The Boy Scouts of America has announced a name change to Scouting America, marking a pivotal moment in the organization’s 114-year history. The change comes as the organization seeks to redefine itself, focusing on inclusivity after emerging from bankruptcy triggered by a wave of sexual abuse claims.

“In the next 100 years we want any youth in America to feel very, very welcome to come into our programs,” Roger Krone, who took over last fall as the group’s president and chief executive officer, said in an interview with the Associated Press before the announcement.

The Irving, Texas-based organization, known for its long-standing traditions, has undergone substantial transformations in recent years. The changes include the acceptance of gay youth members since 2013 and the lifting of the ban on gay adult leaders in 2015.

Furthering its commitment to inclusivity, the group in 2017 announced that it would start accepting girls into its Cub Scout program in 2018 and into Scouts BSA, the newly named flagship program, in 2019.

The inclusion of girls began in 2021, with nearly 1,000 young women becoming part of the inaugural class of female Eagle Scouts.

Despite these inclusivity strides, the organization faced membership declines, exacerbated by the pandemic. From a peak of more than 2 million members in 2018, current figures show just more than 1 million youths are involved, including more than 176,000 girls and young women. This marks a significant drop from its 1972 peak of almost 5 million members.

The expansion to include girls also strained relations with the Girl Scouts of the USA, which filed a lawsuit against the Boy Scouts, claiming marketplace confusion and harm to its recruitment efforts. A settlement was reached after a judge ruled that both organizations could use terms like “scouts” and “scouting.”