The Girlguides in the UK — their equivalent of Girl Scouts — have done a survey of what merit badge skills they should be teaching.
Guides are demanding sessions on how to practise safe sex and assemble flat-pack furniture to ready themselves for life in the 21st century.
They also want instruction on how to manage debts and reduce the size of their carbon footprint as they prepare to enter the adult world.
The demands emerged in a survey of more than 1,000 Guides by Girlguiding UK, which is striving to keep itself relevant to the lives of young women. A spokeswoman said that the movement would act on the findings and make sure that the appeal for more information on sex and money was met.
In the poll, senior Guides, who are aged over 16, said that managing money was the most important skill to master as they contemplated leaving the family home. “Practising safe sex” was placed fourth, with “assembling flat-pack furniture” eighth. Younger Guides, aged from 10 to 15, valued more traditional skills. Top of their list was “cooking a healthy meal” and “pitching a tent”, although “standing up to boys” came fourth.
The youngest Guides, aged under 10, said that they wanted to know how to surf the web safely and how to cross the road.
Haven’t heard of a similar Girl Scouts survey, though I’m sure they do that sort of thing.
(via BoingBoing)