DENVER – On Tuesday, the Boy Scouts of America Denver Area Council announced they were changing their name and will now be known as Greater Colorado Council.
The Council is responsible for more than 11,000 scouts and 4,000 volunteers in Colorado.
“The name just represents kind of who we are inside Colorado. Geography wise, we're over 60% and 70% of the population. So it better represents the Council itself,” Greater Colorado Council President Matt Stava said.
Stava said the rebranding is a part of a larger effort to be more inclusive of all families.
“There’s a lot of changes that have been implemented over the last dozen years… but one of the biggest ones is girls now are part of the Scouts. So, we rebranded to Scouts BSA, it's not necessarily called Boy Scouts, and it's inclusive of female scouts as well. So, it's really serving what I'll call all families, and the entire family, which is really unique and really great,” Stava said.
“I actually think it's a pretty great change for scouting. Personally, I know quite a few girls who just didn't feel like Girl Scouts was quite the right fit for them,” 17-year-old Eagle Scout Macklin Gifford said.
As Scouts BSA enters fall recruitment time, Gifford said he hopes the organization continues to grow.
“It had a huge impact on me. I would not be anywhere close to where I am right now if I wasn't a scout,” Gifford said.
Gifford and Stava hope to show Colorado youth a new side to the traditional scouting organization.
Scouts BSA faced controversy in 2020 after filing for bankruptcy following thousands of sexual misconduct allegations spanning several decades.
“We believe that one victim is too many,” Stava said. “The national organization did go through a bankruptcy to kind of clean or set aside funds to pay the victims of those issues that happened, you know, in many cases decades ago. Greater Colorado Council is really focused on moving forward now.”
The Greater Colorado Council told Denver7 Scouts BSA offers programs for all youth, ages 5 to 20, to help shape and develop the leaders of tomorrow. Their goal is to train youth in responsible citizenship, character development, and self-reliance through participation in a wide range of outdoor activities, educational programs, and, at older age levels, career-oriented programs in partnership with community organizations.