Were you ever in the Girl/Boy Scouts?

[notoppings]

Just trying to get an idea if any one here was in the Scouts or 4-H, FFA, CYA or any kind of youth group. Did you go because you wanted to or was it something that your parents thought would be good for you? Did you have any fun or have an interesting story about it? Do you feel that you could have used that time better?

Since I grew up in a rural setting I was in 4-H and FFA, I enjoyed most of the activities and really enjoyed the summer camps, it was something I looked forward to every year, the whole no parents and tribes of kids running around like little heathens, was great.

The FFA was OK too, although having to go to the slaughter house when I was 7 years old wasn't the greatest.

[yondyr]

Girl Guides as it was called in uk. Always acutely aware I wasn't trusted as a leader, having radical thoughts that sometimes slipped out.

[azelismia]

I was a brownie because my mother thought I should be. I led the pacific northwest in cookie sales though. Apparently I was a very cute kid. I never progressed beyond browniedom though as I found it boring.

[HackerX]

Cub Scout -> Scout -> Venturer here

[Vivid]

I was in Girl Scouts for a short period of time. I found myself extremely uncomfortable with the closeness and singing.
I was in 4H as well, but I really dislike animals.
And I was banned from every camp I attended. O.o

I think it's better to just be alone and study or something.

[Homini Lupus]

I have been from 12 to 22 years old, in the AGESCI, the italian catholic one. I found it both suffocating and intersting.
Suffocating because you have things to be done that way intead of the other, because the bosses almost never agreed with my interpretations of the rules of the games (being not so phisically good I had to resort to unexpected strategies, but I didn't want to cheat) because if they see you pass most of the time with the same people they try to change this behaviour.
The good side of the coin is that it was the first occasion to go around outside of my family, I had to develop basic social skills (because in a team you have to deal also with people you don't like), I had friends, I could do a lot of open air activities, I had to rely on the skills and decisions of our team (we were considered the most lazy and unthrustworthy one; we were the team of the bad apples; and even if people didn't want to be good and clean and nice, we were receptive of important things) and I could get the catechists mad with my questions.
And most important than all, there were girls.

After "boy scouts", growing up, we became "rovers". From that point it all becomes more spiritual, but I was lucky since the boss was more interested in philosophy than mysticism so we spent a lot of time discussing religious problems instead of praying. We still had open air activities, but they relied much more on long hours of walking with quite a load on your shoulders. Despite the phisical strain, it can be fascinating: everything, also talk, becomes more essential since you don't have much to spend, in terms of weight and talk.

I then tried to become a boss myself but it simply didn't work and the staff was far from supportive; since they weren't supporting me and they were turning every meeting into a quaestio session, I got away.

[Lupin]

I remember being a rather fat brownie (too many brownies??? hee, hee) and absolutely hating brownie camp where I had to spend time with other brownies (!).

Clearly, it wasn't going to work (neither the joy of meeting other brownies nor for improving my liking of the colour brown... :). The only saving grace was the chance to win badges....now this was worth the sacrifice! I as in the Imps and very proud....(excellent matching of personality with team name).

However, after a yearsor so and despite whimpering protests, I also ended up being dragged into the Girl Guides (yet another opportunity to feel miserable but in blue this time). I lasted 3 weeks I think, an eternity at 10 or 11 years old.

Clearly these were formative times hence organised groups run by touchy feely types remain anathema. Just a personal view :).

[yondyr]

oh god, another imp :))

[Lupin]

Well hello. Imps of the world unite!


(don't know how you got through it but it was God awful......and I remember my uniform always being too short....hate that!).

[Mogura]

I tried joining the Brownies so I could go to summer camp and do the slumber party thing, but they wouldn't let me in so I ended up in the Cub Scouts instead.

Cub Scouts was OK. Most of what I recall is half-assing the assorted required activities so I could get my badges. Quantity of quality was my motto. The thing I remember most about Cub Scouts was the Pinewood Derby, which I won one year. That was cool...

My brief stint in the Cub Scouts ended when I started playing soccer.

[Danisty]

I was in Girl Scouts and had a great time, but I think there are probably two key reasons for that. First was that my parents were the leaders of our Girl Scout troop. They didn't tolerate any bullshit which was really nice. The second is that I'm in Savannah and, as most Girl Scouts would know, this is the birthplace of Juliette Gordon Low who founded Girl Scouts. We have Camp Low here, so it was a lot more fun since we had all the historical stuff to do.

[ThaiGreenTea]

I was in Cub Scouts. Never liked it, not the food we got, not the games we played, not the phrases we had to memorize, etc... I actually tried very strongly not to go every Wednesday we had to meet.

