Girls who have always wanted to participate in the Boy Scouts of America organization and possibly achieve the rank of Eagle Scout will get that opportunity in the near future.
Last week, the Boy Scouts of America Board of Directors unanimously approved welcoming girls into its Cub Scout program and to deliver a scouting program for older girls that will enable them to advance and earn the highest rank of Eagle Scout.
And while it was a landmark decision, Choctaw Area Council Scout Executive Ken Kercheval said he doesn’t anticipate it causing many changes to the Boy Scouts program.
“Girls are already participating in many of the activities the Boy Scouts already offer,” Kercheval said. “We have offered co-ed programs since the 1970s. One of those is the Exploring and Venturing program for youths age 14 to 20. The whole family participates when the scouts do family camping. And there are other activities that girls can be a part of. So I don’t think it’s going to be that much of a change going forward.”
The Exploring and the Venturing program celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2018. The STEM Scout pilot program is also currently available for both boys and girls, but girls have not been allowed to be Cub Scouts or Boy Scouts.
Kercheval said girls have always shown interest in the Boy Scout program.
“We have a lot of fun in the Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts, and the girls want to be a part of it,” Kercheval said. “They’ve always asked me about it, and now I can tell them that they can be a part of it.”
Kercheval said they do not know exactly how that will look when it’s implemented.
“Right now, no one knows how we will do it,” Kercheval said. “They have only decided to take this step. So now, they are going to have to figure out how we’re going to do it.”
Starting in the 2018 program year that begins next fall, families can choose to sign up their sons and daughters for Cub Scouts. Existing packs may choose to establish a new girl pack, establish a pack that consists of girl dens and boy dens or remain an all-boy pack.
Cub Scout dens will be single-gender — all boys or all girls. Using the same curriculum as the Boy Scouts program, the organization will also deliver a program for older girls, which will be announced in 2018 and projected to be available in 2019, that will enable them to earn the Eagle Scout rank. This approach allows the organization to maintain the integrity of the single gender model while also meeting the needs of today’s families.
“I think it’s important to point out that while girls will be allowed to join the Boy Scouts, there won’t be any co-ed Cub Scout dens,” Kercheval said. “Basically, you may have a boys den and a girls den under one pack, or you will have an all-girls pack or an all-boys pack. I don’t think we will see any co-ed groups until at least 14 years old and up.
“Girls will have the same opportunity to become an Eagle Scout, but they will be required to earn all 21 merit badges and complete all of the Eagle Scout service projects by age 18. It will be the same for both boys and girls.”
Recent surveys of parents not involved with Scouting showed high interest in getting their daughters signed up for programs like Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts, with 90 percent expressing interest in a program like Cub Scouts and 87 percent expressing interest in a program like Boy Scouts.
Kercheval also believes it will offer convenience to already busy families for those who want their children to learn the lessons of scouting.
“Instead of having to take them to multiple places, they can have all of their children involved with scouting at the same place,” Kercheval said. “I think this is going to be something that will help benefit the whole family.”
