Scouting For All

Written by Megin Potter | Photos Provided by Twin Rivers Council

Today, more than 31,000 girls across the nation have registered for the Boy Scouts of America (BSA). Locally, during the last year, the Twin Rivers Council has increased their female membership more than 33% to 400 girls - a number that continues to grow. 

Scouting is an extracurricular activity that has traditionally been thought of as being divided based on gender. This is a widespread misconception. 

Venturing crews, Sea Scout units, and Exploring programs (for ages 14-20) have been coed for more than 50 years. Cub Scouts (for children in grades K-5) has been a family activity since its inception. The “traditional” scouting experience (for youth ages 11-17) in contrast, characterized by its outdoor adventures and community service projects, didn’t graduate their first class of female Eagle Scouts until 2021. 

Taking their Place in History 

Through the years, as societal structure shifts, the increasing number of single-parent and dual-earning households has resulted in less free time. Parents today are looking for activities all their children can enjoy at the same time and place, regardless of gender. 

“Before they were offered the opportunity to register, girls were there the whole time, participating in the background all along,” said Mark Switzer, Executive Director of the local Scouts BSA district, the Twin Rivers Council. The decision to allow girls to register as members was not a result of top-down politics, but an initiative driven by the families up the chain of command so that sisters and brothers could participate in activities simultaneously.

“In hindsight, it has been an extremely smooth transition. Leading up to it, however, there was a lot of concern about how it was going to be reacted to,” he said. 

One concern was that because girls mature a lot quicker than boys, the boys would feel left behind, but that just hasn’t been the case, he added.

One reason for this is the BSA’s organizational structure. Within Cub Scout packs are dens and dens remain single gender, said John Koch, Cub Scouts Unit Commissioner and Saratoga Cub Scout Pack 4016 Committee Chair. If desired, dens may meet at the same time and place. A female den must have a female 21 years of age or older as one of their registered adult leaders. It is also not mandated that packs must be a co-ed unit. The decision is voluntary. In Saratoga County, there are four co-ed packs and two girls’ troops.

Voice of the Youth

Boy Scouts of America was built on the pillars of character development and community service. What the children are saying about why they’re interested in the program centers around the experiences they have as a part of the club, said Twin Rivers Council Membership Director Tory Carman.

“They want to learn what they may not be getting in school or may not have the opportunity to participate in elsewhere - things like survival skills, building a fire, cooking, and personal finance,” she said. These activities allow them to build relationships and their self-confidence, while also learning leadership skills. 

Since its founding in 1910, Boy Scouts of America has been exclusively for boys. In the five years since girls were first permitted, a great leap for equality has been struck, allowing the organization to continue to be a meaningful educational organization. Scouting USA continues to grow - locally, nationally, and internationally.