[teenyelliott]

I let my oldest daughter join, and boy was I disappointed. It was nothing more than a glorified play group. They did nothing to benefit the community, they did nothing to teach manners or respect, and basically failed in every aspect, IMO.

They ARE NOT what they used to be!

My younger daughters will be joining 4-H.

[ninergold3]

"It was nothing more than a glorified play group"

That has nothing to do with Girl Scouts and everything to do with troop leader(s).

I started out with a troop of TWO girls. They were both very community minded and eager to be involved. Our favorite troop project was making preemie quilts for the Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford University. They got to meet the nurse who led the program, we got to tour the NICU and they learned so much. We were even written up in a local paper.

[SuziQ]

I let my oldest daughter join, and boy was I disappointed. It was nothing more than a glorified play group. They did nothing to benefit the community, they did nothing to teach manners or respect, and basically failed in every aspect, IMO.

Much of that depends on who the leaders are, and how much work they are willing to put into the group. The girls in my daughters troops were involved in groups that fed the homeless at local churches, town clean ups, and Council activities for the younger girls.

[GOP_Proud]

< They ARE NOT what they used to be!
My younger daughters will be joining 4-H. >

I have to shake my head at this one. Excellent club to belong to but I have to mention how appalled I was a couple of years ago when our local...(heck, maybe it was national)...group had to cease and desist using Indian terms as mottos and such under threat of lawsuit by "native Americans". I think the individual groups the kids join had "tribes" with Indian names and a lot of the fun camp stuff was heavily Indian based.

I laughed like crazy as my neice explained to me what they can do and what they can't do.

Excellent organization, otherwise. Just more stupid PC crap.