Boy Scouts facing Bankruptcy

[ThunderHorse]

Boy Scouts Look for Paths to Stay Viable

The way it reads is pretty simple. Many of the decisions the leadership groups have made over the last decade and change have actually hurt the organization. A significant portion of Scout Troops are aligned with churches as sponsors. The largest group being the Latter Day Saints. The final straw for the Church of Latter Day Saints was the gender integration of the program and all Mormon Stakes will be leaving BSA next year.

Allowing openly gay scouts and leaders was another one of the things that caused a shudder. I don't think kids give a rats ass if one of their friends is gay these days...because everyone pretty much knows, I remember. But the attempt to get woke, or so it feels with Openly Gay Scout Masters has not helped the organization one bit.

Then the next one is the Girl Scouts going on a warpath against the BSA in addition to the previous sexual assault lawsuits the organization has dealt with.

I was a boy scout once, to be honest it kind of sucked at least in my troop. Girls back then were allowed in Venture Crews, which were a different type of scout troop. There are also Sea Scouts and Varsity Scouts...I have no idea what a Varsity Scout is, I know it was sports related.

 

[Diamondback 2/2]

The BSA has always been plagued with controversial issues. Becoming bankrupt over it is a new development, but not surprising. It's a shame as I have many fond memories of my time scouting and I was hoping that my son would give it a try next year.

Fun fact, before the "Cub scout" the BSA did not want to break the troops up by age, leading to issues between the younger and older boys. An organization called Boy Rangers of America was formed in the early 1900's to remedy the issue, as the organization took off the BSA merged with BRA in the 40-50's essentially killing the BRA, and incorporating it's practices and traditions in what is now the Cub Scouts.

Maybe it's time someone brought back the Boy Rangers of America, as an alternative to the Boy Scouts of America (or scouts of America or whatever they are calling themselves now)...

 

[Devildoc]

I liked my time with the BSA OK; I loved my time with the CAP. That the BSA is a struggling shadow of itself is not surprising given the issues of the past few years. It's going the way of the do-do and will be gone in a few years.

 

[MikeDelta]

I really enjoyed all the outdoor activities in the Cub Scouts, Webelos and Boy Scouts. The process of earning merit badges was fun as well, and similar to studying for boards in the Army. Good habits and useful skills were surely obtained and one learned the virtue of merit. In the 70s and 80s many of the volunteer fathers were Vietnam vets, so building rope bridges, marksmanship, camping under the stars and such was popular.

I would love to be a Scoutmaster, but I won’t do it, not in today’s world. That’s not a slight against gay kids. My concern would be dealing with crap parents and cry baby kids wanting everything to be ran like Barney’s world. Participation trophies and the like, no thanks.

There are some positive things that have happened regarding social justice. However, it is obvious an abuse of power is frequently happening within that movement. And as far as the Scouts go, sometimes things are better off left as they are in order to maintain the greater good, i.e. kids learning and developing. Sure, someone won the cultural battle on this one by making this organization flex two it’s whim; however, it has destroyed this institution.

Talk about throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

My .02