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U.S. NEWS Friday 13 OctOber 2017

It’s Boy Scouts vs. Girl Scouts as BSA moves to admit girls

By DAVID CRARY slashed the number of local
AP National Writer councils from 312 to 112. There
NEW YORK (AP) — Boy Scouts have been layoffs at many
and Girl Scouts pledge to be councils and at the national
friendly and helpful. But their headquarters as the organi-
parent organizations may find zation grappled with a large
that promise hard to keep as deficit. And there have been
they head into a potentially deep rifts between leadership
bitter competition triggered and grassroots members over
by the Boy Scouts of Ameri- the direction of programming
ca’s dramatic move to admit and efforts by many councils
girls throughout its ranks. to sell summer camps.
The BSA’s initiative, an- Suellen Nelles, who heads
nounced Wednesday, has al- the Farthest North Girl Scout
ready chilled what had been Council in Fairbanks, Alaska,
a mostly cordial relation- suggested that the series of
ship between the two youth problems caused the Girl
groups since the Girl Scouts Scout leadership to neglect
of the USA was founded in their relationship with the Boy
1912, two years after the Boy Scouts.
Scouts. “All of our issues have weak-
“We have always existed in ened us to the point where
a space with competitors,” the Boy Scouts now see op-
the Girl Scout’s chief cus- portunities,” she said.
tomer officer, Lisa Margosian, Nelles also said she was em-
said Thursday in an interview. barrassed by the harsh tone
“What happened yesterday In this Monday, May 29, 2017 file photo, Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts salute during a Memorial of some GSUSA statements
is that we have another new Day ceremony in Linden, Mich. On Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2017, the Boy Scouts of America Board assailing the Boy Scouts, such
competitor.” of Directors unanimously approved to welcome girls into its Cub Scout program and to deliver a as one written this week by
Rather than altering its mes- Scouting program for older girls that will enable them to advance and earn the highest rank of Latino civic leader Charles
sage, Margosian said, the Girl Eagle Scout. Garcia, a new member of Girl
Scouts will “double down” (Jake May/The Flint Journal - MLive.com via AP) Scouts’ national board.
with a commitment to em- smallest unit — will be single- whose base is Kalamazoo, She questioned whether that “The Boy Scouts’ house is
powering girls. gender, either all-boys or all- Michigan. “Girls and boys are was an issue of concern to on fire,” Garcia wrote in the
“We believe strongly in the im- girls. The larger Cub Scout wired differently — you can’t boys in the Boy Scouts. Huffington Post. “Instead of
portance of the all-girl, girl-led packs will have the option to just put out the same curricu- The new challenge from the addressing systemic issues of
and girl-friendly environment remain single gender or wel- lum.” Boy Scouts is only the latest in continuing sexual assault, fi-
that Girl Scouts provides,” the come both genders. A pro- Barker noted that many of the a string of difficulties faced by nancial mismanagement and
GSUSA said, describing itself gram for older girls — mirroring older girls in her council were the Girl Scouts over the past 15 deficient programming, BSA’s
as “the best girl leadership or- the Boy Scout curriculum — is interested in talking about is- years. senior management wants
ganization in the world.” expected to start in 2019 and sues such as the sexual-assault There was a wrenching re- to add an accelerant to the
The Boy Scouts’ official an- will enable girls to earn the problem on college campus. alignment in 2006-2009 that house fire by recruiting girls.”q
nouncement of their new coveted rank of Eagle Scout.
plan made no mention of Margosian said the Girl Scouts
the Girl Scouts, although BSA learned back in January that
board Chairman Randall Ste- the Boy Scouts were consider-
phenson said girls should have ing opening their ranks to girls.
the chance to benefit from his “They never reached out to
organization’s “outstanding let us know what was hap-
leadership development pro- pening,” she said. “Given our
grams.” history, as a courtesy, they
The BSA’s chief scout execu- could have let us know.”
tive, Michael Surbaugh, said Jan Barker, the long-serving
in an interview that the Girl CEO of the Girl Scouts’ Heart
Scouts offered “great pro- of Michigan Council, suggest-
grams” but argued that many ed that Boy Scout program-
parents viewed the two sets of ming would not be appropri-
programs as significantly dif- ate for many girls.
ferent and wanted the option “The Boy Scouts’ approach is
of choosing between them very militaristic and top-down,
for their daughters. and I don’t know if that’s the
Under the Boy Scouts’ new best environment for girls to
plan, Cub Scout dens — the feel nurtured,” said Barker,