Why Boy Scouts of America is changing its name

Amna Nawaz:

In a move towards rebranding and embracing inclusivity, the Boy Scouts of America announced this week that it's changing its name to Scouting America.

And, as Ali Rogin, tells us, the organization, which already includes thousands of girls in its programs, is aiming to attract a more diverse membership — Ali.

Ali Rogin:

Amna, this change comes at a pivotal time for the organization, as it continues to emerge from bankruptcy and is paying out more than $2 billion to men who say they were sexually abused as Scouts.

The Scouts have seen dwindling membership numbers in recent years and currently have just over one million members. That includes 176,000 girls and young women, with over 6,000 achieving the highest rank of Eagle Scout.

In a significant move towards inclusivity, the Boy Scouts also stopped excluding openly gay youth from its activities in 2013.

I'm joined now by Sydney Ireland, an Eagle Scout and advocate for girls in Scouting, who's been at the forefront of this campaign for almost a decade.

Sydney, thanks so much for being here.

What appealed to you about the Boy Scouts that you couldn't find within the Girl Scouts organization?

Sydney Ireland, Eagle Scout and Advocate for Girls in Scouting: Yes, thanks so much for having me, Ali. I'm so grateful to be here.

The Boy Scouts really taught me life skills that I personally couldn't find anywhere else. I think the Girl Scouts is an amazing organization, but it's really about choice for women. And, at that time, girls weren't able to join an organization that had really important ranks and had the Eagle Award that opens up opportunities for girls.

And so now it's so exciting that girls are able to have that opportunity and that the organization changed their name.

Ali Rogin:

And you joined the Scouts when they opened for girls in 2018. And before that, you had been following along because you had siblings who were in the program.

Officially, as we mentioned, girls started joining the Boy Scouts in 2018. This today is a name change, but why is that significant, in and of itself?

Sydney Ireland:

A name change is so significant because it shows the country and the world that this is a Scouting organization for everyone. It's not just for boys.

So while the Boy Scouts did open up years before, this change really ignites a new pressure on the organization to really embody their inclusivity mission now.

Ali Rogin:

I'm sure you're aware there's been some criticism from the conservative ranks, some lawmakers who are saying this is a byproduct of — quote — "wokeness."

What do you think of that?

Sydney Ireland:

I think that inclusivity is so important in especially an organization that prides itself on creating leaders.

And so I think this change in the name is only going to benefit everyone, including young men, young women, nonbinary people. And so it's such an exciting time for the organization.

Ali Rogin:

And what does the inclusion of girls bring to Scouting America?

Sydney Ireland:

I think it brings a new perspective. It's been this way for a few years now.

And so this name change opens up opportunities for people that hadn't heard of Scouting before or maybe didn't think it was open to girls because the name is Boy Scouts of America to now be involved in an organization that has created so many presidents, astronauts, leaders in the country and the world. And so it's just an important opportunity for young women to know that they have this here.

Ali Rogin:

You have been campaigning for these changes since you were a young child and you have been at it for more than a decade now.

And I have to ask you that you had some resistance from within the organization that you were trying to join. So I wonder, why did you — why was it so important to you to join? And why did you continue to want to join, despite that resistance?

Sydney Ireland:

Yes, there was resistance within the organization, but there was also a lot of support and maybe some people that didn't realize that it was so important for this change to happen and for the inclusion to occur.

And so, for me, it was really important for girls all around the country to be able to join a movement that is growing and will only grow more with this change. And, again, the leadership skills it teaches are uncomparable and unmatched to any other program that they could join. And so I just wanted girls to be able to have the same opportunities that boys have had for over 100 years.

Ali Rogin:

What's your favorite badge that you have earned over the years?

Sydney Ireland:

I really enjoyed the swimming badge. I got my BSA Lifeguard certification, and I spent a whole summer at camp. And so I really enjoyed that one.

But there's so many that I was able to do as part of the organization.

Ali Rogin:

Sydney Ireland, Eagle Scout and advocate for girls in Scouting, thank you so much for being here.

Sydney Ireland:

Thanks for having me.