Western Pa. Girl Scouts stay the course as Boy Scouts go co-ed

By: HSSN Staff
Saturday, May 5, 2018 | 9:00 PM

Local Girl Scout leaders say they're not fazed by recent co-ed recruiting efforts by Boy Scouts of America.

“It's not affecting our mission at all. Just like the national organization is saying, we're going to continue to be the premier organization for girls, just like we have been for over a century,” said Patricia Burkart, CEO of Girl Scouts of Western Pennsylvania.

Boy Scouts of America started allowing girls into its Cub Scouts program this year and recently announced plans to change the name of its main program to Scouts BSA as it prepares to fully open enrollment to girls next year.

Girls and boys in Scouts BSA will be in separate troops but participate in similar programming.

The relationship between BSA and Girl Scouts, a separate organization, has been tense since BSA last year started publicly considering opening its ranks to girls.

Last summer, before the policy was finalized, Girl Scouts sent BSA a letter accusing the organization of running a “covert campaign to recruit girls,” Buzzfeed News reported at the time.

Since then, Girl Scouts stepped up its marketing efforts, emphasizing the benefits of gender-specific programming and expanding its outdoor and STEM programming, according to the New York Times .

The Girl Scouts of Western Pennsylvania will offer new outdoor activities and STEM programs this year, Burkart said. These were existing initiatives, not a response to the Boy Scouts, she said.

“We've been working on this for five years,” she said.

Girl Scouts CEO Sylvia Acevedo will be a special guest at Girl Scouts of Western Pennsylvania Awards of Distinction luncheon May 18 at the Omni William Penn Hotel in Pittsburgh.

“Girl Scouts is the premier leadership development organization for girls,” she told the New York Times. “We are, and will remain, the first choice for girls and parents who want to provide their girls opportunities to build new skills.”

It's too early to tell what effect BSA going co-ed will have on Girl Scouts enrollment numbers. So far, it hasn't had an impact, according to Burkart.

There are 21,000 Girl Scouts in the 27 counties represented by Girl Scouts of Western Pennsylvania. That number has remained fairly steady for about three years, following a long decline that started about 2003, Burkart said.

Nationally, there are about 1.8 million Girl Scouts and 2.3 million Boy Scouts.

More than 300 girls in Western Pennsylvania have joined Cub Scouts this year.

Jacob Tierney is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at 724-836-6646, jtierney@tribweb.com or via Twitter @Soolseem.