As I have been harping on the lack of apology by the Boy Scouts USA Board of Directors for their silence during the period that led up to a bankruptcy for willfully ignoring scout abuse by its paid? and volunteer staff, now Scouting.org (it's covert name) states the following on its website. Sadly to me, this announcement is not from any Scout leader or Board, it's from their press agent. Is this the way to calm souls and move forward after such a crisis?
IRVING, TX – April 19, 2023 – Today, the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy and fulfills a commitment it made when it commenced its restructuring process in February 2020: to equitably compensate survivors and preserve the mission of Scouting. The court-approved Plan of Reorganization will establish a Victims Compensation Trust that is currently valued at $2.4 billion with the opportunity for additional contributions by numerous other parties, including the BSA’s insurers that have not yet settled.
“This is a significant milestone for the BSA as we emerge from a three-year financial restructuring process with a global resolution approved with overwhelming support of more than 85% of the survivors involved in the case,” said Roger Mosby, Chief Scout Executive, President and Chief Executive Officer. “Our hope is that our Plan of Reorganization will bring some measure of peace to survivors of past abuse in Scouting, whose bravery, patience and willingness to share their experiences has moved us beyond words.”
The BSA’s Appreciation for Survivors
The perspective and priorities of survivors will be forever ingrained in the BSA’s programming moving forward through new youth safety measures, places of recognition at its High Adventure bases across the United States and a special pathway to Eagle Scout for those whose journey was interrupted during their time in Scouting.
While the BSA understands that nothing it does as an organization will undo the pain survivors have endured, the organization will continue listening to them, evaluating its youth protection procedures, and working every day to make a positive impact on young people and communities across the country. The BSA is confident that the addition of a dedicated Board seat for a survivor will also help ensure the organization is honoring and learning from the perspective of those who experienced the unthinkable. Our full message of support for survivors can be viewed on our website.
The BSA’s Commitment to Youth Safety
Today, Scouting is safer than ever before. Importantly, the BSA is aware safety is not a static issue and is always looking for ways to improve its youth protection program to ensure it is utilizing the most up to date policies and procedures to protect children. Currently, the BSA’s multi-layered safeguards include the following measures, all of which act as barriers to abuse:
o Extensive, mandatory youth protection training for all volunteers and employees;
o Partnership with the Barbara Sinatra Children’s Center Foundation to educate and empower youth through the new “Protect Yourself Rules” videos to educate children to understand and recognize abuse while empowering them to get help any time they are made to feel uncomfortable;
o A leadership policy that requires at least two youth-protection trained adults be present with youth at all times during Scouting activities and bans one-on-one situations where adults would have any interaction alone with children – either in person, online, or via phone or text;
o A BSA team dedicated to addressing concerns raised about any individual in Scouting;
o A thorough screening process for new adult leaders and staff including criminal background checks; and
o The prompt mandatory reporting of any allegation or suspicion of abuse to law enforcement.
The BSA supports universal measures to keep kids safe and continue to advocate for the creation of a national database to which all youth-serving organizations could contribute and use to screen volunteers.
The BSA also offers a 24/7 Scouts First Helpline (1-844-SCOUTS1) and email contact address ([email protected]) for help reporting suspected abuse or inappropriate behavior. For more information about the BSA’s youth protection policies, please visit Scouting.org/YouthSafety.