By Dan Murphy
The Boy Scouts of America, Westchester-Putnam Council will hold its second annual Golf Classic and Dinner at Leewood Golf Club on Monday, July 9. This is a great opportunity to support the Scouts and play one of Westchester’s great golf courses, enjoyed by Babe Ruth and Bobby Jones over the decades.
The golf outing gave me the opportunity to write about the scouts and recent changes made on the national level. Upcoming changes, which will take effect in February, will allow Boy Scouts of America programs to also serve girls.
Girls who wish to join the Scouts BSA, which will be the new name of the current Boy Scouts, will join a girls-only BSA troop. There will be no co-ed of mixed boys and girls troops.
Current Boy Scout groups will remain as is and will be called Scouts BSA. Girls troops in the Scouts BSA will give girls the opportunity to earn and work toward the ranks of Eagle Scout, the coveted and difficult goal of every Scout.
I have had the opportunity to meet many Boy and Girls Scout troops in Westchester over the years. One is Eastchester Boy Scout Troop 353, and one of the proud fathers of an Eagle Scout in that troop is Tuckahoe Village Mayor Steve Ecklond.
Ecklond spoke about the impact that the Boy Scouts have had on his relationship with his son.
“The Scouting program has taught my son Dylan so many valuable life and leadership lessons,” he said. “The skills he’s learned in the program from first aid and lifesaving, to welding to space exploration, and so many more, are lessons that he would not have had the opportunity to sample anywhere else. I am not surprised at the willingness of girls to want to achieve these same fantastic opportunities.
“Almost all of my son’s life I’ve been in public office and along with the time constraints that it imposes on a family, the Boy Scout program has provided an opportunity for us to share a special bond in attending so many camping and other special events that have generated memories that we both will carry for a lifetime. Throughout all of the busy schedule of life and work, we always put a priority on Scouting trips and events.
“I have also had the chance to meet such a great group of dedicated parents and youth leaders and made many wonderful friendships,” continued Ecklond. “My son’s journey to becoming an Eagle Scout, at times challenging and difficult, was an experience that he will reflect on for the rest of his life and I’m so glad I had the chance to go along for the ride.”
Thanks, Mayor Steve, we couldn’t have said it any better.
Some more formal, and additional information on the upcoming changes to the Scouts are as follows, from the Boy Scouts of America:
The Boy Scouts of America organization name will continue to be Boy Scouts of America, this name is not changing. The Boy Scout program name, the program which currently serves boys ages 11 through 17, will change to “Scouts BSA” beginning February 2019, and will begin serving girls, as well as boys.
Under the new name of Scouts BSA, that program, which is the same iconic program it has always been, will continue to offer Scouting in single-gender troops, through which Scouts – ages 11 through 17 – can work to earn the Eagle Scout rank.
Before, during and after that program name change, the overall organization name will continue to be Boy Scouts of America. Both male and female participants in the Scouts BSA program will be referred to as “Scouts,” just as boys now in the Boy Scout program are often referred to as “Scouts.”
Concerning the single-gender troop structure in the Scouts BSA program, it will be as follows: Troop structure will remain single-gender, meaning a Scouts BSA troop will be made up of all boys or it will be made up of all girls. There will be no co-ed or mixed troops. Boys and girls will not be in troops together. Boys will be in troops with only boys, and girls will be in troops with only girls.
The Cub Scout program, which serves youth age 5 through 10 and has been available to boys since 1930, started serving girls in January 2018 through an Early Adopter program. Cub Scout registration will become available to boys and girls and in all councils starting in the summer of 2018.
At the Cub Scout level, den and pack structures are as follows:
There will be three types of Cub Scout packs – all-boy packs, all-girl packs, and packs that include a mix of girl dens and boy dens. Cub Scout dens will be single-gender: all boys or all girls.
This hybrid model builds on the benefit of a single-gender program while also providing character and leadership opportunities for both boys and girls.
For those who want to support the Westchester-Putnam Council of the Boy Scouts of America at its upcoming golf outing July 9 at Leewood Golf Club in Eastchester can call Gina Maloney at 718-931-9900, ext. 116.
