The Boy Scouts of America announced Tuesday that the organization, which is facing bankruptcy and widespread sexual abuse allegations, will change its name to the Boy Scouts of America in an effort to become more inclusive.
The organization said the new name will take effect on February 8, 2025, which will be its 115th anniversary.
The name change is part of a broader rebranding effort by the organization to appeal to girls and is a response to longstanding criticism of a lack of inclusivity.
“Over the next 100 years, we want all young people in America to feel very, very welcome to our programs,” said Roger Krone, the organization’s president and CEO. tell the ap.p..
In February, the Supreme Court cleared the way for a $2.4 billion plan to resolve sexual abuse lawsuits against the Boy Scouts of America.Boy Scouts Reconciliation Involves More than 82,000 allegations of child sexual abuse.
The organization has Removed the word “boy” From the 2018 project of the same name, after announce plans Accept girls. At the time, the Boy Scouts of America said girls would be able to earn the highest rank of Eagle Scout.
Since then, the organization has welcomed 176,000 girls into its programs, with more than 6,000 of them achieving the rank of Eagle Scout, the Boy Scouts of America said in a statement.
In 2020, the organization announced Diversity and Inclusion Medal and will earn it as a requirement to become an Eagle Scout. In 2013, it Ending longstanding policy banning openly gay teens from activities.
The Boy Scouts of America is headquartered in Texas and was founded in 1910.Number of members Plunged during the epidemicwhich exacerbated existing legal, financial and social problems faced by the group.
The organization said its membership exceeded 2 million in 2020. The Boy Scouts of America said in a statement on Tuesday that the organization has “more than one million youth, both men and women.”
