[Vision2020] Letter to the Editor: 'A New Adventure Every Day': Area youth learn diversity at Girl Scout day camp

[Saundra Lund]

Dear Editor,

It was with mixed feelings that I read Friday's front page story: "'A
New Adventure Every Day' - Area youth learn diversity at Girl Scout day
camp."

I was very pleased to see local Girl Scouts promoting "Girl Scouting --
For Every Girl, Everywhere," a national initiative that's been around
since 2001.  It certainly sounds like the girls had a wonderful and rich
experience.

However, I was dismayed that local implementation of this national
initiative apparently didn't happen until after an entire bridging
Junior troop quit Girl Scouts in protest during the fall of 2002 when
reaching the Cadet level because acceptance, tolerance, diversity, and
inclusion were not ideas held or practiced by one or more local Girl
Scout officials.  Rather, what our girls witnessed and experienced was
discrimination, exclusion, and the erection of artificial barriers to
the participation of differently-abled girls.

As is not unusual, the girls' themselves seemed to have no trouble with
diversity, acceptance, inclusion, and tolerance.  I wish the same could
be said for the adult(s), who could have learned some valuable lessons
from the girls.

A piece of advice:  please check carefully to make sure actions and
words match up before supporting organizations that espouse ideas like
tolerance, acceptance, diversity, and inclusion.  On scrutiny, you may
be disappointed to find that actual practice doesn’t match publicized
principles.  I certainly hope this dichotomy no longer exists within
local Girl Scouts.

My hope and prayer is that the Girl Scout motto "Girl Scouts -- For
Every Girl, Everywhere" has truly been incorporated into the awareness
of local administration and that no other young girl will ever again be
subjected to discriminatory, ignorant, and hurtful words or actions by
local Girl Scout officials.


Sincerely,
Saundra Lund
1220 Highland Dr.
Moscow, Idaho  83843

(208) 882-2150

The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good people to
do nothing.
Edmund Burke