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Our Boy Scouts are certainly careful about safety, but I haven't heard of any activities being banned. Ours do canoeing, archery, shooting, rock climbing (when they're older) and all that. The Girl Scouts have more limits than the boys, but our family does shooting sports privately, anyway.

I think the Scouts (boys or girls) should avoid anything to do with sex. Both boys and girls should have an environment where they don't have to deal with that, but can just be kids. Anything to do with "personal relationships" belongs in the family, not an organization setting.

The alternative view, however, is that since many families neglect to raise their children with the information they need, and with productive values, institutions have to fill the gap. There's some truth to this ... certainly among the older Girl Scouts (my oldest is 12), I see some very needy girls with no good role models in their families. A Girl Scout leader who teaches them to respect themselves and to be focussed on their goals may be all they have.

I'm an old woodbadger who has been out of scouting for a few years, but have been involved a little on the council level recently. BSA has a group called Venture Scouts for high school age kids. It is coed. Thought some of you with daughters might like to check it out.