Area troops respond to program name change

Boy Scouts to become Scouts BSA next February.

Wednesday’s announcement from the Boy Scouts of America that the trademark Boy Scouts program would be renamed Scouts BSA was felt not just nationally, but in Palm Beach County as well.

The move comes after months of steps taken by the nationwide scouting organization to be more welcoming to girls and transgender youths in an effort to curb declining membership. The name change will take effect in February 2019, the Boy Scouts of America said in a news release.

The Scouts BSA program includes children ages 10 to 17. The Cub Scouts program, for ages 7 to 10, will keep its gender-neutral name.

Terrence Hamilton, CEO and scout executive of the Gulf Stream Council that oversees Boy Scouts of America troops from Boca Raton to Vero Beach, said his organization is excited about the new name and its accompanying recruitment campaign, “Scout Me In.”

“Families have told us they’re looking for a single program that welcomes both girls and boys, and today’s announcement highlights that all kids can experience character-building fun and adventure of scouting,” Hamilton said via email.

The new name “perfectly represents the new, welcoming program for older Scouts that the Boy Scouts of America is proud to offer,” he added.

Cub Scouts will begin accepting girls this summer, and while other areas of the country have reported parents pre-registering their daughters, Hamilton said that has not happened with the Gulf Stream Council Cub Scout packs. Only one girl has shown interest in joining a local troop.

Lyn Monnette is more conflicted about the changes. The suburban Lake Worth mother of four — two girls and two boys — was a Girl Scout leader for 16 years and has been a leader with Boy Scouts of America for 11 years.

“So I’m really in the middle here,” she said. Her years of experience let her see the issue from both sides.

“I am a strong believer that the Girl Scouts create a safe space for girls to learn and thrive,” she said. “But I also see the family-friendly environment from the Cub Scouts.”

Boy Scouts of America has more leaders in each troop, Monnette said, and that may open more doors for children to have “bigger adventures.”

“There are components of the Boy Scouts program that are more appealing to girls who want to do more adventuring,” she said.