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1993-03-09
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The Co-ed Option
What Will It Mean to Me?
After a trial two years when girls joined some colonies, packs, and
troops on the approval of provincial commissioners, Scouts Canada has
opened its doors to female membership in all sections. At its annual
meeting on November 21, 1992, National Council approved the motion that:
Scouts Canada "is a co-ed organization based on the following basic
principles:
a. co-ed Scouting is to be an option. Boys-only Scouting remains
equally valid;
b. decision-making on co-ed membership is to be a section/group
based matter including the sponsor's approval."
With this historic decision in response to the changing needs and
expectations in our society, Scouts Canada joins a growing number of co-
educational Scouting associations around the world. Many European
associations have been mixed for over 20 years. The United Kingdom Scout
Association and the Scout Association of Australia became co-ed in 1991.
But what does it mean here and now for you? Will it affect how you
operate your group or section? We've tried to anticipate some immediate
questions you might have and to provide some of the answers.
Do we have to accept girls who ask to join our group?
No. The sponsor, after consulting the group, decides if they will open
sections to girls. If they choose to remain boys-only, Scouts Canada will
do its best to find a co-ed group for girls who apply to your group.
What do we need to do if our group becomes co-ed?
Have the group committee discuss it with your commissioner and your
sponsor. If your sponsor agrees, talk with your adult and youth members
and parents. To open your group to girls, you need the approval of your
sponsor in consultation with the group committee and all sections of the
group. "Approval" means that your sponsor and adult and youth members
clearly support the change.
Can we open only one of our sections to girls?
You may start that way, but the group must ensure that all of its members
can progress through Scouting. If there are girls in the colony, there
must be a pack for them to join at swim-up time. If a pack is open to
girls and the group has a troop, the troop must be open to them to enable
them to continue in Scouting.
So it means the whole group has to be co-ed?
Not necessarily. Where there are numbers and demand, some groups may
choose to establish A and B sections, designating colony/pack/troop A co-ed
and the corresponding B section boys-only, for example.
Can we form a girls-only section?
The intent is that groups will be co-ed. If, over time, a co-ed section
becomes girls-only, it may continue to operate, with the understanding that
it will actively recruit both girls and boys as new members.
Will we have to have female members if we go co-ed?
Scouts Canada strongly encourages mixed leadership in all sections with
mixed membership.
Will program requirements change?
No. In pack and troop, requirements for the progressive award scheme and
proficiency badges apply to all youth members. The National Program
Committee will continue to examine all programs during regular cyclical
reviews and adjust them as required to keep them relevant and up-to-date.
Will I have to change how I run my program?
Scouting's programs are equally suited to boys and girls. In all sections,
the important thing is to stay flexible and plan programs to meet the
members' needs. Scouting's method of working with small groups won't
change. Your co-ed section can decide to operate either with single-sex
lodges, sixes, or patrols or with mixed lodges/sixes/patrols. If at all
possible, it's just common sense to make sure you don't place only one girl
or one boy in a small group. And you will want to make sure Cubs and
Scouts of both sexes have representatives at Sixers' Meetings and on the
Court of Honour.
What about camps and overnighters?
Mixed groups will need to make appropriate arrangements for sleeping and
washroom/changing rooms so that both girls and boys have adequate privacy.
Again, Scouts Canada strongly encourages mixed leadership for outings of
mixed groups. The parents and group committee members or other suitable
adults can help Section Scouters meet these requirements.
Will uniforms change?
No but, in future, the uniform will be made in sizes and styles that will
properly fit young girls.
What about insurance?
Existing Scouts Canada insurance policies cover all members.
Well, that's a start. Because every group has different needs and
works under different situations, we realize we may not have covered all
the bases. If you still have questions about now things will work now that
the co-ed option is part of Canadian Scouting, please let us know. We will
do our best to find the answers.
[from The Canadian Leader magazine, January 1993]