Joining the ranks Cub Scouts now accept girls as members in 'Family' program
There are new faces in Butler County's Cub Scout packs this fall. And some of those faces belong to girls.
Starting in September, the Moraine Trails Council BSA, which oversees 2,613 Boy and Cub Scouts in 14 troops and packs in Butler, Armstrong and Lawrence counties, launched a Family Scouting program that, in its initial stages, has allowed girls in kindergarten through fifth grade to join Cub Scout packs.
Chad Rugh, the district director of the Moraine Trails Council, said, “There are 33 girls as of today, with another 12 in Armstrong County, that are in Cub Scouts.”
The action is the result of a decision last fall by the Boy Scouts of America to allow girls to join the organization as Cub Scouts and, next February, eventually be allowed to join a Boy Scout troop.
National Chief Scout Executive Michael Surbaugh, said at the time, “The values of Scouting — trustworthy, loyal, helpful, kind, brave and reverent, for example — are important for both young men and women.
“We strive to bring what our organization does best — developing character and leadership for young people — to as many families and youth as possible as we help shape the next generation of leaders.”
Rugh said, “The BSA national organization did a study that found families were more interested in having their children involved in an activity than having multiple meeting nights.”
<br />He added, “We rely on chartered partners — churches, veterans groups, fire departments — that sponsor our packs and troops.“Of the 35 (chartered partners) in the Moraine Trails Council area, two are not participating in Family Scouting,” Rugh said.“Most of the response has been positive. Those with negative opinions, some don't understand the concept,” he said.“It will gives us a better option to serve more families and create better leaders for tomorrow,” said Rugh.For Megan Weston of Penn Township, who has signed up her 5-year-old twins, Scarlett and Savannah, for Cub Scouts in Pack 53 that meets at Nixon United Methodist Church in Penn Township, it's a matter of logistics. She's already taking their older brother T.J. to the church anyway.Weston said, “Their older brother is in Scouts, so we are always there. They wanted to join, especially Scarlett.”Weston said, “Scarlett wanted to do the activities that T.J. wanted to do, like shooting archery.”But this doesn't mean T.J. and his sisters are going to be in the same den.Under the Family Scouting program, said Rugh, established Cub Scout packs may choose to create a new girl pack, establish a pack that consists of boy dens and girl dens or remain an all-boy pack. Scout dens will be single gender: either all boys or all girls.Rugh said, “And basically we are not a co-ed program. Boys and girls are separated into dens so they can develop at their own pace.”Rugh said in February the Boy Scouts are going to launch a program allowing girls ages 11 to 17 to join the Boy Scouts and eventually even earn an Eagle Scout rank.The Boy Scouts will change its name to Scouts USA to reflect this new membership.The national organization doesn't see this as a departure from Scouting's original mission and values which are to to prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetimes by instilling in them the values of the Scout Oath and Scout Law.Charlie Hoffman, 9, of Butler, is joining Pack 53 as a Webelo, a rank that prepares those who have completed third grade but have not yet completed fifth grade or reached age 11 1/2 to bridge into a Boy Scout troop.
Her grandmother, Margie Hoffman, said, “Her dad was an Eagle Scout and she has two older brothers in Scouts. She sees all the stuff they do.”Charlie agreed she is following a family tradition.She said, “My dad was one and my brothers are Scouts, and I went to almost every meeting, and I want to join for the camping and science experiments.”However, girls can get all that and the added benefit of a single-gender environment if she joins the Girl Scouts, according to Lisa Shade, director of marketing and communications for Girl Scouts Western Pennsylvania, which oversees 21,000Girl Scouts in 27 counties in the western section of the state.“We believe in the benefits of a single-gender environment for girls. In a co-ed environment, girls don't get a chance to be in a safe, supportive place to explore leadership roles and interests,” said Shade.“Girls need a space of their own so they have the chance to try new things on their own and fail,” she said.And with a girl-led troop, the girls decide on their activities, community service projects and leadership roles.“For over 100 years, the Girl Scouts have been creating programs that give girls a unique opportunity to develop their courage, confidence and character,” said Shade.Offering hands-on, girl-led, girl-centered learning in STEM (science technology, engineering and math), the outdoors, and entrepreneurship, and abundant opportunities to develop invaluable life skills, Girl Scouts helps all girls, said Shade.
