By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
Scouting has been preparing boys for decades. Preparing them to face outside elements when camping. Preparing them for helping elderly ladies cross the street. Preparing them to be good citizens.
Now the organization that has been preparing young men has got to be ready itself by Feb. 1 to allow girls into the ranks.
Nationwide, girls will be able to join Boy Scout troops – with no boys – but with the same programming that has been used for years.
In Bowling Green, one of the five Boy Scout troops is planning to expand with a girls’ troop.
“There is absolutely interest and they are working on forming one at St. Al’s,” said Alissa Hunt, district director with the Erie Shores Council of the Boy Scouts of America.
It isn’t that Boy Scouts are anti Girl Scouts, Hunt said.
“It is a wonderful program and we support all youth organizations,” Hunt said Thursday about Girl Scouts.
But Boy Scouts of America has heard from many families who wanted girls allowed. “They’ve been kind of tagging along with their siblings,” and now they want in, Hunt said.
“I think it’s going to go wonderfully,” she said.
To be absolutely clear – boys and girls will have the same programming, but in separate troops.
Ed Caldwell, CEO of Erie Shores Council of Boy Scouts of America, tried to calm fears in a press release when the decision to allow girls was first announced.
“Rest assured that the Boy Scouts of America organization has not changed its name. The Boy Scouts of America will continue the time-honored mission of preparing young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetimes by instilling in them the values of the Scout Oath and Law in order to become responsible, participating citizens. Offering programs that accomplish this mission to girls will enhance, rather than diminish, this vital work,” Caldwell said.
Beginning Feb. 1, the Boy Scout program name will be Scouts BSA. All participants will be called scouts. Girls will be eligible to earn the highest rank of Eagle.
“It’s offering the program that we know works for girls, too,” Hunt said.
However, not all Girl Scouts organizations are sold on the effectiveness of Boys Scouts for girls.
Girl Scouts of Western Ohio believes strongly in the all-girl, girl-led environment that Girl Scouts provides, according to Kay Ann Rutter, director of marketing and communication for 32 counties.
“At this point, we feel we are the best leadership program for girls,” Rutter said Thursday.
Rutter pointed out that Girls Scouting is far more than selling cookies and making crafts. Programs include STEM, camping, entrepreneurship and life skills.
“Our Girl Scout leadership experience is a one-of-a-kind leadership development program for girls with proven results. It’s based on time-tested methods and research-backed programming that embolden girls to take the lead — both in their own lives and in the world,” Rutter said.
Girl Scouts is successful in some ways because it is all girls, she said.
“The inclusive, all-female environment of a Girl Scout troop creates a safe space where girls can try new things, develop a range of skills, take on leadership roles, and just be themselves,” Rutter said. “We are confident that Girl Scout programs deliver valuable experiences and benefits that will last a lifetime.”
There are currently 29 Girl Scout troops with 250 members in the Bowling Green area, from the youngest Daisies through Ambassadors in 12th grade, according to Rutter.
Though girls can join Boy Scouts on Feb. 1, so far Bowling Green Girl Scout troops are seeing no mass exodus.
“Not in the least,” Rutter said. “We are not seeing an impact.”
But some girls are interested in joining a newly formed St. Aloysius troop. Mike Kleman, who has been involved in Boy Scouts at St. Al’s for about 15 years, is working to set up the new troop. His son was involved in Boy Scouts for years, and his daughter wanted to be. When she reached 14, she was allowed to join the co-ed Venturing program.
Troops in Pemberville and Grand Rapids are also looking at opening to girls, Kleman said.
Kleman said he doesn’t know much about Girl Scouts, so he can’t compare the girls programming with that offered to boys. However, he’s well acquainted with Boy Scouts, which offers youths outdoor camping and adventure activities, leadership opportunities, exposure to different fields and careers, challenges of earning ranks and badges, and chances to deal with adults outside their families.
“I think it’s a wonderful program. My daughter’s too old to join, or I know she would,” Kleman said.
“They both found their niches through scouting,” he said of his children.
Last fall, the younger Cub Scout pack at St. Al’s recruited some girls. “I think a lot of people are waiting to see how it goes,” Kleman said.
This latest change for Boy Scouts of America follows a series of steps to open up the ranks.
In 2013, the organization lifted the ban on openly gay scouts and in 2015, ended the prohibition on gay leaders. In 2017, the Boy Scouts of America also said it would allow scout members that self-identify as male, creating room for transgender members.
From the beginnings of the scouting groups for boys and girls, there’s been friction. In the 1920s, the Boy Scouts sued the Girl Scouts in court over the name “scout,” claiming it was a male term.
The Boy Scouts built an image of being a more conservative movement since the 1980s.
The Girl Scouts from the beginning, has always had a pretty strong emphasis on empowering girls, but sometimes that meant empowering them to be strong mothers of families.
But in some communities over the years, the Girl Scouts have been criticized for being too progressive with the social issues they take on and the projects they encourage.
Both groups face the challenge of declining membership, in a time of so many activities offered for children, and difficulty finding parents willing to commit the volunteer hours.
