Boy Scouts to adopt new ‘inclusive’ name — RT World News
With a history spanning more than 100 years, the Texas-based organization has decided to rename itself Scouting America.
The popular youth organization Boy Scouts of America (BSA), which for decades has taught young people basic survival and life skills, announced Tuesday that it will officially change its name to Scouting America in line with new inclusion policies.
The change will take effect on February 8, 2025 to mark the organization's 115th birthday, according to BSA President and CEO Roger Krohn.
The Texas-based organization, which was founded in 1910 and has had more than 130 million youth members throughout its history, declared bankruptcy in 2020 in the wake of a burgeoning sexual abuse scandal, which involved dozens of Boy Scout leaders over several decades.
Last year, the BSA agreed to pay $2.46 billion to settle the claims of about 82,000 Boy Scouts who claimed they were sexually abused by organization officials and volunteers. However, a bankruptcy reorganization plan allowed the organization to continue operating and add new members.
Krohn said this when announcing the rebranding “Although our name will be new, our mission remains unchanged: We are committed to teaching young people to prepare for life.”
“For the next 100 years, we want any young person in America to feel very welcome to join our programs.” Krohn told the Associated Press.
Initially, the organization was created exclusively for boys and did not allow girls or gay youth to join its ranks. The Boy Scouts saw their peak annual membership of about 5 million in 1972, but their numbers have since declined to just over 1 million members.
In 2013, the Boy Scouts announced a radical change in its policies and officially ended its ban on gay members. In 2018, it also began accepting girls and officially changed its name to Scouts BSA. The organization currently has more than 170,000 female participants.
The decision to allow girls to join Boy Scouts sparked a lawsuit filed by Girl Scouts of the USA. The organisation, founded in 1912, said the move had created confusion by making it appear as if the BSA had sole authority over all scouting activities and accused it of unfair competition and trademark infringement. But in 2022, a federal judge dismissed the Girl Scouts' claims.
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