October 18, 2017
The Palm Beach Post
Angela Frankland always looked forward to Cub Scout camping. But she wasn’t a Cub Scout.
“I used to love camping with (my brother) when he was in Cubs,” says Angela, 11, who lives in West Palm Beach. “Since he crossed over into Boy Scouts, I haven’t been able. And I miss it.”
Now, in the wake of the announcement that Boy Scouts of America will admit girls as soon as August 2018 and let them acheive the rank of Eagle Scout, it looks like she’ll get that chance. While some nationally and locally applaud the move as an encouraging sign of inclusion, others question why it’s necessary when Girl Scouts of America exists.
“I would challenge you that there is very little that a girl can do in Boy Scouts that she can’t do in Girl Scouts,” says Lisa Johnson, CEO of Girl Scouts of Southeast Florida, which includes more than 15,000 girl members and adult volunteers in six counties from Indian River to Broward.
Boy Scouts of America currently has four co-ed programs, including Venture Scouting, which focuses on outdoor activities like zip-lining, rock climbing and more. And families like the Franklands can participate in camping on the Cub Scout level.
So to some, the decision to admit girls as proper members is part of the evolution of BSA, which only recently reversed its ban on scouts and leaders from the LGBTQ community.
“How were they going to keep including other kids without giving girls the opportunity?” says John Krayeski, a Boy Scout parent who was until last year the Scout Master of Cub Scout Pack 141 in downtown West Palm Beach.
Both organizations say their ultimate goal is to create future leaders and to instill confidence and life skills in their members. Sarah Pardue of West Palm Beach, recently took the Girl Scout troop she leads, whose membership includes her daughter Layla, 6, on a beach clean-up with Cub Scout Pack 141 at MacArthur State Park.
“It was an excellent way of us all being together, because we all showed up and did our part for something good,” says Pardue, whose husband Rob owns a business affiliated with Eagle Scouts.
One of the main advantages of the Boy Scouts’ new policy, supporters say, is that it opens programs not available through Girl Scouts, like some of the more involved outdoor and adventure activities.
“We’re not trying to take anything away from GSA’s programs. But there are girls who want to join a troop,” says Tim Murphy, Scout Master of Cub Scouts Pack 141, which meets at Rosarian Academy in West Palm Beach.
