As Boys Scouts Allow Girls, Troops Line Up Across The Valley

LOS ANGELES, CA — After 108 years as the Boy Scouts of America, the famed organization will start letting girls in on Friday, and several girls' troops are already lined up across Los Angeles.

As of Friday, the Boy Scouts will become Scouts BSA, and new inclusive troops have already formed from Beverly Hills and Culver City, to the San Fernando Valley and Lancaster, organizers said. Friday marks the start of a new era for boys and girls across the nation.

"The experiences and skills that Scouting provides are incredibly valuable to all youth -- not just boys," said Troop 2019 adult volunteer leader Jessica Pazdernik. "I'm honored to help offer this opportunity to the girls and young women in our community."

According to NBC News, more than 3,000 girls have joined about 170 Cub Scout packs so far. More are expected to join this summer when the "Scout Me In" recruitment campaign begins.

Alexis Shrewsbury, a future Scout from Santa Clarita, says the change isn't here a day too soon. Alexis said she "can't wait to go camping, earn merit badges and go on adventures with my friends."

The new troops will still be single-gender, but now some troops will be for boys and others for girls. Each troop will meet independently.

Some of the girls who plan to join Troop 2019 are coming from the BSA's Cub Scout program, which opened to girls ages 5-10 last year. Since then, more than 77,000 girls have joined the program, but the troop is also seeing interest from girls who would be joining a BSA program for the first time.

"When I heard it would be possible for me to join Scouting and work to become an Eagle Scout, I knew I had to find a Scouts BSA troop to join," Anna Fineberg said. "I can't wait for our troop's adventures. This is something I have been excited to do for a long time."

Girls and families who are interested in learning more about Scouts BSA can find a unit near them by visiting BeAScout.org.

City News Service and Patch Staffer Paige Austin contributed to this report. Photo: A general view of a statue outside the Boy Scouts of America Headquarters on February 4, 2013 in Irving, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)