Recently, the Boy Scouts of America announced they will soon be allowing girls to join their organization. Feminists nationwide are celebrating their newly gained “girl power” this new decision has brought, but is allowing girls to participate in Boy Scouts a decision that will overall benefit young girls and boys? And is it even slightly agreed upon? Absolutely not.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m a feminist myself. I’m all for equality and women getting the same treatment and respect as men, but in this situation I believe Boy Scouts is called Boy Scouts for a reason. It was simply made for just boys. Co-ed scouts brings up many safety concerns. It has to be noted that not only young boys are members of the Boy Scouts, but you can be up to 18. You can also be of any age to become a leader. There has been no allowance of female leaders to tag along with female members, and this could become a great issue when camping and overnight activities come to play, which is something Boy Scouts is fairly well known for.

Why become a Boy Scout to camp when you can do it as a Girl Scout? One of the biggest pieces of controversy going around is that the Boy Scouts has more to offer than Girl Scouts does. Girl Scouts actually offers the same amount of opportunities, if not more. Outdoor and physical activities are optional for extra badges, but are not required for ranking up like the Boy Scouts. There are also more leadership skills for girls to pick up and hang onto. The Girl Scout organization actually feels quite criticized, as if their leadership isn’t enough for the girls. It has been said that the decision undermines the Girl Scouts, and all that they do and have to offer.

I was a Girl Scout for six years and a junior leader for two, and I can fully back up everything their organization is saying. They do and provide more than enough for girls across America. If anything, maybe boys should be joining Girl Scouts and learning everything they have to offer. A small poll was done on young adults to see which oath was more in line with the values of Americans, and of course, over 90 percent of people said Girl Scouts oath was somewhat to very important while the Boy Scouts numbers sat around 80 percent. Where would you want your daughter?

There are currently 2.6 million registered Girl Scouts and roughly over 2 million Boy Scouts in America. The parents have spoken, and so have the numbers. Not only do those numbers tower over, but cookie sales do tremendously better than popcorn sales. Girl Scouts must just be taught the right skills; Boy Scouts seem to be in dire need of the Girl Scouts this time around. But what does your child or even future children need? Who is really benefitting from this decision to combine these kids?

We need to be looking out for these future generations and what is going to be in their best interest. Parents that really want their children participating in co-ed scouting would know all about Venturer Scouting. This is a scouting program specifically designed for boys and girls, and it all started in the 1930s. Better yet, it’s also a branch of the Boy Scouts; this is one of many. There are also other co-ed scouting programs the Boy Scouts have to offer, such as STEM Scouting, Navigators USA, and Spiral Scouts International.

So why is America trying so hard to fix something that’s not broken? The equality between the two organizations already exists, and the kids alongside their leaders keep them working well, together. The Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts of America are over 100 year old traditions that Americans of all ages are able to enjoy. Let’s keep all of the hard work million of girls and boys across the nation have kept going for all these years for future generations to enjoy.