Girls Coming To Boy Scout Jamboree For First Time
GLEN JEAN, W.Va. (AP) -- Make room, guys. The girls are coming to the Boy Scouts of America's national jamboree.
For the first time, female participants will be among the more than 40,000 Scouts and leaders attending the national gathering that occurs every four years. The jamboree runs July 15 to 24 at the Summit outdoor adventure site in southern West Virginia.
The girls are part of the Scouts' youth development program called Venturing. It started in 1998 and involves members of both sexes ages 14 to 20. Many of their activities involve physical challenges and travel, making it especially attractive to older teens.
"Yes, it's a big deal," said John R. McGhee Jr., a Charleston attorney and board member of the Boy Scouts' local Buckskin Council. "It speaks well for the future of scouting. It brings a whole new segment of the population into the program."
About 2,000 Venturers are signed up this year, and National Jamboree director Larry Pritchard estimates about half of them are females.
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