Boy Scouts of America is Changing its Name to Scouting America
The Boy Scouts of America today 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.
“Though our name will be new, our mission remains unchanged: we are committed to teaching young people to be Prepared. For Life,” said Wayne Pancoast, chief executive officer of the Jayhawk Area Council, Boy Scouts of America. “This will be a simple but very important evolution as we seek to ensure that everyone feels welcome in Scouting.”
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.
Since 1918, the Jayhawk Area Council has served the counties of Coffey, Jackson, Jefferson, Lyon, Marshall, Nemaha, Osage, Pottawatomie, Shawnee, Wabaunsee and the northern half of Greenwood counties. Headquartered in Topeka, the Jayhawk Area Council operates Falley Scout Reservation, also known as Camp Jayhawk, a 340-acre camp in Oskaloosa.
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.
