The stars silently twinkle above while the fire crackles and pops. The soft sound of young girls’ voices fill the air. And if you're lucky enough, you have melted chocolate and gooey marshmallow all over your face.
This is what the last night of camp looks like for many Girl Scouts around the U.S.
Summer camp was a warm-weather staple for countless girls across the country, myself included. There was just something about being out in the middle of nowhere with a bunch of other girls your age, and you didn’t have a care in the world other than what time archery practice was or what they were serving for dinner.
There is no possible way for me to count all of the reasons that going away to summer camp has enriched my life. I learned how to surf, even if I wasn’t the best at it. I learned how to make a fire and cook a full meal on it. I learned how to survive without some of the amenities most girls take for granted.
Camp Elliot, the camp I frequented most as a camper and where I was a junior counselor at, held some of my fondest memories of Girl Scouting. It will always hold a special place in my heart. It was where I was challenged. It was where I was welcomed with open arms. It was where I felt safe and adventurous at the same time. It was my summer home away from home.
But sometimes those childhood memories and feelings become the only things you have left to hold onto. Girl Scouts in western Pa. recently found out that many of their beloved camps,including Camp Elliot, were closing, and the camps that remained open would have a new camp structure. When I heard about this, I did not want to believe it. I still don’t think I have fully comes to terms with this news.
To make matters worse, western Pa. Girl Scouts are not the only scouts who are affected. Over the last few years, more than 200 camps in 30 states have been put up for sale. These camps are about a third of the current Girl Scout camps nationwide. And the reason for these sales? The bottom line. An article on the Daily Beast quotes Susan Brooks, CEO of Girl Scouts Heart of NJ, stating the reason for their local camp closures was a way to “pay pensions.” Since making this comment to a concerned parent, Brooks has resigned from her position as CEO.
I do realize that Girl Scouts as a whole is a business, but something has to be done about this. Someone’s paycheck should NOT be the reason why countless girls should miss out on a once in a lifetime experience. Now I’m sure this isn’t the reason for all of the camp closures across the country, but it sure doesn’t help the sting that many past and present campers nationwide are feeling.
Here is an excerpt from the Daily Beast about how Girl Scout USA (GSUSA) is reacting to the situation:
GSUSA won’t intervene nor will it comment on the legal battles being fought over camps and protocol. “They’re their own 501(c)3s, we don’t have any say. We can offer advice,” says GSUSA media manager Michelle Tompkins But they can’t comment on the members that refuse to go gently into that campfire-smoke-tinged good night: “In most cases it seems like the people who are complaining were a little late to the party.”
Members—both young and old—say they weren’t late to the party, they simply weren’t invited. “It’s about honesty, it’s about democracy, it’s about where this organization is going,” says Ohio’s Richardson. Tompkins does concede that some cases “are not to be taken lightly… we know that we’re dealing with people’s memories.”
GSUSA frequently frames the camp supporters’ motivation as nostalgia. “As much as I understand and have a sympathetic ear to ‘we want it the way it was when I was a child,’ it’s not
possible,” says Mark Allsup, a GSUSA land consultant. “We cannot stay open under those circumstances, because the rules and regulations are constantly evolving.”
He cites stricter compliance for things such as sprinkler systems. When asked if regulatory compliance was the primary financial hurdle in keeping the camps open, Allsup responded, “I don’t know if it’s primary, but it’s a contributing factor.”
But the recent transitions within the Girl Scouting community may also be to blame for
the recent decline in membership and the subsequent decline in camp enrollment.
When I was a scout, we earned our badges, and that usually involved going out and learning something or mastering a skill. The new “Journeys” have girls just sitting around reading an excerpt of a journal or book and reflecting on it. In my opinion, that seems a lot like school to me, and I don’t know if I would want to do something like that after sitting in school all week.
Girl Scouts used to be something fun and unique, something I used to enjoy. But I think in an effort to try to conform to today’s culture, they’ve lost that uniqueness. Juliette Gordon Low founded the Girl Scouts back in 1912 as an outdoor and educational program, something that I see less and less in the Girl Scouts.
It makes me so incredibly sad to see my childhood camp close, but it makes me even sadder to know girls across the nation do not get the same experience I did. I would never trade my camping experience for the world. I learned new things. I made new friends. I broke out of my shell.
As the age-old Girl Scout song goes, “Make new friends, but keep the old. One is silver, and the other gold. A circle is round. It has no end, that’s how long I want to be your friend.” Friendships and memories are like fine wine, and they only get sweeter with time. Even though the physical places will not be there forever, camp memories will stay alive in the hearts and souls of Girl Scouts all across the country. Some things are more precious than money, and I can only hope that one day GSUSA will figure out a way to make camping a foundational aspect of Girl Scouting again.
Author’s Note: For more information about the camp closures, visit the Daily Beast.
