We tend to have visceral reactions to the unexpected. The Boy Scouts of America announcing their admittance of girls is one that has elicited a lot of reactions. As a current Cubscout leader, son of leaders, and a former Cubscout and Boy Scout my reaction has been complex. I had hints that this was coming through the rumor mill so I wasn’t completely surprised. Some background is in order for those who haven’t been involved with the Boy Scout programs.
The Boy Scouts of America (BSA) was founded in 1910. They has a sister organization the Camp Fire Girls of America now known as Camp Fire (CF). Camp Fire went co-ed in 1975. The BSA had another program that developed in the 1930s called Venturing/Exploring that went co-ed in 1969. Adult leadership has been co-ed as far as I can tell since near the beginning of the program. The Girls Scout of the USA was started in 1912 after their founder met the Boy Scout founder Lord Baden Powell in London. As we can see from the history the BSA has a long history of starting or having organizations that were for girls or accepted girls.
The BSA is largely run and maintained by volunteers. The volunteers are as diverse as America with opinions and thoughts that vary from subject to subject. One of several things that unite them are the aims and purposes of the Cubscout and Boy Scout Programs. The aim of the Cubscout program is to develop a boy’s character, train him in good citizenship, and encourage him to become more fit physically, mentally, and morally. The purposes of Cub Scouting
“Cub Scouting is a year-round, family-oriented part of the Boy Scouts of America program designed for boys who are in first through fifth grades (or are 7, 8, 9, and 10 years of age). Parents, leaders, and organizations work together to achieve the 10 purposes of Cub Scouting:
Character Development, Spiritual Growth, Good Citizenship, Sportsmanship and Fitness, Family Understanding, Respectful Relationships, Personal Achievement, Friendly Service, Fun and Adventure, Preparation for Boy Scouts
All the activities leaders plan and boys enjoy should relate to one or more of these purposes.”
The aims and ideals of Boy Scouting and Cub Scouting are the same but the methods of delivering the program different. The ideals are laid out in the Scout Oath, Scout Law, the mottos and slogans.
As you can imagine the diversity of the leadership reflects the diversity of America and there was inconsistency in offering a “family-oriented” program in Cub Scouts that left out a vital part of many families; the sisters of the boys in the program. The logic of making the Cubscout program co-ed was there and backed by the Scout Law. This led to yet another logical inconsistency. The problem that appeared was the gap between the Cubscout program and the Venturing Program. There were several years that there was not a program offered by the BSA for girls between the ages of 10 and 14. If the purposes of Cub Scouting was to prepare a boy for boy scouts and then you add girls then to stay consistent you must prepare the girls for Boy Scouts or in the words of the BSA: new girls program.
[We interrupt this logic chain to mention that Safety is one of the biggest concerns of the BSA including its volunteers. No one on one contact between a youth and an adult, everyone must take youth protection training, and many other points of safety are part of the programs.]
I don’t know what they will call the new program but I tend toward Girl Guides. Taking the time to develop the guidelines for the new program will insure that the safety and ideals of scouting are achieved which is why there will be a delay until 2019 before it is implemented. It is speculation on my part but I don’t see that the programs will allow a lot of interaction between the separate gender troops at camps or events hosted by local councils or districts.
I believe that implementation of both programs for girls will be beneficial for the girls who participate.
There are a few other factors to consider. Individual Chartering Organizations (sponsors of packs and troops) will determine whether they will offer the programs. A lot of things will be in flux for the first years as the kinks are worked out. The programs change frequently just look at the handbook and merit badge changes over the past 100 years.
My biggest reservation to the changes comes down to one large issue I have and that regards rites of passage. Rites of Passage are an integral part of society and have been for millennia. The path to earning the Eagle Rank is hard and few who start finish. It is something a boy could take pride in achieving and it had to occur before his 18th birthday. A calendar and legal based day when one stops being a minor and becomes an adult. My reservation is that opening this rite of passage up to girls is that for some boys it will harm their sense of self. It leaves me wondering if the cultural changes in our society are failing to recognize that there is a time, place, and purpose to having organizations that are single gender.
In the end the responsibility will fall on the leadership at the pack and troop level to see that the best possible program is offered to achieve the aims, purposes, and ideals of scouting to the boys and girls going through the programs.
For more background here is a video from the BSA that they requested feedback from:
After the announcement another video appeared more of a town hall style answering questions
https://livestream.com/bsa/nationalcouncil/videos/164161163