Quoted By:
Fellow Sc/out/s of the USA.
Don't make the same mistake we made here in Canada. Letting girls in was a terrible idea.
In the late 90's we made our organization officially coed. Unlike in the USA we have a very strong relationship with the Girl Guides, however we wanted to increase our waning membership, and the easy way was to allow in girls.
Unlike how you are rolling it out, we let girls into all groups. We didn't split them into boy/girl troops or patrols.
I've been a leader since 2009 (I started scouts in 1999 as a cub). What I've noticed is that girls will attract all the beta orbiters, and completely ruin the fraternal dynamic Scouts provides to lads. Additionally they do all the work, and take important learning opportunities from the boys.
The group I lead is an all boys group. We do this against the national guidelines, but keep good enough relations with commissioners that we sneak by. When we do competition camps against mixed patrols we are always at an advantage. This is because our boys have had the chance to learn how to work without having female influences on their behavior.
That said, I do think there should be mixed groups available for those who want them. But boys NEED a place to be boys.
