Boy Scouts are thriving. Every child should join.

0:01 Speaker 1 Sunday Morning. With us today is so Roya Friedman Gonzalez. Well, it used to be called the Boy Scouts of America. Now it’s called Scouts America and a lot of things have changed. And with us is so Roya Friedman Gonzalez.

0:23 And she’s president and chief executive officer of the New York Area. And well, philis is Sarroya.

0:33 Speaker 2 Yeah, so thank you, thank you so much for having me on the show. I’m really pleased to be here and to have the opportunity to talk about the work of New York City Scouting at the Greater New York Council as part of the rebranded Scout in America.

0:53 Speaker 1 Well, you know, not too many people know about it. And I was very much involved with the Boy Scouts a lot. I used to be, like forty years ago, president of the Boy Scouts in Manhattan and I did that for at least ten years. So tell us all the changes. Boy Scouts went through a bankruptcy because of

1:18 all the lawsuits that were involved, and now you have reorganized. Give us the facts. So all American people, you know, we all grew up with the Boy Scouts, give us the facts.

1:31 Speaker 2 Sure, So, as you stated, there have been a lot of changes over the last decade. I think one of the things that’s sort of kind of very, very different is today the Greater New York Councils in Scouting America is really focused on trying to make sure that our programs are available to all youths. I think years ago

1:59 there were some poler see, you know, restrictions, and I think today the organization there’s new leadership, there’s a new direction. The rebranding is very much to ensure Since twenty eighteen, the organization has welcomed all genders and girls into the program, and so the name reflects that it’s a program, particularly in New York that is really we try to reach

2:35 all neighborhoods. In New York City, we operate the Five Boroughs, but I think in New York City we have programs that are really a way for kids in every neighborhood to be part of a club or pack through our traditional volunteer led programming. But then we also in New York City have very robust programming targeted towards fourteen to

3:01 twenty one to twenty year olds in middle but mostly high school that want to have exposure to careers in law enforcement, in ems, the Fire department, and various businesses. And then we also operate what we call a scout Reach program, which is essentially cub Scouts, but it’s an after school program that we operate in fourteen public schools

3:27 around the city. And so the work that we do is unique. There is no other program like ours in New York City. And we also have the benefit of having a network around the country, but really worldwide. And I think that’s one of the really special parts about young people being able to join Scouting is there joining

3:53 a movement. There’s Scouts all over the world.

3:56 Speaker 1 Joining the traditional movement of learning how live in the woods and go to the woods, et cetera. And you have girls and boys now, because that was part of the lawsuit, was it it? So?

4:12 Speaker 2 I mean, I think there was a lot of pressure to welcome girls into Scouting and then there was a focus, you know, and I think the executive the National Executive Board realize that it’s really important because girls want to do this and join their brothers. It’s also a way of keeping families together. I think the structure of family

4:40 has changed over the last twenty thirty years. You have a lot more two parents and one parent families, and so this is really a way to keep kids together, brothers and sisters and do family fun activity through camping, through weekend camping. You know, the whole family can get involved.

5:00 And so I think there it was intentional. I think there were a number of girls who had seen their brothers over the years in the program and they wanted to be a part of it as well.

5:11 Speaker 1 Yep. And and you did suffer going through that bankruptcy and cleaning out whatever problems you had. You had a lot more boy scouts and and you know scouts I’ll just use the word scouts than you do now. And you’re trying to rebuild the organization and tell us how you’re going to you’re trying to rebuild the organization.

5:38 Speaker 2 So, uh, you know, I think one of the first things that is first and foremost is safety, creating a culture of safety. I think as a leader, I have to recognize our history and our past, and uh, safety has to be at the forefront of all of our work.

5:59 And you’ve put tection training that both children and adults were very rigorous about background checks, about you know, being very vigilant, uh when when something suspicious happens and sort of to create a culture of reporting, transparency and creating an environment where both kids and adults feel safe. And so that’s that is obviously a huge focus of every

6:27 youth organization, but it’s center to our culture and the culture we’re trying trying to promote not just physical and emotional, but also you know, by having safety moments at every event. So so there’s that.

6:42 Speaker 1 I think it was about a little less than a minute left. If somebody out there listening, If somebody out there is listening and wants their child to join the Scouts, to learn about the the difference, how do they how do they scouse? Now?

7:01 Speaker 2 Okay, so first of all, you can find a unit in your area at bascout dot org wwwbscout dot org. If you’re interested, if you’re in the Five boroughs, you can put your zip code in and and find out a pack or troop in your neighborhood. In addition, you can also check out our website, which is www dot

7:25 NYC Scouting dot org. That’s www dot NYC Scouting dot org. And I want to say that our program, it’s skills building, it’s citizenship, it’s really there’s a there’s a big focus on career exposure at a young age, and then there’s life and outdoor skills that are essential. And there’s no other program in New York City that really brings together

7:54 kids from all neighborhoods and through their love of scouting, being outdoor and being at camping. And I think I want to say that we have over eight thousand kids around the city in our program, over three thousand kids, and we are growing. COVID hit us hard, but in the last couple of years, coming out of COVID, we’ve

8:18 had tremendous growth. And I think if you’re interested in being a part of our program, check us out, find a pack in your neighborhood, and we’d love to be a part of your family.

8:29 Speaker 1 So Roya Friedman Gonzalez, the Chief Executive Bobster of the Scouting Scout of Scouting of America, thank you so much for calling, and we’ll call you and talk to you again real soon.

8:43 Speaker 2 Thank you so much, really, thank you for giving me the opportunity. Take care. Thank you