Bay Area teen approves of new more inclusive name for Boy Scouts of America
The Boy Scouts of America announced Tuesday that the organization will be rebranding next year, changing its name to "Scouting America."
The new name emphasizes the organization's commitment to providing a space for both girls and boys.
"I believe it's more inclusive," 17-year-old scout Sydney Lee said.
Lee started with Boy Scouts of America or BSA back in 2019, when she was only 12. She found out from her neighborhood troop that girls were allowed to be scouts starting in 2018.
"I thought it would be fun to do, with my friends especially," she said.
Initially, Yee was one of the only girls in the troop.
"When I joined, there was obviously a bigger ratio of boys to girls. But as the years have gone, on our girls troop has expanded and they're almost equal amount of people now," Yee said about the growth of girls within the BSA.
In her five years with the organization, she has already achieved the high status of Eagle Scout. But the Eagle Scout neckerchief slide -- and many of her patches -- have the word "boy" on them.
She says she wanted to be a scout because she likes the outdoors and enjoys learning about camping, hiking, and boating, among other skills.
"It teaches you a lot of life skills and survival skills, which I think is good for more females to get introduced to," Lee explained.
BSA Golden Gate Area Council Scout Executive Mike Hale told CBS News Bay Area he has been waiting for this change.
"It was a little awkward, still being the Boy Scouts," Hale said.
He says since 2018 the number of girls who are a part of the organization continues to grow.
"In the Bay Area, at least in our council, about 20 percent of our membership is girls and young ladies, so it just made a lot of sense for us," Hale said. "Nationally it's about the same."
He says at first the majority of the girls who joined the organization already had brothers who were a part of it, but now girls are joining on their own.
Yee does not have a brother in BSA. She says there are times she's the only girl at certain BSA activities, but she's learned to embrace it.
"Sometimes it's kinda intimidating, but then I remember that girls and maybe inspiring other girls to also partake in these activities," she said.
The name change will officially go into effect on February 8th of 2025. That day marks the organizations 115th anniversary.
