Boy Scouts No More: BSA Makes a Change
Mark Angelo
, CEO, Yorkville Advisors
After more than a century as one of the most prominent organizations dedicated to training boys in character and life skills, the Boys Scouts of America (BSA) is changing the name of its “Boy Scouts” program to better describe the organization’s expanded focus.
Girls have already begun joining Cub Scout Pack, and will soon join Boy Scout Troops, so the BSA has to update its public brand. To that end, the “Boys Scouts” will soon be no more. The organization will, as of next February, officially be called “Scouts BSA.”
Chief Scout Executive Mike Surbaugh said the decision to change the name came after a “lengthy and incredibly fun” conversation and debate. “We wanted to land on something that evokes the past but also conveys the inclusive nature of the program going forward… We’re trying to find the right way to say we’re here for both young men and young women.”
That’s not to say everything is changing. Both the parent organization – Boy Scouts of America – and the Cub Scouts will retain their names. Only the “Boy Scouts” is shifting, a decision that’s being both celebrated and eviscerated, seen as either a “long time coming” or “a betrayal” depending on who’s telling the story.
The idea, though, is to make it easier for both boys and girls to simply identify as “Scouts” rather than differentiating by gender. Of course, that’s not to say there won’t still be delineation. Older troops will still split their groups based on gender, though both girls and boys will be allowed to earn the same merit badges. Girls will now also have the opportunity to work toward achieving the Eagle Scout award. The idea for this compromise is to give the girls all the same opportunities as the boys while also appeasing those who wish to see the genders separated in a Scouting context, as they traditionally have been.
While this compromise remains controversial with some Scouts and Scouters, thousands of girls have already signed up for the program, spread over roughly 170 Cub Scout Packs. Scouts BSA hopes this is just the first wave a huge rush. This summer should help decide that, as the organization is making a huge push to bring in more girls.
The initiative, called “Scout Me In,” is a multimedia marketing program geared toward catching the interest of girls and helping some late adopters come all the way on board to the idea. Will it bomb, or will it bust? Time will tell.
