KarunaNews Story

Girls were first allowed into the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) in February, 2019. There are currently about 140,000 girls in Cub Scouts and Scouts BSA and nearly 1,000 of them earned their Eagle Scout award in February of 2021. Becoming an Eagle Scout is a rigorous process; a candidate has to earn 21 merit badges varying in subject from first aid to business, assume leadership roles and execute a large community service project. All of this has to be done before turning 18, which posed a time crunch for some girls who had to work on an expedited timeframe. Valerie Johnston, one of the first female Eagle Scouts, offered this advice to new women in the BSA, If you have the ability to join, join and work your hardest at it. It won't always be easy, you might face some resistance, but I really hope that that gets easier for girls.