Cub Scout Pack 220 was chosen as a pilot to allow girls to join
Washington Township Cub Scouts Pack 220 has recently been chosen as a pilot to allow girls to join the organization. But, according to pack committee chair John Colligan — it’s not necessarily out of the ordinary.
“In essence, Boy Scouts of America has had programs for girls for 30 years. Girls could join our Friendship Program, our Explorers Program, they’ve got a new program called STEM Scouts, which girls could join,” Colligan, who also serves on a membership committee, said.
“A lot of girls were saying, ‘we want to get our Eagle,’ or, even in our pack, we had siblings who’d want to come. The girls would see it and want to participate, and we had what was unofficially called a ‘tagalong day,’ which is [for] all the siblings. So, we’ve had girls participating in our pack — but not able to earn the ranks or anything — for 30 years.”
So far, roughly 60 girls and parents expressed interest. About 10 registered online, and, according to Colligan, the goal this year is to have about 15 to 20 girls join.
“Parents, I think, are interested for two reasons. First of all, running your daughter to Girl Scouts and your son to Cub Scouts, or Boy Scouts, and having different events and different fundraisers and all that stuff, was difficult on some families,” Colligan said. “This’ll make it easier.”
While Colligan joked that “little boys hate little girls,” the boys are generally used to having their sisters and other girls present, so it’s not a significant change for them to deal with.
“We had one girl in our pack who would’ve joined if she could’ve — she came to every event, she did everything the boys did, she was better at it than most of the boys,” Colligan said. “But, she went to Girl Scouts because that’s all there was then.”
Because the girls already have been participating in the activities, Colligan said they don’t plan on changing their regimen.
“We don’t see a need for change, because the girls who participated with us have always been fully able to participate — except the ranks and the awards. Now, they can,” Colligan said.
The girls were invited to attend the pack’s recent Pinewood Derby, but the first official event they can attend will be the upcoming meeting on March 9.
Colligan said he doesn’t feel this will ultimately take girls away from Girl Scouts because the programs are different. Therefore, girls will be able to join whichever organization better suits their wants and needs.
Colligan mentioned there are a few differences between the two — such as size, opportunity and focus.
“I’m not an expert on Girl Scouts, but from what I can tell, it’s a lot different than I thought before I began researching it,” Colligan said. “First of all, Girl Scout troops tend to be smaller, usually six to 12 girls, whereas Cub Scout packs and Boy Scout troops tend to be larger. And with a larger organization, you can do more. For instance, we do a bus trip to Washington, D.C., because we have 70 boys — so we can afford to get a bus. A Girl Scout troop with 10 girls can’t do that.”
Colligan said while Girl Scouts focuses a lot on women empowerment, Boy Scouts focuses more on leadership and building self-confidence. He also noted Boy Scouts is more hierarchical, which gives Scouts national-level opportunities beyond just the local unit levels.
Additionally, they now have a chance to earn the well-known Eagle award, which, according to Colligan, will be an opportunity for girls to improve their college resumes, help with scholarships and college admission overall.
For more information on joining Township Cub Scouts, visit www.townshipcubscouts.com.
