Boy Scouts Changing Name To ‘Scouting America’
(From Marc Kogan, Scout Executive for the Black Swamp Area Council)
The Boy Scouts of America announced that it will be changing its name to Scouting America. This change reflects the organization’s ongoing commitment to welcoming every youth in America to experience the benefits of Scouting. The name change will go into effect on February 8, 2025, the organization’s 115th birthday.
This announcement also comes as the organization celebrates the fifth anniversary of welcoming girls into Cub Scouting and Scouts BSA programs. Boy Scouts of America currently serves 176,234 girls and young women across all programs, including more than 6,000 who have earned Eagle Scout status.
According to Marc Kogan Scout Executive for the Black Swamp Area Council, “We are excited to continue to welcome all youth into Scouting. Scouting makes youth prepared for life teaching today’s youth to become leaders of tomorrow!”
Scouting America builds on the organization’s 114 years of helping America’s youth. Its ongoing goal is to provide young people with a safe environment where they can learn meaningful life skills and have fun, educational experiences, fostering their growth and future outcomes as leaders, and be prepared for life. At the same time, values instilled by the Scout Oath and Law help prepare young people for lives of purpose and impact.
Scouting in the Black Swamp Area Council began in 1915 when the Scouting program was introduced to the young people of West Central and Northwestern Ohio. The council serves the counties of Allen, Auglaize, Defiance, Fulton, Hancock, Hardin, Henry, Mercer, Paulding, Putnam, Seneca, Van Wert and Williams. The Black Swamp Area Council has two unique and outstanding outdoor leadership centers, Camp Lakota in Defiance and County Camp Berry in Hancock County.
Scouting provides the adventure of camping, hiking, and outdoor fun while using these outdoor educational programs to teach personal responsibility, citizenship, character development, achievement of specific goals and service to others. The Scout Oath and Law provide the foundation of the Scouting movement.
More than 5,000 individuals are participating in the local programs of Cub Scout, Scouts BSA, Venturing, Explorers and/or adult volunteers.
More than 130 million Americans have been through Scouting programs since its founding in 1910, and currently, more than 1 million youth, including both men and women, are served by 477,000 dedicated adult volunteers in local councils throughout the country. To date, more than 2.75 million youth have earned Scouting’s highest rank of Eagle Scout.
In addition to supporting the nation’s youth, Scouting America will continue to be an important asset to strengthen our communities, having provided more than 7 million hours of volunteer services for community improvement and other projects across the country.