Scout group in 'uniforms' - stick out too much?

Nancy,that rule applies in Italy, I have worn shorts in churches in England and they didn't care, same with France. Italy is much different.
Bermuda shorts are fine as are capris,, just fine. Do bring one pair of jeans or long pants as you can encounter some cool weather. I was cold in Paris last August many days( which is flukish,but happened).

Personally I hope you do not treat these 14-17 yr olds like little babies, many school groups much bigger then yours manage to travel without making the teens wear matching clothes, and Nancy how old was this child that you are talking about?? A teenager does not need to wear matching clothes to be able to tell a staff member what "group" they are with. Frankly any group should have a meeting place set up near the entrance(INSIDE)that if anyone gets seperated they just report to that spot and wait to be reunited.

There is an excellant thread by a teacher who took his high school class to Europe running on the Fodor Forums.

cont. you should go and read the thread. He had many great ideas.
One was he had all the students in groups of three or four and they had to be " local experts" on one site , or aspect of the trip. For instance , one group had to talk about Notre Dame for 10 minutes. He made all the kids research and be responsible for one aspect of the trip.

He also encountered all sorts of issues, lost kids, kids sneaking around, even kids drinking, and he handled everything with alot of wisdom. His trip sounded very long compared to yours though, but the tips will help anyways.

Glad to hear someone's lobbying for the girls' rights to not have to wear GS gear every minute of every day! If she wants them to look like a group (not a bad idea since it would make keeping track of people easier) maybe wear one of the sashes or something like that. I'm a former GS and even though I didn't know fashion existed at that point I still felt like how dogs often look when dressed up--uncomfortable and somewhat embarresed--when required to dress in GS gear. It never fit quite right and the colors always seemed odd when they were a dominant rather than accent color.

My sister went on a trip once where one of the group leaders decided on the wardrobe (to make sure everyone was modest) and to this day whevever she and friends who were on the trip look at pics from that trip they ALWAYS comment on the outfits they were made to wear.

Good luck!

PLEASE don't make these girls wear matching shirts in London! I'm a fellow Scout leader and completely understand your leader's desire to make sure everyone is safe but this is absolutely completely wrong in so many ways. I agree - at the camp you'll be fine and wearing a GS shirt -I assume that is what you mean by shirts they have earned. But London is a big international city and yes - you'll look ridiculous. These are teenagers and
GS - they should be able to get back to their hotel on their own if loost. Pat above is right on target about reading the fodors thread with the teacher who took a large teen group.

In general - they should be given a basic packing list and expected to carry everything themselves in a carryon. If they carry an extra shirt or two who cares? Also - shorts are fine as far as London churches but not very fashionable. Capris and skirts are a much better way to go for all. Dress as if you were going to NYC and save the shorts for camp.

We're taking a group of 14 year olds and we are not even making them wear ANYTHING matching. Let them wear what they want.

I can hardly believe I am telling Girls Scouts how to cope in challenging situations, that's what you specialise in.

Firstly the Girl Scouts are widely respected ( they are a classic gift from Britain to the world ) being in GS uniform is never a problem it's a symbol of high standards and is well respected. Secondly you have a worldwide centre for Girl Scouts in London. Why on Earth don't you write to your sisters in London and ask for the loan of a few tops to wear.

I thought Girl Scouts helped each other?

Use the sisterhood.

I know plenty of Girl Scouts in England and I know they would be only too happy to help.

Obviously if this were a school group we would only say 'dress for the weather and no bare shoulders'. Being Scouts we want to represent ourselves and the US respectfully but without exposing ourselves to pickpockets etc as 'oboy American tourists'. Our plan is to wear Scout shirts when traveling (we have found it can expedite things at security and customs)and definitely the day we go to Pax Lodge, where we plan to pick up World Center tshirts for all after our tour. I plan to see if I can tame down the 'everyone has to bring the same shirt' thing - beyond our travel shirt and a couple others -I want to emphasize 'bring a couple others but save room for souvenirs too' without specifying what those shirts need to be. So thanks for the different viewpoints. I want them to be comfortable but look good, without being twinkies. I am working with a true Green blood as a co-advisor, so wish me luck!

Re: 'using the sisterhood' -- Pax Lodge people have been incredibly helpful at guiding us to other sites for the girls to see while in that area of town, as have some pople on RS -- but we're always looking for more ideas. We tried to connect with some Paris Scouts through their home office,(we'll be there 3 days on our way between London tour and Swiss camp) and while the staff has been helpful - their Scouts will mostly be out of town -so if anyone knows any Paris Scouts they can direct us to communicate with, please do. I didn't think about 'borrowing tops while in town' - I could see that getting complicated---

I was a girl scout and have been on numerous trips with large groups of girl scouts of all ages. If the leader is insistant on everyone wearing the same thing, maybe try a necklace of some sort (I remember in the 90's we made ours out of bandanas, maybe not as fashionable now) Then they will all have something to make them look like a group, but they aren't all dressed matchy matchy.
When we were in London last month, many school groups, teenagers, had on matching hats (although I'm not sure you could do this in churches).
As far as clothes, I think it would be more enjoyable, and a learning experience!, for everyone to get a general packing list and then they pick items of their choosing to fit the list. I personally as a 17 year old would not have wanted to be walking around wearing the same thing as 10 other people! I would have been embarrased!

