By JAMIE STENGLE (Associated Press)
IRVING, Texas (AP) — The Boy Scouts of America is changing its name for the first time in its 114-year history and will become Scouting America. It’s a significant shift as the organization emerges from bankruptcy following a flood of sexual abuse claims and seeks to focus on inclusion.
The organization steeped in tradition has made seismic changes after decades of turmoil, from finally allowing gay youth to welcoming girls throughout its ranks. With an eye on increasing flagging membership numbers, the Irving, Texas-based organization announced the name change Tuesday at its annual meeting in Florida.
“In the next 100 years we want any youth in America to feel very, very welcome to come into our programs,” Roger Krone, who took over last fall as president and chief executive officer, said in an interview before the announcement.
The organization began allowing gay youth in 2013 and ended a blanket ban on gay adult leaders in 2015. In 2017, it made the historic announcement that girls would be accepted as Cub Scouts as of 2018 and into the flagship Boy Scout program — renamed Scouts BSA — in 2019.
There were nearly 1,000 young women in the inaugural class of female Eagle Scouts in 2021, including Selby Chipman. The all-girls troop she was a founding member of in her hometown of Oak Ridge, North Carolina, has grown from five girls to nearly 50, and she thinks the name change will encourage even more girls to realize they can join.
“Girls were like: ‘You can join Boy Scouts of America?’” said Chipman, now a 20-year-old college student and assistant scoutmaster of her troop.
Within days of the announcement that girls would be allowed, Bob Brady went to work. A father of two girls and a proud Eagle Scout himself, the New Jersey attorney eagerly formed an all-girls troop. At their first weekend gathering with other troops, the boys were happy to have the girls involved but some adult leaders seemed concerned, he recalled. Their worries seemed to melt away as soon as the girls led a traditional cheer around the campfire.
“You could see a change in the attitude of some of the doubters who weren’t sure and they realized, wait, these kids are exactly the same, they just happen to have ponytails,” said Brady. His daughters are among the 13 girls in his troop and 6,000 girls nationwide who have achieved the vaunted Eagle Scout rank.
Like other organizations, the scouts lost members during the pandemic, when participation was difficult. After a highpoint over the last decade of over 2 million members in 2018, the organization currently services just over 1 million youths, including more than 176,000 girls and young women. Membership peaked in 1972 at almost 5 million.
The move by the Boy Scouts to accept girls throughout their ranks strained a bond with the Girl Scouts of the USA, which sued, saying it created marketplace confusion and damaged their recruitment efforts. They reached a settlement agreement after a judge rejected those claims, stating that both groups have the freedom to use words such as “scouts” and “scouting.”
The Boy Scouts still think camping is very important, but they now offer a wide variety of activities, from exciting adventures to earning merit badges in subjects like robotics and digital technology, according to Krone. He said, “Today, kids can pretty much do anything they want in the scouting program in a structured way.”
The Boy Scouts’ financial reorganization plan worth $2.4 billion went into effect last year, allowing the organization to continue operating while compensating over 80,000 men who claim they were sexually abused as children during their time in the scouts. Angelique Minett, the first female chairperson of Scouts BSA, is enthusiastic about the future of scouting. She is encouraged when she sees a youth council of about 20 people from across the United States actively contributing to the program by raising important issues such as sustainability, as well as suggesting changes they'd like to see, like improvements to some of the uniforms.
“When we think of scouts, we often think of knots and camping, but those are just a means to an end,” Minett explained. “In reality, we are teaching kids something much broader. We are teaching them determination, life skills, and leadership.”
The organization is not scheduled to officially change its name to Scouting America until Feb. 8, 2025, which marks the organization’s 115th birthday. However, Krone anticipates that people will start using the new name immediately.
“This sends a very powerful message to everyone in America. It signals that they can join this program, be themselves, and they will be accepted,” Krone expressed.
The Boy Scouts of America is changing its name for the first time in its 114-year history. The organization, based in Texas, announced at its annual meeting in Florida on Tuesday that it will now be known as Scouting America. This change is significant as the organization emerges from bankruptcy after facing numerous sexual abuse claims. It aims to be more inclusive after enduring decades of turmoil. Despite being deeply rooted in tradition, the organization has made substantial changes, from finally allowing gay youth to including girls in all ranks. CEO Roger Krone stated that the organization wants every young person in America to feel completely welcome.
