American Heritage Girls or Awana?

Some of my fondest childhood memories are of AWANA. However, I don't think that you could compare Girl Scouts to AWANA - apples and oranges. I sure wish all of my kids could have done AWANA, but sadly only my oldest two did and then we moved to an area that didn't have it available.

Depending on your schedule, you could do both - AWANA was always just one night a week during the school year and usually Girl Scouts is about the same (but has more work that needs to be done at other times so prepare for that). See which one you and your child feel is more enjoyable. Also, the people who run the group, basically make the group, so if you have a "not so good" Girl Scout leader, than your daughter's experience is likely also not going to be so good.

Good luck!

Girl Scouts can be very Christian based if that's what the troop wants. I went to a Catholic School and was in Girl Scouts with my classmates. We incorporated our religion into our meetings.

In Girl Scouts, like so many other this, you get out of it what you put into it.

I don't know about American Heritage... never heard of that group.

Awana is not like scouting. Like someone else said earlier, it is more like a Bible school. It is very Christian based, the church is the organizer and meetings are held at the church weekly.

I was a Girl Scout growing up and really enjoyed that program. Each troop is different and you have to find the best fit for your child.

I hope you find something that works with your beliefs...

I don't know what they might be currently called, but I think you want a group like Calvinettes or Missionettes - with Christian teachings, but the kids still do things to earn badges. There are also Pioneer groups, but I was never in one of them. My mother was.

pioneerclubs.org
http://gemsgc.org/history/ (formerly Calvinettes)
http://ngm.ag.org/ (appears to be what Missionettes was)

You will need to decide if the local group fits with your own beliefs or not. We were raised mostly United Methodist, but attended VBS and clubs at many denominations, including Assembly of God and Christian Reformed.

I don't know much about Heritage Girls, but AWANA is nothing like Girl Scouts. It is all Bible based, especially working on verse memorization. I would compare it more to a vacation Bible school or a midweek Sunday School. If you are looking for something comparable to GS, Heritage Girls will probably be a better fit.

My best friend is very deeply involved in American Heritage girls and loves it. It is time consuming but worth it to her. As the others have stated awana isn't a scouting experience where AHG is. You could probably go as a guest and check it out to see if you think it would be a good fit. I know my girlfriend's group is open to newcomers at all times. It's not an organization where if you're joining mid year it's an issue.

Blessings!
L.

Since there is such a wide range of what constitutes "Christian beliefs", with some churches quite liberal and accepting of, say, gays/lesbians or abortion rights, and others very conservative and traditional, wouldn't it make more sense to contact your own church and clergy leader to get referrals to groups with the same philosophy/religious orientation that are actually operating in your area?

one of the things i always liked about girl scouts (i wasn't one, but went a few times with friends) is that it WASN'T a christian-specific organization.
khairete
S.

my daughter did not like american heritage girls, they were very biased to the church members over the other girls