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Boy Scouts' decision to welcome girls isn't completely welcome

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Boy Scouts' decision to welcome girls isn't completely welcome

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This news clip introduced the topic to the reader and also gave some details and information from the Boy Scouts organization. It also included an interview with the president of the organization talking about the controversy around the topic and he talks about the fact that parents have requested that their girls be able to participate in the Boy Scouts' affairs.  A quote from the president of Girl Scouts who was criticizing the decision was also included.

This short video peaked my interest on the issue because the president of Girl Scouts made a good point that 90% of the nation's boys do not participate in the program so they should not focus on girls.

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The 107-year-old organization announced Wednesday that younger girls will be allowed to join Cub Scouts and that older girls will be eligible to earn the prestigious rank of Eagle Scout.

"The historic decision comes after years of receiving requests from families and girls," Boy Scouts of America said in a statement. The group said it considered input from current members and leaders before making the decision.

BSA said the expansion is also aimed at helping busy families consolidate programs for their children.

"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," the BSA statement said.

The announcement drew praise from scouting leaders, mixed reactions from women's groups and indirect criticism from Girl Scouts USA.

Friction with Girl Scouts

For months, Girl Scouts USA had a notion BSA would try to start recruiting girls. In August, Buzzfeed News obtained a strongly worded letter in which GSUSA President Kathy Hopinkah Hannan accused the BSA of courting girls to boost falling enrollment numbers.

It's also no secret that BSA membership has been declining for years. In 2016, the organization reported 2.3 million youth members, a decrease from 2.8 million in 2012. The Boy Scouts' membership peaked in 1972, with 6.5 million members.

On Wednesday, Girl Scouts responded to the BSA's announcement without explicitly naming the Boy Scouts.

"The need for female leadership has never been clearer or more urgent than it is today -- and only Girl Scouts has the expertise to give girls and young women the tools they need for success," Girl Scouts USA said.

"The benefit of the single-gender environment has been well-documented by educators, scholars, other girl- and youth-serving organizations, and Girl Scouts and their families. Girl Scouts offers a one-of-a-kind experience for girls with a program tailored specifically to their unique developmental needs."

'The future is bright'

But scouting leaders lauded the expansion, which will begin in 2018.

Zach Wahls, co-founder of the nonprofit Scouts for Equality, said the development was "yet another step forward," for the Boy Scouts.

"Today, the Boy Scouts have made clear they have heard the millions of girls and their families and will allow Scouts of all genders to participate as full members and earn the rank of Eagle," Wahls, an Eagle Scout, said in a statement Wednesday.

"We are proud of the Boy Scouts of America for taking this step forward, and we believe the future is bright for Scouting in America."

Ahmad Alhendawi, the Secretary-General and CEO of World Scouting, tweeted: " "I welcome @boyscouts decision to integrate girls in their programs. On #DayOfTheGirl, we affirm #Scouting commitment to girls empowerment."

The National Organization for Women had a mixed response to the Boy Scouts' announcement.

"I think it's a good thing in that the Boy Scouts have a long history of discrimination and they are taking action," NOW President Toni Van Pelt said. "The devil is in the details and we need to wait and see how this plays out."

The news also received mixed reactions on social media, with some critics calling the move unnecessary and "PC."

Donald Trump Jr. also weighed in, saying, "Strange, I thought that's what the Girl Scouts was for???."

The National Catholic Committee on Scouting, whose stated mission is to ensure the Boy Scouts "as a viable form of youth ministry with the Catholic youth of our nation," said it has accepted the BSA's decision but did not offer a formal opinion.

"Once we have had more time to review the policy and a chance to consult our national membership, we will be able to comment further about how this new policy will reflect changes in the makeup of Catholic chartered units in the Boy Scouts of America," the committee said in a statement.

A new prestigious goal for girls

The decision to allow girls to achieve the rank of Eagle Scout is significant for several reasons.

The rank of Eagle Scout is a prestigious and widely recognized achievement, one that can have long-term benefits in academic, professional and even military spheres. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, Neil Armstrong and Former US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates are just a few notable men who have attained the rank of Eagle Scout.

While there is a rough equivalent in the Girl Scouts -- the Gold Award -- the honor is not nearly as well-known as the Eagle Scout distinction.

The Boy Scouts' announcement fell on the International Day of the Girl, designated by the United Nations in 2012 as a day to discuss and celebrate equal opportunities for young women around the globe.

