to think that it's unfair their aren't clubs solely for boys anymore?

[notterrysmine]

And if there are - please point them out to me.

My children are girly girls and boy boys. No intention on my part, but that is the way it is.

They adore each other, but their friends are of the same sex, they have chosen to go to same sex schools.

Now my girls have done girl guiding - very much for the girls and have thoroughly enjoyed it.

Now my son wants to do scouting, and in his particular group there are higher majority of girls and boys, he is not keen on continuing.

Even our boys brigade has girls and boys in it.

Girl guides are girls only with no equality issues - why can't there be boys only clubs?

AIBU?

As I say if there are boys only clubs please point them out to me.

[signet]

Sirzy, they could stop a boy from being a guide. They are protected under the sex discrimination act of 1986.

[taffetacat]

Football is segregated at our school. Both sexes are quite happy with this.

[pinkhebe]

is that all they do? I know that cubs was slightly like this because they are slightly restricted by being in a hall, but they camped every couple of months where they did more physical things like pot holing and absailing.

[southeastastra]

i was a girl guide and can now confidently light a fire in a storm off newquay

[Sirzy]

I didnt realise that about GGs

Part of the issue re activities could well be actually getting suitable leaders, especially those qualified to run the type of things your son wants. I know a lot of people are put of becoming youth leaders because of the bureaucracy now

[goingmadinthecountry]

My older 3 all go to single sex secondaries (the appropriate local state school so not really a choice).

Dd2 is now an explorer and ds a senior patrol leader. Brownies and guides wasn't for dd2 - round here they do very traditionally female activities. She loves canoeing, climbing, wide games, night hikes, sliding down hills on sledges in the snow. She also plays rugby (but single sex). She is a very girly girl - short skirts, very blonde - but scouts has been the best thing she and her brother ever did. They really benefit from having a mixed troop and now I'm thrilled they both have a mixed age, mixed school group of lovely friends.

Both of them have single sex D of E groups as they are run from school.

Dd3 is a Beaver - tried Rainbows but it really was rather dull in comparison. And a bit too twee if I'm honest.

[goingmadinthecountry]

Euphemia, dd and her friends definitely don't have their activities dominated by boys! However, there's always healthy competition....

[notterrysmine]

They have one weekend camp at Easter that we've not done yet.

I think it may be a case of seeing if we can find another, not exclusively male, but more male orientated.

Thinking about it more I think that's the issue - not girls being there, but in my and my son's mind, girls stopping the boys doing the boy activities.

Whereas if it was a case of this is what we are doing - abseiling/camp craft etc you coming or what, regardless of sex, that is what we are after.

[signet]

I agree with Euphemia. I think its insulting to say that guiding is watered down version of scouting. Our activities are just as exciting and diverse as in scouting.

[Pootles2010]

please can we stop saying that women leaders can only do feminine things, we're perfectly capable of getting our hands dirty...

[upahill]

This is something that I have pondered about.

The council that I work for have a lot of girl club youth clubs or young mums clubs but no male only clubs.

[Sirzy]

I'm a woman leader who will happily get my hands dirty so that certainly wasn't what I was implying!!

I don't think someones sex matters but what matters is what they want to do!! I think its great to give young people a chance to do anything (within reason!) your only young once so make the most of it!

[goingmadinthecountry]

Dd's Beaver leaders are all female, as is cub leader. Scouts have a great female leader too. She can pot hole, abseil and leap over canoes with the best of them. Having been involved in both as a leader and parent, there's a very different attitude in our local area between scouting and guiding. Must admit I left Rangers for the precursor of Explorers.

[Sirzy]

Dont forget for CP purposes organisations need to have a mix of male and female leaders.

[notterrysmine]

I think segregation is sometimes needed to enable the development in the children.

It has been proved many times that single sex schools help the children not having the distraction or being embarrassed of the opposite sex, and the same is true of external activities.

My dc have their siblings friends round at our house all the time so the opposite sex is not an unknown entity.

They travel for 2 hours a day to and from school with the opposite sex.

They socialise (school discos etc) with the opposite sex.

Neither side sees the opposite sex as the unknown.

[shongololo]

I second what pootles says! We are mainly female leaders but we are hard core scouters.

It is possible for a scout group to open an all male troop. As long as they also offer a mixed troop. However, the biggest problem is finding adults who are willing to put up with shit from ungrateful parents volunteer to run such a troop. Every group in the country has a shortage of adult helpers willing to take on the training and responsibility.

[TwoIfBySea]

YANBU, although equality and fairness should always play a part the girls already have Guides etc. Let the boys at least have one place left for them alone!

My dts can't go to Cubs, there are no spaces left - unfortunately limited spaces taken by girls. Yet there are Guides in the same building. So my dts miss out because someone wants to make a point.

Great.

There should be single sex clubs, mixed clubs and a whole variety of things. I hate that people are so po-faced about insisting that girls get to join everything and hell to anyone who dares say otherwise!

(And I say this as someone who wasn't allowed to join the Guides so ended up going to Scouts to "help out" my next door neighbour who was Tic Tac!)

[notterrysmine]

Upahill and what is the reasoning for girls having clubs that boys can't attend?

Genunie question not antagonistic (hate text can be read wrong)

And why can't the same apply opposite way for boys?

[Sirzy]

It's not about girls "taking up spaces" in cadets, it's about them wanting to be there. Joining atc had no appeal to me but I did get to work very closely with them and can safely say the girls loved it as much as the boys and got as much from it as the boys so why shouldnt they be there?

[pinkhebe]

Absolutely, the female leaders are great at the scouting stuff, but for my 10yo it's great that he has a male leader as throughout his schooling he has only had female teachers, even his football coach was a girl (and a great footballer) but it's nice now for him to have another positive male role model in his life.

I'm suprised that boys aren't allowed to join guides though, doesn't sound very fair

[upahill]

It was something to do with boys previously being over represented with clubs.
Boys were in the majority that turned up for youth club sessions and when research was done it was found that girls were put off attending such sessions so to redress this they offered girl only sessions.

This was in the late 80's early 90's. However it is felt that things have gone to far in favour of girls and there was talks of having some boys only sessions (as well as the open sessions where anyone within the permitted age range can attend) However with local authority budgets it will be amazing if any of the sessions survive after the end of March.

Both boys and girls are actively encouraged to take part in the D of E, adventure clubs, generic youth clubs, youth forums, mountain clubs,mountain biking groups, etc within the council

[goingmadinthecountry]

We're definitely not making a point sending (or rather dds choosing) to go to scouts. I resent that attitude. Our troop actually has loads of leaders - all due to the inspirational guy who's in charge I'm sure. Explorer leader is female.