IRVING, Texas — In an important transition, the Boy Scouts of America has rebranded itself as Scouting America, which appears to be yielding a slight increase in youth enrollment. This development offers hope as the organization strives to move forward from challenges such as scandals and a bankruptcy process.
As Scouting America marks its 115th anniversary this Saturday, President and CEO Roger Krone has emphasized the message of inclusivity that the organization plans to uphold. He acknowledged that there was some negative feedback regarding the name change announced last year but highlighted that the overall response has been largely favorable and has sparked increased interest. “A more gender-neutral name led many people to want to learn more about us,” Krone shared.
While the overall membership increase has been modest — around 16,000 additional scouts, representing less than a 2% rise from the previous year — this growth is particularly encouraging following a significant decline during the COVID-19 pandemic. The organization, which opened its scouting programs to girls in 2018, currently has just over one million members. Krone noted that the Cub Scouts, aimed at younger children, experienced an increase of nearly 3%.
Though boys still represent the majority of participants, over 196,000 girls took part in Scouting America activities last year, with more than 8,000 achieving the esteemed rank of Eagle Scout. The official name change will coincide with the weekend’s birthday festivities, which will see landmark sites across the United States lit up in red, white, and blue, including places such as Niagara Falls and the Empire State Building. Next week, a newly designed flag featuring the Scouting America logo will be raised at the organization’s headquarters in Irving, Texas.
This rebranding is just one of several significant occurrences for the historically grounded organization, including its bankruptcy filing in 2020 amid allegations of sexual abuse from thousands of individuals, primarily men, who recounted their experiences as young scouts. Earlier changes included the acceptance of gay youths in 2013 and the ending of a prohibition against gay adult leaders in 2015. Girls began joining the Cub Scouts in 2018 and were allowed into the flagship program — now called Scouts BSA — in 2019.
The organization’s $2.4 billion bankruptcy restructuring plan commenced in 2023, enabling it to continue operations while providing compensation to sexual abuse survivors. During the bankruptcy period, more than 82,000 abuse claims were filed. To fund the settlement trust for survivors, which has already started making payments, the organization sold campgrounds, properties, and valuable artworks, including iconic paintings by Norman Rockwell.
Krone also mentioned that efforts are underway to digitize Scouting America’s resources, creating a platform that will provide multilingual programs. This initiative aims to assist non-English-speaking parents in understanding and participating in their child’s scouting activities.
Wally Tirado, who is active in the Dallas area through a Scouting America leadership group, noted the diversity among young members at a dinner honoring newly appointed Eagle Scouts. He described the gathering as a “room full of cultures” representing various parts of the world. Tirado, a district commissioner in the Circle Ten Council, affirmed that despite the name change, the essence of the program remains intact: “It’s still the same program,” he stated. “Just because we changed our name doesn’t mean we changed what we do.”
