Boy Scouts are kind of a nostalgic childhood experience for many young men. For over a hundred years, the organization has been only for boys. The division between Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts had always been two separate camps, that is until one company did a major brand overall.
After 114 years, the Boy Scouts of America have announced a rebranding to be Scouting America. It’s not a surface-level change either. Becoming Scouting America means that the organization will publicly market and highlight the admission of girls and people of sexual orientation, two groups of people that had been excluded from joining and outright banned from the organization for decades. Although those admissions have slowly rolled out since 2013, these more inclusive admissions will be an official feature of the Boy Scout’s new rebranding strategy.
The changes come after decreased registration. At its peak in 1972, the Boy Scouts had five million registered members, but by the 2020s, that number had decreased to barely one million. This change also coincides with a bankruptcy plan of $2.4 billion alongside the company financially compensating some 80,000 men who were abused as children while scouting.
The Boy Scouts of America’s change came with not just social media backlash for being woke, but they came into legal matters with the Girl Scouts, who sued the organization, saying it affected its membership enrollment and confused the “scouting” marketplace. While the legal suit was turned down by a judge, the question still stands if the Boy Scouts of America’s change will negatively impact the registration of the Girl Scouts of the USA.
The new president Roger Krone hopes this shift will create a revival effect and ultimately steer the organization away from a downturn.
While the official name change doesn’t take effect until 2025, the organization hopes people will start using the name immediately.