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The Boy Scouts of America will be renamed ‘Scouting America’ in celebration of its 115th anniversary.
CNN
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The Boy Scouts of America announced Tuesday that it is changing its name to Boy Scouts of America.
The youth organization said that the new name has been given to welcome everyone including boys and girls. The change will take effect on February 8, 2025, the organization’s 115th anniversary, the Boy Scouts of America said.
“While this may come as a surprise to some of you, to us this is a straightforward evolution and a natural next step in ensuring that all America’s youth are welcomed and recognized in an organization that serves all Americans,” said Roger A. Krohn, president and CEO of the Boy Scouts, told reporters during a press conference Tuesday.
Krohn said the rebranding does not change the organization’s mission of preparing young people to make ethical and moral choices in their lives by instilling the Scout Oath and Scout Law. Values of America Scout values.
In 2018, girls were first able to join Cub Scouts, the organization’s program for children ages 7 to 10. The following year, the organization welcomed older girls, ages 11 to 17, into its flagship program, Scouts BSA. CNN previously reported.
At the time, expansion of the BSA program had been requested and targeted for several years Helping busy families Coordinate plans for their children.
Crone said she believes it’s time for the organization to have a name that better reflects the youth currently enrolled in their programs. She said almost 20% of the members are women or young women.
Selby Chipman, a beginner Girl Eagle Scout who is an assistant scoutmaster in North Carolina, said during the news conference that one of the best things she got out of the program was leadership skills.
She hopes more girls and young women will learn those skills and benefit from the program as she did.
More than 1 million youth are currently enrolled in programs offered by the Boys Scouts of America, including 176,234 girls and young women. So far, more than 6,000 girls and young women have earned the prestigious rank of Eagle Scout, the BSA said in a news release.
Bob Brady, a New Jersey attorney, said he founded the all-girl Scouts BSA troop and its scouting service, some women soon joined As they had male siblings who were Eagle Scouts, the program expanded, but the community at large was unlikely to be aware of the changes.
“Five and a half years after we started, you see people marching in town saying, ‘Can girls be Scouts? It’s called Boy Scouts,'” Brady said at the news conference. “It takes some explaining to do…so I think it’s going to be great to help with recruitment and let everyone know about the inclusion program we’ve built over the last decade.”
Since then, Brady’s two daughters have earned the title of Eagle Scout.
“There is nothing about young women, boys, the Scout Oath or Law that is inherently masculine or inherently feminine and applies across the board. Young women in 2024 want to go camping, they want to go hiking,” Brady said. “You know, I’ve had more moms and girls say to me over the last five or six years that I wish I had had the opportunity to be in Boy Scouts when I was a kid.”
The Boy Scouts of America has faced a storm of controversy in recent years, including widespread allegations of sexual abuse and misconduct. The organization, which filed for bankruptcy in 2020 after spending more than $150 million to settle abuse cases, CNN previously reported.
Last year, the Boy Scouts of America began seeking compensation through the courts for thousands of victims of sexual abuse. Victims Compensation Trust. The foundation is expected to pay $2.4 billion to more than 82,000 abuse survivors, CNN reported.
