PENSACOLA, Fla. — Boy Scouts of America is getting a brand new identify — rebranding to “Scouting America” subsequent yr.
The group — which let ladies take part 2019 — says it is to advertise inclusivity.
Ben Bergosh has been a Boy Scout since he was 6-years-old. He is now an Eagle Scout.
Eagle is the best rank a Boy Scout can earn, with solely about 5 % of scouts attaining it.
He says the important abilities he is realized from his scouting profession have performed a giant function in his life.
“With the ability to assist folks is one in all my huge issues. I will be a firefighter,” he stated. “So I used to be capable of see via my scouting profession that that is the profession I needed to do.”
Since 1910, the group has prioritized getting ready younger folks to make moral and ethical decisions over their lifetimes by instilling in them the values of the scout oath and scout regulation.
However regardless of its identify, it isn’t a boys-only membership.
“It is one thing I did not ever see myself doing,” stated Jakayla Armstrong. “In fact once you consider Boy Scouts you consider boys.”
Armstrong is without doubt one of the 1000’s of ladies in Boy Scouts.
She’s additionally an Eagle Scout — the primary black feminine in Alabama to make that rank.
“The abilities that I’ve realized in scouting are abilities that I will have with me for the remainder of my life,” she stated.
However now extra ladies could possibly be becoming a member of amid the identify change.
“The identify change is a mirrored image of the group that we’re, the youth that we serve and the youth that we need to serve sooner or later,” stated Roger Krone, Scouting America CEO NA-34WE.
The 2 Eagles reacted to the change.
“The occasions are altering,” Armstrong stated. “You may see extra ladies develop into Eagle Scouts and extra ladies who need to simply do scouting.”
“I feel that it is good for each folks,” Bergosh stated. “Whether or not feminine or male, to have the chance to study abilities and data primarily based on the scouting precept.”
Bergosh says in scouts he is realized vital survival abilities that might assist him make it out of a life-or-death state of affairs.
“I feel that these abilities will assist everybody in the long term,” he stated.
“Ultimately, all of us win,” Armstrong stated.
The Boy Scouts will formally make the change in February.