Leaders of the pack
North Smithfield girls dig right in with Cub Scouts
NORTH SMITHFIELD — The first all-girls Scouts BSA Troop in North Smithfield is set to launch Feb. 1, and Heather Robertson could not be more excited about bringing the philosophy of Scouts BSA to girls throughout the Blackstone Valley.
“We’re ready to rock n’ roll,” says Robertson, den mother for Cub Scout Pack 7 Slatersville and committee chairwoman for the new Troop 438 North Smithfield.
In a historic decision in 2017, Boy Scouts of America announced that it would be inviting girls into its Cub Scouts program, designed for kindergarten through fifth-grade students, and its Boy Scouts program – which has now been renamed Scouts BSA – for ages 11 through 17. The shift will allow girls to be able to earn awards and merit badges as well as advance in the ranks to reach the highly coveted Eagle Scout title.
On Feb. 1, Boy Scouts of America will officially launch Scouts BSA, the new name for the program that will welcome boys and girls in separate troops.
North Smithfield is ahead of the game, establishing Troop 438 North Smithfield for local girls ages 11-17. The new troop is based in North Smithfield, but membership is open to girls throughout the Blackstone Valley.
Troop leaders will host an informational night Friday, Jan. 18, at 6:30 p.m. at Scouters Hall, 13 Main St., North Smithfield.
Local resident Josh Thibeault, a father of three children who enjoys the outdoors, has been chosen to be the scoutmaster for Troop 438.
“We’ve been working on this since last summer and we’re ready to go,” says Robertson, a
mother of four children who have all been involved in scouting over the years.
In the wake of the BSA’s decision in 2017, Cub Scout packs designed for kindergarten through fifth grade began separate dens for young girls, including in North Smithfield where Cub Scout Pack 7 Slatersville was established last May. Scouts BSA, which is designed for youth ages 11 through 18, is being rolled out in February as part of Boy Scouts of America’s “Scout Me In” initiative and Robertson says North Smithfield is ready to go with Troop 438, which will have the the same programming as the legacy Boy Scouts.
Along with character development, leadership opportunities and community service, the Scouts BSA offers unique outdoor adventure experiences and allows the entire family to be involved in the same program. Robertson said.
The new troop is sponsored by St. John the Evangelist Church, which also charters Cub Scout Pack 7 Slatersville, and Boy Scout Troop 1139 Slatersville. The new unit will be linked with the boy’s Troop 1139, and both troops will share resources and occasionally hold joint activities. However, the new girl’s troop will have separate adult and youth leadership.
Troop 438 will meet Fridays from 6:30 to 8 p.m at Scouter’s Hall in North Smithfield. There will be camp-outs every month, and the troop has already reserved a week at Camp Yawgoog.
Girls began joining Cub Scouting last year, including Cub Scout Pack 7 Slatersville, which was one of the first packs in the state to accept girls into its programs as an “early adopter” of the changes. An existing pack could either choose to recruit girls or remain an allboy pack. When creating a new pack, a chartered organization can form an allboy pack, an all-girl pack or a pack of girls and boys. Cub Scout dens are single-gender – all boys or all girls. Cub Scout packs, meanwhile, can include any combination of all-boy or all-girl dens. The choice is left to individual pack leaders in consultation with their chartered organization.
As of Feb. 1, girls can now cross over into the next phase of their Scouting journey once they complete their time in Cub Scouts. Using the same curriculum as the current Boy Scouts program, this will allow participating girls to work toward and earn Scouting’s highest honor, the Eagle Scout Award. Eagle Scout requirements will be the same for young men and young women.
The Girl Scouts, founded in 1912, and the BSA, founded in 1910, are among several major youth organizations in the U.S. experiencing sharp drops in membership in recent years. Reasons include competition from youth sports leagues, a perception by some families that they are old-fashioned and busy schedules that prompt some parents to despair of meeting all their children’s obligations.
Boy Scouts of America says its decision to establish a new program for older girls using the same curriculum as the Boy Scouts was needed to provide more options for parents. The announcement in 2017 followed months of outreach by the BSA, which distributed videos and held meetings with the Boy Scout community to discuss the possibility of expanding girls’ participation beyond ex- isting programs, such as Venturing and Sea Scouts.
The Girl Scouts of the USA, however, criticized the initiative, saying it strained the century-old bond between the two organizations. Girl Scout officials have suggested the BSA’s move was driven partly by financial problems and a need to boost revenue.
“My opinion is that gender does not determine ability,” says Robertson, a pre-school teacher in Cranston. “I’m not knocking the Girl Scouts, I just don’t think that the camping and adventuring part was as integral.”
More importantly, she says, girls will be now able able earn the same array of merit badges and have the same pathway to the coveted Eagle Scout Award, an honor that has been inaccessible to girls before now.
“Attaining Eagle means scholarships, job opportunities and the chance to see your name in the local paper,” she says. “The Girls Scouts’ equivalent of the Eagle Award is the Gold Award, but has anyone really ever heard of it?”
For more information about Troop 438, email Robertson at headda76@yahoo.com or troop438northsmithfield@gmail.com.
More information can also be found on Facebook and at www.troop438northsmithfield.com.