NEW FRANKLIN, Ohio — Being a scout is all Naomi Amiot used to dream about.
“It feels like it’s part of my own skin when I put it on. It feels part of me. I feel comfortable in it. It’s wonderful,” she said while buttoning her uniform top. “I remember growing up in my brother’s pack. I was doing all the activities. I was going camping with my brothers in the pack.”
She says it was the pack that helped mold her as a little girl.
“I’ve learned more life skills in BSA Scouts than a lot of my life.”
But she says because she is a girl, she was left behind.
“One day I asked my mother when am I allowed to join? But I couldn’t. When they joined the troop, it was like okay now what for me? It was weird seeing my bothers age up and move on without me. It was like I was sitting still while everyone else was still moving,” Naomi explained.
Her mother, Jodie Amiot, says she and her husband were torn trying to make sure their sons and daughter felt supported.
“Knowing that she wasn’t a member of the group was hard…you wonder well maybe I shouldn’t be involved with the boys in the pack then she and I can do stuff together, but you don’t want to do that,” she said. “I teach all my kids, each of my kids to be the best version of themselves they can be. Part of the challenge of that is also figuring out who you are in order to be able to accomplish that.”
To help cope and find a pack of her own, Naomi joined girl scouts but said it “wasn’t really for me.” Then news came that Boy Scouts of America would allow girls to join. It wasn’t long after her mother sprung into action founding troop 7335 with Naomi.
“It wasn’t even a question like my husband and I knew if she wanted to do it then we would create a troop for her.”
The troop is under the Boy Scouts of America Great Trail Council, which serves Medina, Portage, Summit and Trumbull counties.
“What we're looking to do is to give the girls who have experience scouting with their brothers the same experience that their brothers have had,” said Shannon Sinex, Boy Scouts of America Great Trail Council Field Director. “We’re not trying to compete with Girls Scouts. They’re very popular here and are great. This is just another option.”
Her Next Adventure
For the first time since Boy Scouts of America announced girls are welcomed to join, the Great Trail Council in Northeast Ohio is hosting a recruiting event called “Her Next Adventure.” The event will be Saturday, May 8 from 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. at Camp Manatoc, located in Peninsula.
Girls in grades 5-9 who are not currently registered in Scouts are invited to participate to see what being a scout is all about. The event will be held at Camp Manatoc, located in Peninsula. Activities will BBs, Archery, Dutch Oven Cooking and climbing. Lunch will also be included.
For those who have registered, you will need to bring a completed COVID Pre-screening form as well as Parts A and B of the medical form for all participants (youth, adult, and staff). Part C of the medical form is not required. Forms can be downloaded online. To access, click here.
