Girls in Scouting - When did it all begin blog post

When did Girls first start Scouting?

Scouting members will have noticed over the past couple of decades that girls in scouting has grown rapidly. In 2011 finally more girls were joining than boys.

Scouters have suggested that the date it all changed was in 1967 when the Scout association had a review of the movement known as the Advanced Party Report. The Senior Scout section was dropped and Venture scouting was introduced for 16-21 year old's and Ventures and Ranger Guides met together. Some have suggested it was in the late 1970s that the Venture section became coeducational.

Newer scouters will remember when in 1989/1990 Girls were finally allowed into all Sections and by 2007 all groups (with some exceptions) had to have girls . The rest is history I hear you say

Not Quite

Let me take you back to 1899 when our founder Baden Powell was in the Army fighting in the Boar War in South Africa. Baden Powell found himself and his men, trapped and surrounded in a little town called Mafeking. The struggle to defend this little town for 217 days was in every newspaper in England, capturing the imagination and inspiring young and old. During this siege of Mafeking Baden Powell managed to despatch the final draft of his book Scouting for non-commissioned officers from behind enemy lines, a book designed to instruct the army in the art of Scouting.

When Baden Powell returned to England he found the book had an additional audience, young people wanting to copy Scouting and joining with friends to practice what Baden Powell had written. We all know about Brownsea Island and the experimental camp of August 1907, we all know the first six parts of Scouting for boys were published between January and March 1908 ..

So, when did girls start scouting, have a look at the letter below, sent on the 21st March 1908 by Baden Powell, I have typed the text alongside in case you have difficulty with his handwriting..

Miss May Jones,

I am glad to hear you are taking up scouting. I think there can be girl scouts just as well as boy scouts, and hope you will form a patrol, and let us know as yours will be the first girl scout patrol.

You can work on just the same lines as the boys, and so need not do much more dusting and sewing than they, although a little of both are often necessary for a scout.

Wishing you all success.

Yours truly Baden Powell

Just think about this letter for a second, this was written before the girl guides were introduced in 1910 and yet in march 1908 Baden Powell was suggesting, encouraging an all-girl patrol, and to add to this amazing letter here is a picture of the patrol the letter refers to.