Brand-new name, same old mission

What we commonly refer to as the "Boy Scouts” began as a program for boys 11 to 18 years old in Great Britain around 1907.

By 1908, “Scouting for Boys” was published by Robert Baden-Powell and, since its publication, has sold over 100 million copies, according to www.scout.org.

A lot has changed in the intervening years.

For its 100th anniversary at the 21st World Scout Jamboree, millions of Scouts from around the world celebrated the organization's global reach.

In Northwest Louisiana, the Norwela Council of the Scouts is prepping to celebrate scouting’s 115th anniversary, and this year, there’ll be a new name for the organization as well. The new name will be “Scouting America.”

Jeffery Brasher is Scout executive and CEO of Norwela Council. “It’s a positive thing because we’re making our organization more inclusive to more people,” he explained. “We’ve had girls in the Boy Scouts of America since 1971, so pretty much half of our existence we’ve involved young women. Back in 1998, they added a second older youth program called Venturing, and it was for boys and girls. Then, a few years ago, they added girls to Cub Scouts. And then added girls to our flagship program the ‘Boy Scouts.’”

Brasher said that local membership is about 12 percent female. In 2024, the area Council had 31 Eagle Scouts, four of whom were female.

“Our program is not changing at all. The only thing changing is the name. It’s still the same character building, personal fitness, citizenship program starting in February as it has been for the last 115 years. Our mission is to prepare young people to make moral and ethical choices over their lifetimes by instilling in them the values of the Scout Oath and Law.

“We teach them life-long skills and traits through a robust outdoor program. They learn skills during weekly meetings. Our merit badge programs teach vocations, avocations, hobbies that people can pursue.”

The name change to Scouting USA officially goes into effect on February 8, 2025.

For more information, go to norwela.org or call 318-868-2774.