The Boy Scouts of America, an organization that has been around for 114 years, is going to change its name for the first time. The new name will be Scouting America. The organization is going through a big change after dealing with bankruptcy caused by many claims of sexual abuse. Now, they want to prioritize inclusion.
The organization, which has a long history and follows traditional practices, has recently made significant changes. These changes include accepting gay youth and allowing girls to join at all levels. The organization based in Irving, Texas announced a name change on Tuesday at its annual meeting in Florida. The change is aimed at increasing membership numbers.
“In the next 100 years, we want all young people in America to feel extremely welcome to join our programs,” said Roger Krone, who became president and CEO last fall. He made this statement in an interview before the announcement.
In 2013, the organization started accepting gay youth, and in 2015, they stopped banning gay adult leaders altogether. In 2017, a historic announcement was made that girls would be allowed to join Cub Scouts starting in 2018. They would also be able to join the main Boy Scout program, which was renamed Scouts BSA, in 2019.
In 2021, there were almost 1,000 young women who became Eagle Scouts for the first time. Selby Chipman was one of them. The troop she helped create in her hometown of Oak Ridge, North Carolina, started with five girls and has now grown to almost 50. She believes that changing the name will inspire more girls to join.
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“Girls were surprised and said, ‘You can join Boy Scouts of America?'” said Chipman, who is now a 20-year-old college student and assistant scoutmaster of her troop.
Shortly after the announcement that girls would be allowed, Bob Brady started working. The New Jersey attorney, who is a father of two girls and a proud Eagle Scout, was excited to create a troop specifically for girls. During their first weekend gathering with other troops, the boys were happy that the girls were also involved. However, some adult leaders appeared to be worried, according to his recollection. Their concerns disappeared as soon as the girls performed a traditional cheer around the campfire.
“Some people who were unsure started to change their attitude when they realized that these kids are no different, except for the fact that they have ponytails,” Brady said. His daughters, along with 13 other girls in his troop and 6,000 girls across the country, have earned the prestigious Eagle Scout rank.
Similar to other organizations, the scouts experienced a decrease in the number of members due to the challenges of participating during the pandemic. Since reaching a peak of over 2 million members in 2018, the organization now serves just over 1 million young people, including more than 176,000 girls and young women. The number of members reached its highest point in 1972, with nearly 5 million people.
The Boy Scouts’ decision to allow girls to join caused tension with the Girl Scouts of the USA. The Girl Scouts sued, claiming that it caused confusion in the marketplace and harmed their ability to recruit new members. After a judge rejected the claims, both groups were allowed to use words like “scouts” and “scouting.” They reached a settlement agreement.
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While camping is still an important activity for the Boy Scouts, the organization now offers a variety of options for everyone. These include exciting adventures as well as opportunities to earn merit badges in robotics and digital technology. Krone said that kids can do almost anything they want to do today within the scouting program, but in a structured way.
The Boy Scouts’ $2.4 billion bankruptcy reorganization plan started last year. This plan lets the organization continue running while providing compensation to over 80,000 men who were sexually abused as children while being part of the scouts.
Angelique Minett is the first woman chairperson of Scouts BSA. She is excited about the future of scouting when she sees a youth council of about 20 people from across the United States. This council helps guide the program by raising important issues like sustainability and suggesting changes, such as improving the fit of some uniforms.
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