My wife and I have been involved together with GSA for close to 15 years, she even longer. With my oldest daughter’s troop, (she is now 22 - I have 3 daugthers-22, 19, 10), I too was co-leader for several years and totally enjoyed the experience with the girls. I tend not to like the politics or bureaucracy, so now; I am mainly an adult volunteer, providing training/guidance for a variety of activities and usually end up as the “First Aider” for various events. While I have encountered some resistance to male participation, mainly from some of the leaders, who have the “we don’t need males attitude”, the girls on the other hand seem to love having adult male involvement. This is not to say the majority of the female leaders have this attitude or that they are not as up to speed in the area of outdoor activities and need male involvement, for many are extremely proficient in outdoor activities. However, I think by having both male and female co-leaders the girls have an opportunity to appreciate and explore in a healthy way, male – female interactions and the different, but complementary attributes. Many of the girls in our troops over the years were from single parent families, more than once the moms would tell my wife that they really appreciated my involvement, since due to family circumstances their daughter had little in the way of adult males in their lives. Several of the girls we had in our troops are now grown and have started troops of their own, seeing them assume these leadership roles is an enormous reward and is beyond words. I am sure you will have many wonderful experiences and your involvement will, in a positive manner; touch the lives of many girls. I have always told my girls that I would not treat them any different than if I had sons, that they should be self-reliant and of benefit to others. Although, I am sure if you ask my wife, she would say, they have me wrapped around their little fingers (she is probably right). Pete