Why the Boy Scouts Are for Girls Now, Too

The values of Scouting are important for both young men and women, and I am proud of the unanimous decision to invite girls to Cub Scouts and to deliver a program that will enable them to earn the rank of Eagle Scout. I believe that this expanded offering will provide families interested in positive and lifelong experiences for their children a unique option to meet their needs. But, as with any change, this announcement has raised some questions from the Scouting community and I chose to address a few of those in an op-ed, which you can access below.

I hope you’ll take a few minutes to allow me to share with you why and how we went about making this decision.

Story from CNN, Op-Ed: 

Consider for a moment the benefits of camaraderie, confidence, resilience, trustworthiness, courage and kindness. If we hope to see these attributes in our children and in the future generation of leaders, it is important that we strengthen efforts to instill those values. I will celebrate every institution that seeks to do so — and that includes the Girl Scouts.

Since its inception in 1912, the Girl Scouts’ renowned program has helped empower generations of courageous and confident young women who seek to make the world a better place. It is a strong program that works. I believe in the Girl Scouts just as I believe in Boy Scouts and all character-building efforts. Nonetheless, we decided it was time to open our doors, and welcome girls into Cub Scouting. This decision does not make our programs co-ed; it provides single-sex programs for girls, in addition to the current programs for boys.

To read the full story, head to CNN for the original article.

Yours in Scouting,

Mike