The new face of Scouting

Boy Scouts of America, now Scouting America, began welcoming girls in 2018 and now serves more than 176,000 girls nationwide. The decision was not only an acknowledgment of a trend toward inclusivity, but also an adaptation to the needs of modern families, where often both parents work. It was also, some said, long overdue.

“Opening up the program to females should have happened a long time ago,” said Joe Fucito, a 15-year Scoutmaster from Sparta, N.J. whose family’s Scouting history goes back to the 1930s. His sisters would have gone through Scout programming had it been available to them, he said.

In the Greater Hudson Valley Council, which serves Orange and Pike counties, 759 girls are registered in all its Scouting programs, said the council’s field director, Jon Whitaker. Orange County has 79 registered girls, an 8 percent increase from a year earlier, Whitaker said.

The Greater Hudson Valley Council’s female enrollment includes participants in both Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts (now BSA), which recently began a pilot program to allow organizations to operate combined-gender BSA troops.

When girls first were allowed in Scouting, only Cub Scout packs were permitted to be co-ed, while the older BSA troops were separated by gender, though opposite-gender groups could participate in shared programming.

The combined-gender pilot program

The Greater Hudson Valley Council has eight combined troops participating in the pilot program, including Troop 62 of Goshen, N.Y., led by Scoutmasters Melodie and Kevin Palacino.

“When the pilot program came, we wanted to be a part of it,” Melodie said.

While the girls’ and boys’ troops always did activities together, the combined troop solidified the girls’ feeling of belonging in Scouts, she said. The current senior patrol leader is a girl who just made Eagle Scout, Scouting’s highest achievement, she added.

The national organization requires a registered female adult to be present at female-attended Scout programming. Melodie said she has no problem finding women to help supervise Scouting activities.

She added that she is overprotective of the girls, who she said can get overwhelmed at large BSA events. However, she affirmed that the girls can hold their own and do whatever the boys do.

Although there was some initial objection to combining the girls’ and boys’ troops, the girls are well accepted now, Melodie said.

She is confident that the participants will want to continue and plans to keep the combined troop going “unofficially,” even if Scouting America decides to end the program.

Since the 1970s

Female participation in Scouting America is not new.

Scouting America’s Exploring and Venturing Programs have welcomed young women since the 1970s, said Fucito, the Scoutmaster from Sparta, N.J. With these programs for older participants already co-ed, Fucito said he sensed a need to open Scout programming to younger girls.

This was not about taking girls from Girl Scouts, he pointed out. Girls in Sparta’s BSA Troop 1150 are also in Girl Scouts.

Not for everyone

While BSA now offers many opportunities for girls, some feel that the organization is still centered on boys and may not be the right fit for everyone.

Warwick Town Supervisor Jesse Dwyer served as a co-den leader while his son was in Cub Scouts in Greenwood Lake. Meanwhile, his daughter participated in her local Girl Scouts Troop.

However, Emma Dwyer, now 14, did not continue in Girl Scouts because it wasn’t offering adventures and challenges similar to Boy Scouts.

She made a personal choice not to join BSA because she didn’t want to be a part of an organization that geared toward boys even if they allow girls to join.

Jesse Dwyer emphasized that like many girls, his daughter is just as tough and can do just about anything that a boy can do. However, he questioned whether certain Scouting activities were appropriate for girls and boys to do together.

Having led some intensive, multi-night camping trips under incredibly difficult conditions, he wondered if there would be enough adult women willing to do the same.

“At a time when volunteers are hard enough to come by in order to meet staffing requirements, this would make things even more challenging,” he said.

‘A true sisterhood’

Despite early concerns, growing interest in BSA has not deterred participation in Girl Scouts, which represents about 13,000 young girls and 8,000 adult active members.

“We are still seeing high enthusiasm for Girl Scouting from kindergarten through 12th grade,” said Jennifer Donohue, marketing and communications director of Girl Scouts Heart of the Hudson. “There are more opportunities than ever for girls and their families,” she said, from team sports to dance to Girl Scouting. “Every family chooses what works best for them.”

Sandra Andrade, troop leader for two Sparta, N.J., Girl Scout troops, agreed. Girls approached her about doing both Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts, she said, and she encouraged them to do both if they felt that was the right choice for them.

Andrade advises parents of girls interested in any Scouting program to “go wherever they felt the activities are more the skills they are looking for.”

Girl Scouts are about girl empowerment and being a part of what she called “a true sisterhood.”

Natalie Browne, a troop leader in Monroe, N.Y., shared a similar view, saying Girl Scouts has evolved with times while staying true to its roots of encouraging female leadership.

“A lot of Girl Scout programs focus on leadership and girl power. We’re trying to dispel the stereotypes,” said Browne, noting that it can be hard for girls to be leaders when boys are around.

Girl Scouts provides them a safe space to be themselves, she added.

It is a misconception that Boy Scouting is better suited for children looking for camping and other outdoor activities because Girl Scouts doesn’t offer that type of programming, she said.

“Girl Scouts is very localized. If the leader doesn’t like to go camping,” said Browne, “the troop won’t go camping.”

Browne’s troops do go camping. She reminisced that when she was a Girl Scout, camping and cooking outdoors were something every troop did.

Activities are chosen based on the interests of the girls, who oversee the planning; adults are just facilitators, she said.

Enrolling in Scouts, Girl Scouts or both is about personal choice, with both organizations offering unique opportunities.

“I think troop fit applies to both genders equally,” said Tina Bossio, whose son is in Scouts. “Before joining a troop, a child – boy or girl – should shop around to see which troop they are most comfortable with and fits their goals.”