Janet, I don't know if you have a daytrip to Bath planned, but I hope you do! Not only are the Baths themselves interesting, but the attached museum is very interesting, and I bet many of the girls did not realize that Britian was once "occupied" by the Romans, and have not had the opportunity to see ancient Roman ruins!
Also Bath has a lovely Costume Musuem, which I can't imagine any young girl not enjoying, clothes by period from medival gowns ( every girls princess fantasy) right up to modern times( let them see the original bell bottoms and go go boots) , lots of fun and only a 10 minute walk from the Baths.

So are you going to Our Chalet? If so, when is your seesion? I will be there in July, but with a small group of adults. I have taken girls to all 4 World Centers, so if you have any questions about the World Centers let me know.

Janet,

When we were at Pax, uniforms were required for SOME events. (we did their week-long program) Otherwise, we could wear whatever we wanted, but with the PAX ballcap or visor (required). My only requirement of them was to leave the cleavage at home.

One HUGE exception was for the changing of the guard. If you wanted to go, you MUST be wearing your uniform. This was because we were allowed inside the gate for the ceremony. We had to present a letter from one of the Queen's secretaries(arranged by PAX) and they opened up the center gate and let us in. It was SO WORTH IT! Not one girl complained and everyone outside of the fence was green with envy. I let them put their vests in their backpacks as soon as we were escorted out. They had to spend the rest of the day in their matching shirts and khaki pants, but they were very mature about it. I also told them no flip-flops outside of the lodge. I didn't want to tempt fate with stepped on toes or worse.

Sue, that was a wonderful treat for the girls, they must have felt very proud to wear the uniform at that moment when it gained them such a special privilidge, I hope Janet can arrange something similar for her girls. And yes, the rest of the day they will have the same pants on , but they could always bring a t shirt change if they wanted to.

I agree about no flip flops. I like them too, but on cobble stones and for long touring walks I wouldn't wear them, they are nice to slip on in the evening if you feet are hot and sore though, just for padding around the hotel and such.

For Lynne,

Hats on women in Churches isn't a problem at all and would actually be looked upon favorably. I can remember as a small child having to wear a hankie bobby-pinned on my head when I went to church. Mind you, this was High Church Episcopalian and for a while there after Vatican II, we out-Catholiced the Catholics. :-) Indeed, covering the head (for women) was the norm for Catholics and Episcopalians up until about 25 years ago. Now, hats on men is a different story...

Just from experience...
I was a Girl Scout for many years. I never went to Europe with other girls from my troop but I went to Our Cabana in Mexico- and also on a trip to Arizona/New Mexico/California.
Our two leaders tried to make us wear matching shirts/shorts/etc. and I thought we stood out among everyone. I suppose it might have been nice for the leaders to instantly pick us out of a crowd if we were wearing the same thing, but I think it also did attract negative attention (catcalls, etc.) while we were in Mexico City. I felt uncomfortable.
But, Mexico City is a world of difference from London!

My daughters senior troop went to NYC/Philadelphia for about the same amount of time and a shorter trip to Seattle.For both trips all the travelers wore matching shirts on the plane rides-good because given the number of people going they were not able to be seated together on the plane. On the Seattle trip, the girls were on a ship and were allowed to wear what they wished within certain safety guidelines. In NYC, they wore matching shirts(3-4 tees)most days with a few free dress days and they had no problems(not even with the two fashion divas).

European scouts go on trips all the time, and since many women in northern Europe work full time, so do childcare groups. And many school groups in Europe think nothing of a one week trip as well. Almost all of these groups wear matching bandannas or hats, so your girls will not "stick out".

What makes Americans stick out is if they are LOUD. People living in more crowded countries than the US are used to being quiet, and are offended by loud people. It is a cultural issue they might want to learn about before they go.

Many older people who used to be scouts will be thrilled to see scouts and various security things will go easier for them if they "look like" Scouts.

And ... people are captivated by the Memphis mystique and if you had cheap Memphis souvenirs to give out, they would be appreciated by other people. Scouts from other countries like to trade such things too.

Shorts are fine for kids in London, but the adults would probably feel awkward in them; capris are fine

I go into DC a lot and I always see groups there with matching T-shirts. Just last weekend I was taking the metro home and a group of boy scouts all came on in their uniforms.

If you stick in a large group, I don't think it's a big deal. If the girls are going to have days when they have free time to roam in smaller groups on their own, then you may want to have them bring non-matching clothes.