The Boy Scouts of America has undergone a rebrand for the first time in 114 years as it drops the gender part of its name in a bid to be more inclusive.
The group will now be referred to as Scouting America, it announced during its annual meeting in Florida.
Roger Krone, who took over last fall as president and chief executive, said: “In the next 100 years we want any youth in America to feel very, very welcome to come into our programmes”.
It comes after the organisation began allowing gay youth in 2013 and ended a ban on gay adult leaders in 2015.
The Boy Scouts of America has undergone a rebrand for the first time in 114 years as it drops the gender part of its name in a bid to be more inclusive
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The group also confirmed that girls would be accepted as Cub Scouts and into the flagship Boy Scout programme in 2017.
Membership reached a high point in 2018 with two million members but this declined during the pandemic.
Its current membership is just over one million, including more than 176,000 girls and young women.
In 1972, membership peaked at nearly five million.
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A row erupted between the Girl Scouts of the USA and the Boy Scouts after they began accepting girls.
The Girl Scouts sued saying it created confusion and damaged recruitment efforts.
A settlement was agreed after a judge rejected the claims, saying both groups were free to use words like “scouts” and “scouting.”
Angelique Minett – who is the first female chairman of Scouts BSA – said she is excited about the future of scouting.
The group will now be referred to as Scouting America, it announced during its annual meeting in Florida
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She added that the youth council from across the United States help guide the programme by raising issues important to them, such as sustainability.
The name change won’t officially take place until until Feb 8, 2025 – the organisation’s 115th birthday.
However, Krone said he expects people to start using the name immediately.
Source Agencies
