“It was two things that never quite melded.”The scouts will still welcome Mormon youth into local packs and troops, said Effie Delimarkos, a spokeswoman for the Boy Scouts of America. She said that 28 of 266 local councils would be “significantly affected” with the Mormon Church dropping out, but that the organization would rebound. “We are confident that our decision to welcome boys and girls into our programs will attract even more families and youth to Scouting,” Ms. Delimarkos said. Some were relieved that the required camping trips and the annual collection for Boy Scouts — but never girls’ programs — would come to an end. Others mourned the end of a collaboration that brought Mormon children into contact with non-Mormons, and taught the boys grit.

Source: New York Times May 09, 2018 17:26 UTC