I was in Boy Scouts. It was a mixed experience. Earning badges was essentially schoolwork, we managed to accomplish nothing at meetings, too many formalities restricted our functionality, etc. One thing I loved though was camping. That was incredibly fun. Even though we Boyscouts had to do so much work, it was awesome hanging out with my friends, making spears, playing CTF on hills, being the best at CTF [I'm fast and sneaky!), hanging out near the campfire at night, enjoying the politics of distributing my Tabasco sauce [best friends get priority], running on the dirt roads to get to class on time, playing makeshift games [throw wooden blocks at wooden blocks], playing in the creek...

The only thing I hated about camp was swimming in the mucky lake. That was disgusting. Also, the sand inbetween my toes drove me nuts.

[OneBadMother]

I was a Brownie for about a month in third grade. I think that it was one of those things my parents signed me up for. Aside from the cookies, I thought Boy Scouts was more interesting, though my opinion was influenced by the idea that they got pocket knives. Still, making spears sounds kind of awesome.

[Double Victory]

I was a Girl Scout for twelve years--kindergarten through senior year of high school. I loved it. Our troop leader was my best friend's mom, and the assistant troop leaders were my mom and my other close friends' moms. My troop was large when I was really young, but as we all got older, it eventually got down to under ten people, the primary six being me and my five "best friends". It's definitely one of the best things that has ever happened to me, because of the five friends that I made out of it. We're all overachievers who have been friends since early elementary school, and we share this incredible bond that's completely different from any other friendship I've ever had. We're more like a family than anything else.

We did a lot of fun stuff too, like camping, rock climbing, and skiing. It was a really good experience for me.

[Synamon]

I was a Pixie and loved the camping, really hated the uniform especially the tam and the scarf. I was always in trouble, would never follow rules, in fact I was always making my own. I don't remember if they kicked me out or I lost interest and just quit going.

[Chisos]

Boy Scout (actully, Eagle Scout); FFA (Star Greenhand); 4-H.

I grew up in the country 20 miles from everywhere, so the 4-H/FFA stuff just sort of happened. I was not tremendously active in either, other than showing lambs each year at the stock show. We raised registered Rambouillet (sp?--too lazy to look it up) sheep, so I always placed high with fine wool, and fine wool cross, lambs.

I got the Star Greenhand for the first year--9th grade--and only year I was in FFA. I made very high grades, got first place in the county stock show with my lambs, was active in a lot of extracurricular school activities, etc.--and just about everyone else in FFA was a low achiever/redneck. So, the competition was slim

Scouts was a different deal. I lived, breathed, and dreamed Scouting, and consider it one of the best things that I could have been involved in.

Granted, that was a long time ago (early '70s).

I loved Scouting. We did lots of outdoor stuff, backpacking, etc. Summer camp for 4 years at Camp Billy Gibbons (no, it was not the Z.Z. Top dude), and a 2 week trip to Philmont--fond memories from those days. Being the Eagle Scout from our District who was chosed to go to Austin and meet the Texas Governor that year at the annual Scout report to the State.

Wow, I'd almost forgotten about that last deal.

[Mittens]

I was in Girl Scouts (Daisies and then Brownies) for, I don't know how long, but I was eight when I quit. My mom was going back to work full time, so I used that as an excuse to quit (even though like 3 different people offered to drive me to meetings), but really I hated the crafts and singing and driving places in a really crowded minivan with the really intrusive leader.

[bladeserver]

I lasted two weeks and I gave my parents a half assed ultimatum that I would run away if they tried to force me to go. I hated wearing the uniform, being told what to do and the boring things we had to do. As i grew up in a tough urban neighborhood wearing the uniform was also like wearing a sign that said beat the crap out of me. Self preservation has always been important ;) .

[Erika Redmark]

When I was in third or fourth grade, all my friends were Girl Scouts. My parents wouldn't let me–I don't know why. I remember a week or two in particular one fall when it was cookie-ordering time and all my Girl Scout friends did nothing during recess but hit up teachers and staff people for cookie orders. I felt so left out…I think that was when I started trying to play soccer on the field with the sports jocks, and invariably making a fool of myself. XD

[Arcani]

I was a cub scout up through Webelos. Then I just couldn't stand my scout troupe anymore, I told my parents and they respected my decision to quit.

Looking back now I sometimes regret that decision. Some of my friends, my longest and closest friends, stayed with it and advanced to Eagle Scouts. They have had experiences which I'm somewhat envious of, but there's not much I can do about it now.

Overall, I think it's a good thing I left, my interest in scouting was and still is passing. I think quitting gave me opportunity to develop in fields that interest me more (then and now). Don't get me wrong, I agree with much of what Boy Scouts stands for, it just couldn't hold my interest for long.