- Boy Scouts of America announced in May re-branding to 'Scouting America' reflecting the organization’s ongoing commitment to being more inclusive.
- Troop 201 has been operating in the Quincy neighborhood since the 1920's.
- Watch the video to see what the changes are to this program.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Being outdoors but learning important life lessons along the way. I'm Ashley Engle your Quincy neighborhood reporter. Right now, I’m, standing in front of troop 201 in this neighborhood. I'm checking to see how scouting has benefited many boys and girls here.
Troop 201
"This give them a time to learn skills specifically"
A Troop that is teaching boys and girls in this neighborhood for life.
Jenni Briggs is a scout master for the girls at Troop 201.
"I have three scouts that are new and two older scouts that are seniors."
Right now, both boys and girls at Troop 201 are together.
Back in May, the Boy Scouts of America announced it will rebrand itself as Scouting America to be more welcoming allowing girls to be a part of it.
It's been five years since the organization first admitted girls into their scouts BSA Program
"I personally honestly was very against at first until i learned what it was about, learned why they were doing it and how they were doing it."
Chuck Laslie is a volunteer at Troop 201. He tells me girls should be a part of this program and learn the same skills and lessons as the boys do in the program.
Learning about the world around them, being involved with the community and much more.
"We've opened that up to the girls and the young ladies who have joined our pack, they are absolutely enamored with the program. They are more into it than the boys are a lot of the time. They are more interested in the learning aspects of it.
Chuck tells me the boys and girls are still separate at troop 201. The boys meeting at the hut and the girls meets at a local church still learning the same lessons and skills.
Although this change isn’t into effect nationally until next year troop 201 is already ahead of the curve, being inclusive for both boys and girls, to join.
If you're interested in signing your child up for scouting, I'll have all of this information linked to this story on our website at wtxl.tv.
