'A natural progression': Valley Boy Scout leaders talk about allowing girls

Becky Johnson can see both sides.

As a mother to three Boy Scouts and one Girl Scout, she can understand why Wednesday's announcement that the Boy Scouts will begin allowing girls next year could be uncomfortable for some.

"As the mom of boys, I do value boy time where boys can be boys," she said. "I think both boys and girls can benefit from having their own space."

But as the committee chairwoman for Cub Scout Pack 54 in Lopatcong Township, Johnson has also seen families -- including little sisters -- involved in scouting events, doing the same hikes and other activities, essentially everything but gaining rank.

"I don't think that it would be too much of a stretch to include a girl component," she said.

That family involvement was what the Boy Scouts of America said was behind its decision to welcome girls into its program. The Boy Scouts board of directors, which approved the plan unanimously in a meeting at BSA headquarters in Texas, said the change will provide more options for parents. From the official announcement:

Families today are busier and more diverse than ever. Most are dual-earners and there are more single-parent households than ever before, making convenient programs that serve the whole family more appealing. Additionally, many groups currently underserved by Scouting, including the Hispanic and Asian communities, prefer to participate in activities as a family. Recent surveys of parents not involved with Scouting showed high interest in getting their daughters signed up for programs like Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts, with 90 percent expressing interest in a program like Cub Scouts and 87 percent expressing interest in a program like Boy Scouts.  Education experts also evaluated the curriculum and content and confirmed relevancy of the program for young women.

"I've seen nothing that develops leadership skills and discipline like this organization," said Randall Stephenson, chairman of the Boy Scouts' national board. "It is time to make these outstanding leadership development programs available to girls."

The plan will impact Cub Scouts first starting in 2018. The Cub Scout packs will have the option to remain single gender or welcome both genders, while the smaller dens -- the smallest unit -- will be single-gender, either all-boys or all-girls.

The program for older girls is expected to start in 2019 and will enable girls to earn the coveted rank of Eagle Scout.

Cub scouts from Pack 11 in Palmer Towship wait to present the colors prior to a Lehigh Valley Phantoms' game in 2014. (lehighvalleylive.com file photo) 

The announcement follows many 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 existing programs, such as Venturing and Sea Scouts.

"This is kind of a natural progression of our programs," said Craig Poland, scout executive and CEO of the Minsi Trails Council, which includes Cub Scout packs and Boy Scout troops in the Lehigh Valley and Warren County.

The Girl Scouts of the USA 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.

"Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts are separate organizations founded to meet various developmental and leardership needs of girls and boys, respectively," said Kim Fraites-Dow, CEO of Girl Scouts of Eastern Pennsylvania, which includes the Lehigh Valley's Girl Scout troops. "Girl Scouts' inclusive all-girl, girl-led program leads girls to discover a strong sense of self, connect with others and value the power of diversity, and to identify needs in their community and take action to make the world a better place."

As of March, the Girl Scouts reported 1,566,671 youth members and 749,008 adult members nationwide, down from just over 2 million youth members and about 800,000 adult members in 2014. The Boy Scouts say current youth participation is about 2.35 million, down from 2.6 million in 2013 and more than 4 million in peak years of the past.

Cub Scout Pack 54, of Lopatcong Township, raises the flag before their annual Pinewood Derby Race in 2012. (Tim Wynkoop | lehighvalleylive.com contributor) 

Johnson, with Lopatcong's Pack 54, said her daughter has found Girl Scouts to be the better fit, "but I know for some girls, Cub Scouts is desired."

For now, she said, pack leaders will get together to discuss how to proceed.

And to anyone concerned about the transition, she said, "it's good to take a breath and be patient."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Steve Novak may be reached at snovak@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @type2supernovak and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.

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