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I think that the Girl Scouts should include all of the same advantages for girls as the boy scouts do for the boys, but not that the Boy Scouts should be forced to include girls. However, I do believe a coed version of the organization does exist for parents who do want a coed environment (and there are always 4H and other coed organizations to choose from).

It is beneficial for young girls to get a chance to be themselves, without boys around, and boys benefit from the same thing. Young girls in the Girl Scouts can excel under female leadership and encouragement and young boys in the scouts benefit from similar 'male-bonding' moments. The division also provides opportunity to cover topics in a fashion unique to each gender when needed. Many children already have a coed school environment and being in a scout group that is gender specific may be the only opportunity for gender specific bonding that they have - especially in this age of increasing single-parent families and of children being raised by their grandparent(s).

Having scouting go coed completely also raises some issues for overnight camping and other such traditional events as well...Depending on the age of the group, having the opposite sex around can be very distracting to the lessons the scouts want to accomplish for both young women and young men. I was a 4-Her and not a Scout at all. I know that many youngsters who attended 4-H camp were more interested in meeting a new girlfriend or boyfriend than they were in arts and crafts or canoing. I'm sure a coed scout camp would be no different.

As long as the Girl Scouts maintain the same advantages,offer similar activities, and perhaps cooperate in a few coed activities with the Boy Scouts - I think the Boy Scouts should remain for boys only.

Learn more about this author, Suzanne Wesley.
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