Being a part of a big organization has its advantages. The Girl Scouts has a 100 year history of raising girls to be good citizens and leaders and we are proud to have been a part of their past. But when an organization grows so big that it weighs its volunteers down with paperwork, makes communication and productivity difficult, takes more and more funding to maintain its salaried employees, creates programs that do not fit and stops listening to the needs of its members, it is time to move on. Todays girls have technology and opportunities that make them different from the girls of 1912 when Girl Scouts first started but they still have the need of ethical, moral leadership that is not afraid to stand up for what is right.
Funding is important to any organization, especially rural programs like the Ozarks Frontier Girls. Getting donations will be essential for a well run program. But we will be careful that funding comes from organizations that support our mission and not from those that would expect us to bend our standards to fit their own. Some of the major funding organizations will only support programs that permit gay members to be leaders of children, some will only fund organizations that do not have any religious affiliations, and others expect their funding to go to programs that support their political agendas. Frontier Girls has some policies that will limit funding from these types of organizations but that we feel are important if we are going to raise girls with morals and character. If we do not take a stand for what we believe is right, how can we expect our children to stand up and lead with any character when they are adults?
Frontier Girls take the following stand (Taken from the Frontier Girls handbook):
Religion Like the Boy Scouts, all Frontier Girl Members are required to have a belief in God. We believe that it is important to realize that we are accountable to a higher power for the lives that we live and to give thanks for the blessings that we receive. The Frontier Girls program is open to girls of all faiths and religions who can recite and live by our promise and creed. No specific religious doctrine should be taught during troop meetings unless the troop is sponsored by a specific church/religion and parents are aware that this doctrine will be taught. Prayer is welcome at our meetings and thanks should be given before any snack or meal.
Politics While we encourage our members to be active in the political arena and to stand up for their beliefs, we ask that they do so as individuals and not as Frontier Girls members. In a country with diverse political view points, our organization will remain neutral. No money at either the organizational or troop level may be spent either for oragainst any piece of legislation or in support or opposition to any political candidate. Frontier Girls Troops may not attend political rallies of any kind. Any service done for a political purpose (phone calls, petitions, etc.) must be done as a private individual and not as a Frontier Girl member.
Sexuality Frontier Girls is a program designed for heterosexual girls only. We wish to avoid the distractions of infatuation and possible sexual misconduct and therefore boys are not allowed as members. For this same reason we deny membership to all homosexual, bisexual and transgender girls.In order to provide a strong female role model and yet still avoid the distractions of infatuation and possible sexual misconduct, we also only allow heterosexual women to be troop leaders. Men, homosexual, bisexual, or transgender women may not be troop leaders. They may however serve in a limited volunteer capacity such as teaching a specific badge skill. We do require that all of our members treat all people with respect and politeness regardless of their sexual orientation. For those looking for a co-ed program, please look at the Ask Anything, Explore Everything program thatis open to all. www.askanythingexploreverything.com
Nondiscrimination Policy Frontier Girls does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, color, or national origin in administration of its policies and accepts members of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights privileges, programs and activities generally accorded or made available to a member of Frontier Girls.