Boy Scouts Of America Changing Name For 1st Time In 114-Year History

🌈 Abstract

The article discusses the Boy Scouts of America's decision to change its name to "Scouting America" as the organization emerges from bankruptcy following sexual abuse claims and seeks to focus on inclusion. The name change is a significant shift as the organization has made several changes in recent years, including allowing gay youth, welcoming girls, and aiming to increase its declining membership numbers.

🙋 Q&A

[01] The Name Change

1. What is the key reason behind the Boy Scouts of America's decision to change its name to "Scouting America"?

• The organization is changing its name for the first time in its 114-year history as it emerges from bankruptcy following a flood of sexual abuse claims and seeks to focus on inclusion.
• The name change is part of the organization's efforts to reduce barriers and make the program more welcoming to all youth in America.

2. How does the organization's leadership view the potential impact of the name change?

• The new CEO, Roger Krone, believes the name change will send a strong message that the program is open to everyone and that they can bring their authentic selves.
• The name change is seen as a "onetime chance to tell a new story" about the organization and move away from its past issues.

3. How have different groups reacted to the name change?

• The National Organization for Women had previously urged the Boy Scouts to open itself to girls, and they see the name change as a signal that girls are not only allowed but welcome to join.
• Some online reactions have been supportive, while others have criticized the removal of the word "boy" from the name, seeing it as an example of "wokeness."
• However, a 20-year-old Eagle Scout and assistant scoutmaster believes the new name will help all scouts feel more accepted.

[02] Membership and Inclusion

1. What changes has the Boy Scouts of America made in recent years to become more inclusive?

• In 2013, the organization began allowing gay youth, and in 2015, it ended a blanket ban on gay adult leaders.
• In 2017, the organization announced that girls would be accepted as Cub Scouts and into the flagship Boy Scout program (renamed Scouts BSA) in 2019.
• Over 6,000 girls have now achieved the Eagle Scout rank, and the inaugural class of female Eagle Scouts in 2021 included nearly 1,000 young women.

2. How has the organization's membership been affected in recent years?

• Membership is at historic lows, with the organization currently servicing just over 1 million youths, including more than 176,000 girls and young women.
• Membership peaked in 1972 at almost 5 million, and the organization lost members during the pandemic when participation was difficult.

3. How does the leadership view the need to address the declining membership?

• The new CEO, Roger Krone, sees part of his job as reducing barriers for people to join the organization and believes the name change is an important step in this effort.