Here’s what’s on this BP (Be Prepared) 2019 Blog (click for the links below, or look in the categories above):

Overview of Ideas to Prepare for Scouts BSA Troops of Girls (also set out below), followed by these Categories:

• Scouts BSA Troops: How Do (or can) They Run? — options for how to run your Troop of Girls in concert with your Troop of Boys, since there can be many different ways — All Scouting is Local!
  • Intro to Troop Organization in Scouts BSA (and: All Scouting is Local).
  • Troops of Boys and Troops of Girls at the Chartered Organization Level.
  • Joint and Separate Activities of Troops of Boys and Troops of Girls.
  • Adult Leadership of Troops of Boys and Troops of Girls.
  • Adult Leader Coverage Requirements.
• Building Consensus on Scouts BSA — Reaching consensus with your stakeholders is an important process. Tips in these posts.
  • Discussions with Chartered Organization
  • Discussions with Current Leaders
  • Discussions with Current Scouts
  • Discussions with Current Families
  • Discussions with Other Youth Serving Groups
• Unit Launch Logistics — details about what you need to start a Scouts BSA unit at any time, plus special issues like troop number, linked committee structure, and unit and personal patches and bling for those who start a new troop
  • Launch Logos: Picking Your Troop Number and More.
  • Launch Codes: Paper and Payments you need to Launch a new Troop
  • Launch Dates: January 15 Paperwork Goal, and Save the Date: February 1 Party for All
  • Launch Legacies: Bling for your new Troop of Girls
  • Launch Logistics: “Linked” Committee Structure, or Ad Hoc Coordination.
• Recruiting Youth and Adults
  • Finding Leaders (and not just leaders of a current Troop)
  • Now is the Time to have New Member Coordinators (a new-ish role in BSA units) to Welcome New Scouts and Families.
  • Council and National “Off the Shelf” Materials and Media and DIY Recruiting/Social Media (Be Brand Aware)
  • BeAScout Page Tips, both “Coming Soon” and existing Unit Pins
  • Don’t Forget Your Local Venturing Crews and Sea Scout Ships
• Planning for Unit Success — Side by side with recruiting is planning or “what will our Scouts do”, so that your troop has a full program of exciting and appealing activities for Scouts and Leaders
  • What Can the Girls Do Before the Troop Launches?
  • Some “Easy Button” or “Just Do It” events to get on your calendars now
  • Counseling the “proto-PLC” of the new Troop of Girls on Event Calendar Options and Process (and your PLC of the existing Troop of Boys on Possible Joint Activity Invitations)
  • ScoutBook is free for all
  • New Training Modules Online
  • Post-Planning Publicity – Joining Nights, Media and More
• Loose Ends — A lot of other things you might want to know
  • Pre-Launch Training: Leadership and Scout Skills
  • More Resources: A Cornucopia of National and Local Resources
  • “Aging Out” Soon?  Eagle Options for the new older Scout in 2019
  • Still Boy Only: What Troops at Chartered Organizations with only a Troop of Boys can do to help their fellow Scouts and Potential Scouts
  • What Your Scouts might do to help bring along new Scouts Next Year (and the year after and the year after):  Be a Den Chief
  • Order of the Arrow:  the Brotherhood of Cheerful Service will be open to male and female youth in 2019

Overview of Ideas to Prepare for Scouts BSA Troops of Girls

Starting February 1, 2019, girls aged 11 (or 10 with Arrow of Light) through 17 can join Scouts BSA troops of girls.  Effective on that date, the BSA program for older youth will be named Scouts BSA to represent the new, inclusive program for older Scouts that the Boy Scouts of America is proud to offer.  Scouts BSA is the same iconic program with a name that welcomes young men and women to the adventure of Scouting.  The BSA will continue to build the future of Scouting with Scouts BSA, as we deliver character and leadership, and offer a path to the rank of Eagle Scout for both boys and girls.

This note is the first of a series of “Be Prepared” ideas that the Atlanta Area Council Family Scouting Committee marketing team is rolling out in January 2019 to help you prepare for the launch of Scouts BSA troops of girls – this is provided whether you’ve already decided to help with a new troop, or whether you’ve decided to stick with only a troop of boys, or whether you’ve not yet decided or haven’t even begun to think of the options available.

First, a summary of the change – the “Who, What, When, Where, Why” of Scouts BSA.

Who is involved in the change?  Primarily girls aged 11 (or 10 with Arrow of Light) through 17 can join Scouts BSA troops of girls, plus their families who will enjoy their participation in Scouting.  Key to the process will be registered leaders of those troops – both adults who step up to be registered leaders for the first time, and current leaders who add to their existing roles by assisting new troops of girls.  Scouts in troops of boys will see changes too – in some cases just because the new troop of girls is chartered by the same chartered organization and the two troops operate with some level of coordination and joint activity, and in other cases because troops of boys and their leaders will see female scouts from troops of girls at summer camp, camp-o-rees, and other events.

What is the change?  Girls aged 11 (or 10 with Arrow of Light) through 17 can join Scouts BSA troops of girls – if Chartered Organizations establish troops for those girls (they don’t have to).  What has been known as the “Boy Scouting” program will be known as Scouts BSA (but the overall organization name “Boy Scouts of America” continues).  Troops in Scouts BSA will be either all boy or all girl, with separate youth leadership.  This builds on the 2018 change in Cub Scouting when packs could elect to have dens of girls and Chartered Organizations could establish packs solely of girls.  (Of course, Venturing and Sea Scouts have included girls for decades in fully coed Scouting programs for youth age 14, or 13 and completed eighth grade, to age 21.)

When is the change?  Scouts BSA troops of girls can become officially chartered, with youth officially registered, on or after February 1, 2019.  But to do that on day one, there is a lot of preparation work that can and should be done – that’s the reason for these BP Pointers (Be Prepared).

Where is the change?  Scouts BSA troops of girls can be established anywhere in the United States, whether through existing Chartered Organizations that have troops, packs, crews or ships, or through new Chartered Organizations.  But existing Chartered Organizations are not required to establish a Scouts BSA troops of girls, just as they are not required to establish every type of BSA unit available.  A BSA charter for one or more Scouting units authorizes the organization to make use of the Scouting program as a part of its total program, under leadership the organization has selected, for all youth who want to join and who satisfy joining criteria.

Why is the change made?  Two primary reasons:  First, people like the program!  In a recent survey of parents not involved with Scouting, 87% were interested in a program like Boy Scouts for their daughters.  Second, families want convenience for family activity.  Families today are busier than ever and with less free time, families want convenience.  BSA research shows that BSA programs are extremely appealing to today’s busy families.

More about the Who, What, When, Where, Why – and How – of Scouts BSA will follow in the BP 2019 List as a Countdown of ways to Be Prepared for Scouts BSA on February 1, 2019 (or when you decide to launch a Scouts BSA troop of girls).  See posts here and to follow, and on this page (and the pages that open under it) for past and upcoming items in the BP 2019 List (and for upcoming items that are not complete, shoot your comments to this Family Scouting email, as that might result in updates and clarifications).  More about what troop leaders might want to know about family scouting and girls is found on this District page of Scouts BSA resources and ideas.