patch that the girls can earn.

The do so by doing service projects for pregnancy centers, hosting pro-life prayer vigils, either at their parish , participating in LifeChain events, or yes, even in uniform in praying front of abortion mills, or visiting at hospice centers or nursing homes.

AHG national picked it up and established it throughout the entire organization

ahgonline.org/pages/page.asp?page_id=296027
 
There are only 3 AHG troops in the Baltimore/Washington area - none are nearby. There are several GS troops at my parish, so there is no interest in starting AHG there.
 
DiZent said:
I was a Girl Scout when I was young & my daughter was a Girl Scout. I have heard a lot of talk lately about Girl Scouts supporting a gay agenda, contraception & abortion. People boycotting cookie sales, etc. My granddaughter recently joined Daisy Girl Scouts. I went to both the National & local Girl Scout websites & found nothing objectionable. I also checked the USCCB faq about Girl Scouting. Basically, the National organization says they have no opinion on these issues, but local councils might have some affiliation with local Planned Parenthood, etc. The World Association (WAGGGS) has several documents which support “reproductive rights” which is a known euphemism for contraception & abortion. A portion of the membership fee does go to WAGGGS, with no restrictions.
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Well the girl scouts have turn their focus and money towards a political ajenda. They don’t seem to care about focusing on the girl anymore sadly. Everything I’ve read about them lately points to a hard core feminist point of view. They’ve been shutting down girl scout camps and programs in favor of supporting and contributing to political entities or parties. This is not what the founder intended. Back when I was a girl scout it was all about the girl and getting them active and teaching them about the environment and skills to improve life as well as activities like camping.
 
Luvz2travel said:
Well the girl scouts have turn their focus and money towards a political ajenda. They don’t seem to care about focusing on the girl anymore sadly. Everything I’ve read about them lately points to a hard core feminist point of view. They’ve been shutting down girl scout camps and programs in favor of supporting and contributing to political entities or parties. This is not what the founder intended. Back when I was a girl scout it was all about the girl and getting them active and teaching them about the environment and skills to improve life as well as activities like camping.
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I did not see evidence of this on the National or local site. Girl Scouting is strong in this area, and it is still about girls & camping & leadership, skills, environment & service. I will be looking for a Catholic sponsored troop for youngest granddaughter (she is 4 - we have a couple of years). We need one that meets in the evenings. I might just have to volunteer - LOL. Or start an AHG Troop.
 
DiZent said:
I was a Girl Scout when I was young & my daughter was a Girl Scout. I have heard a lot of talk lately about Girl Scouts supporting a gay agenda, contraception & abortion. People boycotting cookie sales, etc. My granddaughter recently joined Daisy Girl Scouts. I went to both the National & local Girl Scout websites & found nothing objectionable. I also checked the USCCB faq about Girl Scouting. Basically, the National organization says they have no opinion on these issues, but local councils might have some affiliation with local Planned Parenthood, etc. The World Association (WAGGGS) has several documents which support “reproductive rights” which is a known euphemism for contraception & abortion. A portion of the membership fee does go to WAGGGS, with no restrictions.
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The way it’s structured, IIRC, that contribution is so indirect that whatever cooperation with Planned Parenthood is almost certainly very remote, certainly much more than patronizing a business whose proprietor happens to be pro-abortion.

What you should do is to ask around, or better yet, ask the troop leaders or the priest (if it is a parish-based chapter). An individual chapter’s links to immoral schemes like Planned Parenthood is very chapter-dependent.

Which is basically what our bishops have said, more or less. I don’t think boycotting Girl Scout cookies, because of the way it’s set up, is advisable. It depends on the individual chapter, essentially. But people get worked up about these things, and fail to do deeper research, which leads to unwitting exaggeration.
 
Hi Diane-
Have you seen what was recently released by the Archdiocese of Kansas City and Archbishop Naumann? The statement lists many concerns and says that archdiocese is at an “impasse” with Girl Scouts and is encouraging families to look at alternatives. archkck.org/file/ecat-youth-documents/Girl-Scouts-in-the-Archdiocese2.pdf

The USCCB states that its resource you quoted is not meant to be exhaustive. usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/who-we-teach/youth/background-on-gsusa-and-usccb-conversations.cfm One thing the USCCB statement does not discuss in detail is the Girl Scout curriculum for girls which promotes to girls role models and organizations that advocate for same sex marriage and abortion rights (Gloria Steinem, Betty Freidan, Pauli Murray, WAGGGS, ACLU, Population Council, Amnesty International and others). Some changes have been made to the curriculum but many concerns remain.

This curriculum is promoted and sold by every council in the United States. Until the local Girl Scout councils stop promoting this objectionable material to girls, I will not support them nor fund them through cookie sales. The councils receive the lion-share of the profits from cookies sales. girlscouts.org/program/gs_cookies/faq.asp (At cookie time, I will support specific troops by donating a Hobby Lobby gift card for supplies but I am not supporting the Girl Scout corporate organization itself in any way.)

You might also check out Missouri Right to Life statement on the Girl Scouts which covers several pro-life issues with the Girl Scout organization and provides documentation with screenshots and page scans from the Girl Scout resources. missourilife.org/policies/girlscouts.html

We can do better for our Catholic girls and I’m so grateful to Archbishop Naumann for taking a stand. God bless you in your search for truth!
 
Thank you. I was not aware of any problematic content in the Journeys curriculum. I have contacted AHG & they are sending me a packet. AHG is expensive to start up. I was not aware of the Little Flowers - will check it out.
 
Really! The relationship of Girl Scouts to Planned Parenthood is SO distant, so remote. Here in Waco, the GS affiliate sponsored the Planned Parenthood summer sex ex program for 6 years running. This involved placing the Girl Scout name and logo on the promotional flyer. Then in 2003, this “oh-so-acceptable” GS council named Pam Smallwood as one of their 6 Women of Distinction to serve as a role model for Girl Scouts. Ms. Smallwood managed an abortion clinic that committed around 1000 abortions ever year. This is not an unsubstantiated internet rumor. See all the evidence at www.prolifewaco.com This council eventual cut ties with PP–only because of the huge controversy that erupted. Realistically, these Planned Parenthood entanglements represent the true “heart” of the GS leadership in the Waco area. Wake up Catholics and others!!! The truth about GS is not to be found on the GS website and in the GS public relations statements (damage control). For those who are willing to look at GS, read the heartfelt positions of good Catholic moms, see
www.mygirlscoutcouncil.com
www.100questionsforthegirlscouts.com
I doubt that any of the words written on these sites are statements of deception that should be acknowledged in the confessional.
 
My objection to GS is how they’re organized. You pay your dues, then they try to find a troop for you to join. If there are no troops in your area, tough luck but you don’t get your money back.

With BSA, you join a Pack/Troop directly. There’s no “take the money and run.”
 
on_the_hill said:
My objection to GS is how they’re organized. You pay your dues, then they try to find a troop for you to join. If there are no troops in your area, tough luck but you don’t get your money back.

With BSA, you join a Pack/Troop directly. There’s no “take the money and run.”
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I am shocked at this. Are you saying a girl cannot choose to join a specific group directly, like one within her Church without GSA approval?
 
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