Changes In Scouting – One I Like And One I Do Not

Changes In Scouting – One I Like And One I Do Not

Boy Scouts of America have announced a couple of changes. The first and more immediate one I particularly like.

The latest campaign “Scout Me In” is not only catchy, but inclusive. This helps to get across the message that everybody is welcome, including girls into Cub Scouts and very soon into Boy Scouts.

It was announced as well that girls could join all-girl troops, meaning Cub Scout packs could be integrated, the troops for older scouts would not. I am not sure how I feel about this and will reserve judgement on this decision. Girls will begin to be admitted into scouting in February 2019.

And this is what I do not care for.

Girls will not be admitted to Boy Scouts, they will be admitted into Scouting BSA.

The Boy Scouts are getting rebranded into Scouting BSA. The overall organization will remain Boy Scouts of America, but the program for older kids will be  Scouting BSA which seems… odd. BSA stands for Boy Scouts of America – meaning the full name will be, instead of Boy Scouts, Scouting Boy Scouts of America.

Seems redundant.

This also doesn’t seem to quite fit in with the inclusive message of the “Scout Me In” campaign. I mean, sure, I understand wanting to shift focus away from “Boy Scouts”, but “Scouting BSA” doesn’t seem the right fit.