Times change for scouting families
Youth leaders say move to enroll boys and girls is a way to increase choice
Six-year-old Amy Baumert had a choice: join Girl Scouts or Cub Scouts.
She chose the latter, and says she likes sleeping in cabins, making s’mores, eating ice-cream sandwiches and making friends.
She had a lot of fun watching a rocket she made shoot into the sky at a rocket launching event.
Her mom, Sarah Baumert of Ellicott City, is a former Girl Scout troop leader who has five children, four of them involved in either Boy Scouts of America, Cub Scouting or Girl Scouts.
“I have everything,” Baumert said.
Her son Owen, 8, and Amy are both members of Cub Scout Pack 361, a “family” scouting pack where boys and girls are both invited to join. Pack 361 has 61 registered scouts, 51 boys and 10 girls.
“They can’t wait for scouts,” Baumert added. “They are always asking if it’s a scout week.”
In 2018, the Boy Scouts of America began allowing girls to join the previously all-male Cub Scouts. Children can join singlegender “dens” — all boys or all girls — which then become part of the larger co-ed “pack.”
Children in kindergarten through fifth grade can participate in Cub Scouts.
This past week, scouting took another step toward its co-ed future, when the movement’s signature Boy Scout level officially began allowing girls to advance to Boy Scouts.
The program’s name officially changed to Scouts BSA on Feb. 1, marking the acceptance of boys and girls ages 11 to 17 to join and earn the highest rank of Eagle Scout. Girls will be in single gender troops but will have the option to “link” to a boys troop and participate in certain activities together. The move stems from a 2017 decision by Boy Scouts of America to broader its base.
“Our decision to expand our program offerings for girls came after years of requests from families who wanted the option of the BSA’s character- and leadership-development programs for their children — boys and girls,” the Boy Scouts of America said in a statement. “We believe that we owe it to our current and future members to offer families the options they want.”
For the Baumerts, the move to co-ed family scouting has made it easier to balance family time and extracurricular activities. The family moved here from Minnesota in 2015 and has been involved in scouting since 2007.
“Scouting time is family time,” Baumert said. Another daughter, Anna, 11, is a Girl Scout who comes along to family events such as picnics or camping — but wants to stay in Girl Scouts.
“[She] loves Girl Scouts and has no desire to change,” Baumert said.
Baumert is happy there are scouting options for children. If her daughter Amy later decides to choose Girl Scouts, “I’m glad she has that option. … It doesn’t make sense to me that there should be one option See SCOUTS, page 8
She chose the latter, and says she likes sleeping in cabins, making s’mores, eating ice-cream sandwiches and making friends.
She had a lot of fun watching a rocket she made shoot into the sky at a rocket launching event.
Her mom, Sarah Baumert of Ellicott City, is a former Girl Scout troop leader who has five children, four of them involved in either Boy Scouts of America, Cub Scouting or Girl Scouts.
“I have everything,” Baumert said.
Her son Owen, 8, and Amy are both members of Cub Scout Pack 361, a “family” scouting pack where boys and girls are both invited to join. Pack 361 has 61 registered scouts, 51 boys and 10 girls.
“They can’t wait for scouts,” Baumert added. “They are always asking if it’s a scout week.”
In 2018, the Boy Scouts of America began allowing girls to join the previously all-male Cub Scouts. Children can join singlegender “dens” — all boys or all girls — which then become part of the larger co-ed “pack.”
Children in kindergarten through fifth grade can participate in Cub Scouts.
This past week, scouting took another step toward its co-ed future, when the movement’s signature Boy Scout level officially began allowing girls to advance to Boy Scouts.
The program’s name officially changed to Scouts BSA on Feb. 1, marking the acceptance of boys and girls ages 11 to 17 to join and earn the highest rank of Eagle Scout. Girls will be in single gender troops but will have the option to “link” to a boys troop and participate in certain activities together. The move stems from a 2017 decision by Boy Scouts of America to broader its base.
“Our decision to expand our program offerings for girls came after years of requests from families who wanted the option of the BSA’s character- and leadership-development programs for their children — boys and girls,” the Boy Scouts of America said in a statement. “We believe that we owe it to our current and future members to offer families the options they want.”
For the Baumerts, the move to co-ed family scouting has made it easier to balance family time and extracurricular activities. The family moved here from Minnesota in 2015 and has been involved in scouting since 2007.
“Scouting time is family time,” Baumert said. Another daughter, Anna, 11, is a Girl Scout who comes along to family events such as picnics or camping — but wants to stay in Girl Scouts.
“[She] loves Girl Scouts and has no desire to change,” Baumert said.
Baumert is happy there are scouting options for children. If her daughter Amy later decides to choose Girl Scouts, “I’m glad she has that option. … It doesn’t make sense to me that there should be one option See SCOUTS, page 8
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