"When we talk about 'Discover, Connect, Take Action," we don't mean 'discover how to make jam'." ~~ Eileen Doyle, Senior VP of Program Development at GSUSA in a presentation where she was explaining that the real intention of "Discover" is for girls to make discoveries about themselves and their values.

This statement has made the rounds on Girl Scout boards and has stirred up a hornet's nest. Like so many of my sister Girl Scout leaders, I firmly disagree. Girl Scouts is about making jam. As Juliette Low insisted, Girl Scouts is about whatever the girls want to do, and I can honestly say that if I offered jam making to my girls, all 19 of them would be interested.

On the other hand, none of them are interested in the new Journey program. Their reason is that "it's too much like school." They aren't interested in filling in a workbook and discussing their answers. (My girls are not alone in this complaint either. Take a look at the forum where several leaders have posted their girls' negative reactions to the new Journeys.)

Instead, they want to learn new skills and DO things. Some of their favorite activities are the traditional activities, including outdoor skills, camping, and sports. They love to hike and would rather volunteer at a community center than sit and listen to any sort of presentation, no matter what the topic. As a case in point, they attended a Council workshop called "Girls Can Fly." The workshop had the following description: "Are you interested in aviation? Well here is your chance to tour the Air Traffic Control Tower, explore general aviation airplanes, see a helicopter flight demonstration, participate in aviation games and interview aviation professionals."

Unfortunately, none of what was advertised happened. Instead the girls were herded into classrooms where they were lectured too. To make matters worse, the day went from 9 until 4. In six years of leading this troop, I have never had so many girls complain about an event. The core complaint was that it was boring and too much like school.

All of this leads me to my big concern about Journeys. The "official" word is that the old badges will be in place until 2010. What happens then is unclear. I have heard the new Journeys are not the new program but a supplement, but I have not heard or read a promise from GSUSA's national headquarters that they do not intend to make these new navel-gazing Journeys the center of the revamped program. Instead, I can easily read that the "Journeys provide an important foundation for each level in Girl Scouting for girls and volunteers" on the GSUSA national website. This statement troubles me in that we already have an important foundation for the program, namely our promise and law.

The Journeys as a supplement or an option are fine with me. Putting them at the center of the program means a fundamental change in what I see as the core of Girl Scouting as Juliette Low laid it out. She created a program for girls that mirrored the Boy Scout program so that girls could get out and DO things. The stereotype of the Boy Scout who helps old ladies cross the street, builds fires, and can tie a mean knot--like many stereotype--is built of a foundation of truth. Scouting, for boys or girls, is about helping others and learning new things. Learning about oneself and one's values is something that happens while one is learning new things, from camping, to selling cookies, to rock climbing.

My girls want to DO and that does NOT mean that they want to "discover themselves and their values" unless part of that process involves discovering how to make jam.