The Boy Scouts of America are officially allowing girls to join their signature group, the Boy Scouts, as of Friday. The group for boys ages 11 to 17 will be renamed "Scouts BSA" and will begin allowing girls to join the scouting organization. "I could not be more excited for what this means for the next generation of leaders in our nation," Chief Scout Executive Michael B. Surbaugh told CNN on Friday. "Through Scouts BSA, more young people than ever before — young women and men — will get to experience the benefits of camaraderie, confidence, resilience, trustworthiness, courage and kindness through a time-tested program that has been proven to build character and leadership,” Surbaugh continued. ADVERTISEMENT The organization’s kids' program, Cub Scouts, has been accepting girls into its ranks since last year. Over 77,000 girls have reportedly joined the program so far. The name of that program will reportedly stay the same, however, in addition to the name of the parent organization. The organization first announced it would be welcoming girls into its programs in 2017. Though many have praised the organization for its inclusiveness, others were not happy with the group’s historic decision. Some on social media suggested the move was “politically correct.” The Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA) also issued a statement at the time that 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." GSUSA later sued BSA over a name change in a trademark infringement lawsuit. The group said in a statement to CNN on Friday that the move "does not change the position of Girl Scouts of the USA or our mission to serve girls, and girls only, and to foster their amazing leadership potential. We remain steadfast in our knowledge that Girl Scouts is the world's single best leadership development program for girls."<doc-sep>Boy Scouts change name, allow girls to join: ‘This is a huge opportunity for me’<doc-sep>BRIDGEHAMPTON, NY — One day before the Boy Scouts of America changes its name and launches a program for girls, allowing them to participate for the first time in the organization's history, a "fearless" teen who has fought for 13 years for change in the Scouting program continued her quest to earn her Eagle Scout rank — the highest honor in the Boy Scouts of America organization. For years, Ireland's dedicated crusade to join Boy Scouts has been documented on the East End , where her family lives in Bridgehampton, and in New York, where her family also has a home. On Thursday, despite the bitter cold, elected officials gathered around the "Fearless Girl" statue in New York City to support Sydney Ireland, who, despite only being 17, has worked tirelessly to help break down barriers. Ireland, said the elected officials present at the press event, has long been the catalyst for the organization's historic change. She has spoken at countless Scout meetings, and sent scores of emails and letters lobbying Boy Scout leaders to let her and other girls have the same opportunities boys have had for more than 100 years — the right to Boy Scout training and access to the prestigious Eagle Scout rank. "I feel that it's unjust to not take into consideration Sydney's Eagle Scout project owing solely to the fact that she is not a boy," said New York State Assembly member Harvey Epstein. "I ask that you immediately welcome Sydney as a full member, count the valuable work she, and others like her, have done towards earning the Eagle Scout rank." Those who gathered Thursday urged BSA leadership to recognize Sydney's work and that of many other young women, awarding them the merit badges and ranks they say she has rightly earned. "We call on the BSA to count all of rank and merit badges I, and many other girls, already completed before Feb. 1. The BSA was the last western country to end the discriminatory ban against girls and they should now welcome young women," Ireland said. "I look forward to the Boy Scouts immediately granting me and other qualified girls the official Eagle Scout recognition. As I said when I first began this journey: 'I can't change my gender to fit the Boy Scout standard, but the Boy Scouts can change their policies to let me in.'" Ireland said, after years of calling upon BSA to "end discrimination," she's thrilled and excited that the "ban on young women" will be lifted on Friday. New York State Senator Brad Holyman said his Eagle Scout award was one of the greatest honors of his youth — and that Ireland's persistence and courage in fighting for the rights of girls have earned her the right to be named an Eagle Scout. "I urge the BSA to recognize her work as soon as possible and will be proud to have Sydney join the ranks as an Eagle Scout," he said. Manhattan Borough President Gale A. Brewer agreed: "In the work she's put in since joining the Scouts at age four, Sydney Ireland has epitomized the Scout Oath and Law by being a responsible, committed citizen and leader. The BSA should demonstrate its new commitments to inclusiveness and bestow upon Sydney and all young women like her the ranks and merit badges they've earned." Ireland, said Sonia Ossorio, president of the National Organization for Women, has been a Scout in New York City's Troop 414 since she was four, doing everything alongside her brother and the other boys, including serving as senior patrol leader. "Her advocacy has been the catalyst to BSA embracing girls and officially accepting them as members. Yet the top brass won't officially accept the documented and Scout leader reviewed skill mastery, rank advancement and merit badges, including her Eagle Project, Sydney has achieved. It's a slap in the face to her as an exemplary Scout, who overcame all odds, and a sad beginning to what should be a positive new chapter in Scouting history. Unfortunately, this treatment is all too familiar to women the world over," she said. Before the press event, Ireland said the day was critically important, an effort to urge the BSA to accept all of the ranks that she and others have completed. "As of now, on Feb. 1st, I, along with other young women in my same position, will have to start over from the beginning of Scouting. I have completed every requirement to achieve Eagle Scout, but I did everything before they changed their policies. By getting the word out through this event, the BSA will be forced to question the validity and logic of their decision to have qualified Scouts repeat their ranks. Opening up their organization to young women is probably the biggest change that the BSA has ever made, and we want to make sure that they completely end all forms of discrimination that they had," Sydney Ireland said. When asked if she was about to "age out" of the chance to earn the Eagle Rank, Ireland said that while, under standard BSA procedure, a Scout has until their 18th birthday to achieve Eagle; BSA is