Two local Cub Scout packs have become among the first in the organization to accept girl members. In January, the Hermon-DeKalb Pack 144 became the first in northern New York to start accepting girls. Pack 38, based in Waddington, N.Y., also recently became coed. The two packs are part of the new Family Scouting program.
While most Cub Scout packs will not become coed until Fall 2018, Pack 114 and Pack 38 met the eligibility requirements to begin the transition early. “Us in the North Country, we are part of what is called the Early Adopters,” said Haley Sylvan, district executive of the Northern Lights Boy Scout district. To gain admittance to the program, the packs needed to meet certain criteria, like fully training all volunteers and maintaining an organized scouting program.
The Cub Scouts are broken up into dens, which contain members who are around the same age. Members of different dens form a larger group called a pack. Under the new Family Program, dens will continue to be separated by gender, but packs will now be coed.
“We are allowing girls access to the program in a pack setting,” said Sylvan. Pack 38 currently offers two dens for girls.
The Boy Scouts of America (BSA) announced their intent to welcome girls into some scouting programs in October 2017. Packs can choose whether to remain all-boys or to become coed. A program for older girls that will allow them to earn the rank of Eagle Scout will likely start in 2019.
In the past, girls could participate in a few select scouting programs. However, they had been barred from the Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts, which are the two most popular programs offered by the BSA.
While many have lauded the Boy Scouts’ decision, the Girl Scouts feel that girls better succeed in all-female organizations. “We believe strongly in the importance of the all-girl, girl-led, and girl-friendly environment that Girl Scouts provides, which creates a free space for girls to learn and thrive,” according to the association in an official blog post.
Furthermore, the Girl Scouts believe that the Boy Scouts’ dwindling numbers drove the organization to become coed. Since 2000, the number of Boy Scouts has fallen by approximately a third.