After 108 years, the Boy Scouts of America’s flagship program will no longer be known as the Boy Scouts. After a recent rules change, girls will soon be entering the ranks, so the group plans a name change.
The organization announced yesterday (May 1, 2018) the new name for its Boy Scouts program: Scouts BSA. The change will take place February 1, 2019. The organization’s other youth program – Cub Scouts – will retain its name. The Cub Scouts began serving young boys under the age of 11 in 1930.
“As we enter a new era for our organization, it is important that all youth can see themselves in Scouting in every way possible. That is why it is important that the name for our Scouting program for older youth remain consistent with the single name approach used for the Cub Scouts,” said Michael Surbaugh, Chief Scout Executive of the Boy Scouts of America.
The Boy Scouts of America provides one of the nation’s largest youth programs based on character development and values-based leadership training. The organization is composed of nearly 2.3 million youth members between the ages of 7 and 21 and approximately 960,000 volunteers in local councils throughout the United States and its territories.
In October of 2017 the historically boys-only organization decided to begin admitting girls.
Starting earlier this year, families could choose to sign up their sons and daughters for Cub Scouts. Existing packs were allowed to choose to establish a new girl pack, establish a pack that consists of girl dens and boy dens or remain an all-boy pack. Using the same curriculum as the Boy Scouts program, the organization will also deliver a program for older girls, which will be announced this year and projected to be available in 2019, that will enable them to earn the Eagle Scout rank. Although known for its iconic programs for boys, the Boy Scouts of America has offered co-ed programs since 1971.
Since 1995, the Boy Scouts Unemployment Plan has been administered by 501(c) Services. Since that time we have helped participating councils control unemployment costs and save valuable staff time, while providing superior support from a team of experts focused exclusively on helping nonprofit organizations. Working with the Boy Scouts Unemployment Plan is not just about the strategic health of our councils but also about their dollars and cents. Councils participate because it is a money saving exercise. The Boy Scouts Unemployment Plan helps you hold on to those funding dollars that you have worked so hard to obtain.
For more information, visit www.501c.com.