granting an extension to all girls under 18 to achieve their Eagle under a certain time frame. "I, and other girls in my position, will eventually be able to become recognized Eagle Scouts, but the question is if they are going to count all of the many years of work we did prior to Feb. 1," she said. In a statement to Patch, a spokesperson for the BSA said, on Thursday: "Thanks to Sydney, as well as countless girls and their families who came to Scouting activities together for years and wanted to be able to do the same things, achieve the same advancements and earn the same awards as boys in the program, the BSA decided to welcome girls into its iconic programs in October, 2017. We are proud that Sydney Ireland will be one of the first girls to join Scouts BSA tomorrow, and we will be proud to see her grow in Scouting, attend the World Scout Jamboree and be one of the proud first female Eagle Scouts in the inaugural class that will be celebrated in 2020." In addition, the BSA spokesperson said: "We have shared these sentiments with Sydney and her family because we feel this is an important moment for her, for girls and for our Scouting movement. We have also been clear with Sydney about the path that is available to her to earn the Eagle Scout rank, as well as the efforts we are taking to make a path to Eagle available for all youth that join Scouts BSA." She may be young but Ireland has fought hard for more than a decade, and the experience, she said, has been meaningful. "I always do my best to live by the Scout Oath and Law and this journey has allowed me to embody what a true Scout should be. I advocated on behalf of future girls and young women that want to have the same opportunities that their male counterparts have had since 1910." A spokesperson for the BSA responded: "Given her unique circumstances and experiences, we have communicated directly with Sydney and her family about her specific path to Eagle, recognizing her accomplishments to date. For more than 100 years, the pinnacle of the Scouting experience for some has been achieving the highest rank of Eagle Scout. To honor the rigor of the path and dedication required to become an Eagle Scout, it's imperative that they follow the same steps as Eagle Scouts before them, and future Eagle Scouts who will come after them. "Our goal is to create a level playing field and ensure that all youth just joining Scouting will have the opportunity to achieve their dream and earn the rank of Eagle Scout. In keeping with this philosophy, all requirements must be completed while the individual is a registered member of Scouts BSA, or after achieving the first class rank in Scouts BSA," the BSA spokesperson said.<doc-sep>
WORCESTER – More change has come to the more than century-old Boy Scouts of America. Six new Boy Scout troops for girls launched in the area Feb. 1, allowing girls to now earn the Eagle Scout, the BSA’s highest honor. In 2018, the organization began allowing girls age 5-10 to join Cub Scouts. Boys and girls have separate dens. The organization also dropped the “boy” from its namesake program in order to appeal to girls. The new name is Scouts BSA. And now, older girls age 11-17 are welcome as Scouts BSA members. They will be allowed to participate in the programs that boys do, but in separate troops. BSA since 1971 has offered co-ed programs such as Venturing, Sea Scouts, Exploring and STEM Scouts, which serve boys and girls. But now girls will have their own single-gender BSA troops and be eligible to earn the coveted rank of Eagle Scout. Each girl troop must also have at least one adult female leader. Todd A. Lamison, CEO and Scout executive, for the relatively newly merged Worcester-based Heart of New England Council, said six new BSA troops for girls launched Friday in Acton, Gardner, Grafton, Fitchburg, Sturbridge and Winchendon. He said there has been strong interest to start additional troops in the next couple of months in Shrewsbury, Holden, Rutland, Leominster, West Boylston and Upton. “It will be our goal to start a Scouts BSA troop to serve girls in every community,” he said. Heart of New England Council is the new council name for the merged Mohegan Council and the Nashua Valley Council. Mr. Lamison said there are about 7,000 Scouts in the new council. Approximately 3,700 are Cub Scouts, including about 200 girls who joined last fall, he said. Nationwide, approximately 67,000 girls joined the Cub Scout program in the first several months. “The launch including girls in the Cub Scout program was a huge success. We expect the same type of success for the launch including girls in the Scouts, BSA program,” he said. The national organization decided in 2017 to offer the iconic Boy Scout program to girls after input from volunteers and busy families looking for a “one-stop shop” for both boys and girls. There was pushback from Girl Scouts of the USA, which said the move was a covert campaign to recruit girls away from its century-plus organization. GS maintained that its “all-girl, girl-led and girl-friendly environment … tailored specifically to their unique developmental needs …” is ideal for girls to learn and thrive. Lynn M. Denette of Winchendon, scoutmaster of the new Troop 6 for girls in Gardner, said five current Girl Scouts have joined Scouts BSA. One has earned the Gold Award, the highest and most prestigious award in Girl Scouts. A sixth application is expected from a girl who is crossing over from Cub Scouts. She said she is encouraging her girls to also continue with the Girl Scouts because the two programs offer different things. The girls now will be able to do more outdoor activities, including night camping, like the boys to become eligible to earn the rank of Eagle Scout and join Order of the Arrow, the honor society of Scouting, Ms. Denette said. Before a female had to be 21 to join OA. “The girls are very excited. They’ve been telling me they want to go kayaking, camping and hiking,” said Ms. Denette, a registered nurse, who has been involved in Scouting since her oldest son, now 35, was in the Cub Scouts. All three of her sons, including the two younger ones, ages 23 and 31, are Eagle Scouts. The first camp out is planned for Feb. 16 at Camp Split Rock in Ashburnham, where the girls will undergo some introduction to leadership training, she said. Christine “Chrissy” Chamberland is scoutmaster for Troop 163 for girls in the Sturbridge area. Ms. Chamberlain said her love for Scouting began as a young girl when she tagged along with her brother to meetings. As soon as she was old enough, she joined the Exploring program and started working on summer camp staff. “This is an exciting opportunity for the young women in the Sturbridge area. It has been a long time coming and we are ready to go,” Ms. Chamberland said. Tina Pilgrim plans to be the scoutmaster for a girl’s troop in Leominster.