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boy scouts' decision to welcome girls isn't completely welcome - cnn

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Boy Scouts' decision to welcome girls isn't completely welcome

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The 107-year-old organization announced Wednesday that younger girls will be allowed to join Cub Scouts and that older girls will be eligible to earn the prestigious rank of Eagle Scout. "The historic decision comes after years of receiving requests from families and girls," Boy Scouts of America said in a statement.

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This opinion article by Kate Tuttle from the New York Times was against the decision to allow girls into Boy Scouts.  She also touched on the fact that Boy Scouts most likely did this as a marketing scheme to broaden their audience. Another point that she made is that having girls in a dominantly boys program may allow the boys and leaders to force paternal morals on the children.

This article made me realize the negative aspects of the decision and drastically changed my opinion against the situation. I agree with this article.

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The Girl Scouts have long focused on social justice, diversity and inclusion in their activities. And as members of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts, a global body, they have provided financial support to organizations such as Oxfam, Amnesty International and Doctors Without Borders. Feminist icons routinely recall their Girl Scout days as a source of strength and confidence that launched them into lives of purpose.

As a result, the Girl Scouts have become a sort of boogeyman for conservatives. In May of this year, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas announced it was cutting ties with the Girl Scouts, choosing instead to partner with American Heritage Girls, a right-leaning scouting group. Some anti-abortion organizations have even gone so far as to boycott the Girl Scouts' trademark - and delicious - cookies.

In making this change, the Boy Scouts aren't pursuing some kind of radical coed style of scouting. What's been lost in the discussion is that by all accounts, the plan wouldn't so much let girls in as form separate girls' wings - a sort of junior ladies' auxiliary - for girls whose families shy away from the scary, liberal, feminist Girl Scouts. The Boy Scouts' statement hints as much, promising that they want "to offer families an important additional choice in meeting the character development needs of all their children." This sounds so benevolent, until you remember that there already is an organization that helps girls develop character: the Girl Scouts.

We live in an era of fake news and strange bedfellows. While the Boy Scouts announcement is being spun as a courageous gesture toward gender equality, it's more likely to further patriarchal goals. And it's certainly surprising for me, a liberal feminist, to find myself agreeing with Donald Trump Jr., who expressed his dismay about the new policy - albeit for totally different reasons.

There are real conversations to be had about single-sex youth organizations, and hard questions we ought to face about the role religion, race and class play in them as well. But this situation isn't really all that complicated, at least not from the point of view of this former Brownie: there's nothing progressive about trying to undercut a venerable organization that serves girls. And there's nothing so cynical as a corporate strategy dressed up as to look like empowerment.

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Opinion | The Fake Wokeness of the Boy Scouts

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The Girl Scouts have long focused on social justice, diversity and inclusion in their activities. And as members of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts, a global body, they have provided financial support to organizations such as Oxfam, Amnesty International and Doctors Without Borders.

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I had a conversation with my mother about the topic and as I told her about the situation she liked the idea and thought it was a good feminist gesture. As I told her details about it, she changed her opinion and also though it was not a very good idea to integrate the genders.

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The BSA Expands Programs to Welcome Girls from Cub Scouts to Highest Rank of Eagle Scout

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The BSA Expands Programs to Welcome Girls from Cub Scouts to Highest Rank of Eagle Scout

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This digital media source is from the Boy Scouts of America's website from a page that introduces the idea of girls being welcomed into the program.  The article tells about why they have unanimously decided to welcome girls: there have been many requests over the years by families and girls, and they believe it is a good way to meet all the character development needs for a family's children (boys & girls).

I do not agree with this article because after researching about this topic using other topics, I do not think it will work out the way they want it to and I also do not believe these are the only reasons they have deiced to go forward with this. I believe they have mostly done it to get more members into their organization and more support from families and outsiders as all three of these have been on the decline in recent years.

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These sources have been very effective because they give good information about the situation and connect it to the ideas and history of the BSA.  My opinion has changed through the research because at first, I agreed with the decision to allow girls, but after my research my opinion is against the idea and I predict that it will be difficult for paternal, male supremacy morals to not be included on the new coed experiences because there will still be a large majority of boys and it is a conservative organization.

The class discussions were very useful because it allowed me to learn about other topics and also enlighten myself on new ideas about my own topic. I especially appreciated the highlighted quote activity for these same reasons. It was good to hear others' opinions about it and then input my own opinion