Girls just want to… camp out, earn merit badges, challenge themselves and learn leadership skills. Oh, and have fun while they do it. Although Cyndi Lauper probably meant well with that ’80s song running through your head right now, she merely scratched the surface of the modern female psyche. That is where BSA Scout Troop 331 comes in. Yes, they are BSA Scouts. No, they can’t sell you cookies. But they can become Eagle Scouts, and they must meet standard BSA requirements with everything they do.

In February 2018, Scoutmaster Shelli Helms and Assistant Scoutmaster Juliet Granger founded the only all-female BSA Scout troop in New Iberia. For years, these women had been involved in scouting, having sons who successfully navigated the program. 

“Our daughters were also involved; they attended many of the programs their brothers did, and participated as they were allowed to,”  Granger said. “When BSA opened membership up to females, we saw the chance to get the girls more fully engaged, to earn merit badges and rank up. So we formed Troop 331, and we’ve been going full tilt since then.”

Troop 331 currently has 10 members, and they have diverse interests and merit badges to go with them. “Our scouts have challenged themselves from day one,” Helms said. “The girls have earned badges in citizenship, lifesaving, auto maintenance, camping, welding and more. Although we love to be outdoors, scouting is much more than that. It is a great program with activities centered around the scouts’ interests. They make it what they want it to be.”

Although it may seem that female enrollment is a new development in scouting, Helms says this is not so. “When we attended the World Scout Jamboree, we were amazed to see how many female scouts there were worldwide. The United States is just catching up with the rest of the world now.”

And catching up, they are. COVID curbed recruiting and much of the activity planned, but the troop made do, with virtual meetings and campouts via Zoom. This summer, they made it real again, camping in Florida through a tropical storm. “Never thought part of the campout would be helping organize a hurricane shelter, but we were there, and we helped out,” said Helms.

Troop 331 is chartered by VFW Post 1982, where they hold meetings the first and third Thursday of the month. Adult leadership conforms to the two-deep BSA concept, and all leaders must complete Youth Protection and Outdoor Skills training, which must be renewed and kept up to date.

Most activities and organization are Scout-run, with the girls serving as patrol leaders and deciding on trips, badge instruction, menus, etc. Fundraising and charitable work is all part of the scout experience, with the troop recently helping with the Lil’ Brooklyn neighborhood reinvigoration. 

Yes, they admit there was some push back from traditional Scouts when they first started, but that has changed for the good as they’ve established the troop. “I actually had some skepticism expressed by other leaders when we started the troop,” Helms said. “The same skeptics have come back after seeing us in action and have admitted they were wrong. Feedback has gotten more and more positive.”

Troop 331 wants this year to be a growth year. The leaders would like to take their members from ten to twenty. Membership is open to girls, age 11-17, or age 10 if the girl is past fifth grade or has earned her Arrow of Light from Cub Scouts. Cub Scout Pack 463 in New Iberia has girl and boy Cub Scouts. If you know a girl who would be interested in having a BSA Scouting experience, follow BSAScoutTroop331 on Facebook, or email girlstroop331@gmail.com.