Oakdale scouting troop part of a pilot program. Here’s what makes it different

As part of a pilot program by the Boy Scouts of America, an all-boys troop in Oakdale will merge with an all-girls troop, creating the only co-ed troop in the city and one of the few in the Greater Yosemite Council.

The Boy Scouts of America reports that there has been consistent demand from various sources for the establishment of co-ed troops, prompting this new initiative.

“Many girls are being turned away in areas across the country where chartered organizations cannot recruit enough youth to have their own single-gender Scouts BSA troop. This would give those girls and their parents/guardians another option,” reads a letter from the organization.

Moreover, parents with children of different genders have expressed that a combined troop would be more convenient for their families.

The pilot program begins Sept. 1 and will continue through next July. During this period, the Scouts BSA Committee will gather feedback from participants and use this data to make a recommendation to the National Executive Committee in 2025.

Jeremy Matthews, the committee chair for the newly linked Troop 43 and Troop 2043, noted that while the activities for the scouts will remain largely unchanged, there will be a shift in leadership structure. This will mark the first instance of a girl leading boys or a boy leading girls in these troops.

Previously, the two troops were linked in terms of shared resources but operated separately. While some troops have acted co-ed, this is the first time the merger will occur in an officially sanctioned capacity.

Combining the troops is an equity issue, leader says

Matthews acknowledged that some parents worry that combining boys and girls might distract them from the program, as they might focus more on socializing. Others feel the troops should remain separate because boys and girls develop at different rates.

“They feel like their boys can’t be silly and goofy boys with girls around because they act differently around girls,” Matthews said.

He said that the matter of combining boys and girls is an equity issue. Girls troops that are part of Boy Scouts are usually attached to a boys troop and are seen as the “ugly stepsister,” Matthews said. He hopes that making the troop co-ed will encourage more girls to join the program. (To be clear, Girl Scouts of the USA is an entirely separate organization.)

“When you hear of a troop doing something great, we don’t want the first question people ask is, ‘Are there girls in that troop?’ Going co-ed, we think, is a great step in the right direction, but it’s not the foundation of scouting,” Matthews said.

Scouts from both troops elected Matthews’ daughter, Nellie, as their Senior Patrol Leader, marking the first time in Troop 43’s 84-year history that a female scout will lead the troop.

Matthews, 16, said she prefers Boy Scouts over Girl Scouts because her Girl Scout troop was not very active. She also likes the Boy Scouts’ advancement system, which promotes scouts based on achievements rather than age.

She noted some surprised reactions when she mentions being in the Boy Scouts, because some parents are not used to seeing girls in the troop.

‘Life is co-ed’

“Life is co-ed. You don’t just go to a job where only guys work or only girls work,” Matthews said. “You’re going to have a female boss, and you’re gonna have to know how to communicate with them.”

Dave Gilbert, the Scoutmaster for Troop 43, will continue as Scoutmaster of the newly combined troop, as the “adult face of the troop.” He has been an active scout nearly his entire life.

Gilbert said that while there were initial concerns when the Boy Scouts first began allowing girls in 2018, those worries have since faded. The general sentiment among the scouts is a strong preference for a co-ed troop rather than a segregated one.

“It’s how I feel that scouting should be,” Gilbert said.

Troop 43 has been around since 1941 and currently has 20 boys. Troop 2043 has been around since 2021 and currently has seven girls.

The two troops regularly participate in activities together, so the main change will be in leadership. Instead of having separate senior patrol leaders for each group, there will now be a single senior patrol leader for the combined troop. The activities themselves will remain largely unchanged.

Troop 43 faced challenges with enrollment during the height of the pandemic in 2020, but has since rededicated to providing quality experience for local youth. Over the past year, the troop has engaged in monthly campouts, first aid training, emergency-response drills, leadership workshops and a weeklong summer camp at Shaver Lake.

“I’m super excited. I think it’s a long time coming. I think that’s the way it’s supposed to be,” Gilbert said.