BSA declares bankruptcy ––Scouting in local churches is unaffected
The national organization of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy to achieve two key objectives: equitably compensate victims who were harmed during their time in Scouting and to continue to carry out Scouting’s mission for years to come.
Scouting programs in churches are unaffected by the action. The United Methodist Church charters the most Scout organizations of any denomination in the United States. A total of 3,111 churches charter 9,344 Scout units, serving 486,003 young people.
“Our support for the Boy Scouts of America has not changed,” says Gil Hanke, top staff executive of the General Commission on UM Men. “We need youth who can make moral and ethical decisions over their lifetimes. We need a place for youth to learn citizenship, group and personal skills”
Local councils have not filed for bankruptcy. These councils are legally separate, distinct and financially independent from the national organization.
Regular unit meetings and activities, district and council events, other Scouting adventures and countless service projects will take place as usual.
Roger Mosby, chief executive officer of BSA, says the action is the result of “increasing financial pressure on the BSA from litigation involving past abuse in Scouting.
“We are outraged that there have been times when individuals took advantage of our programs to abuse innocent children and sincerely apologize to anyone who was harmed during their time in Scouting,” says Mosby. “We believe victims, we support them, we provide counseling by a provider of their choice, and we encourage them to come forward. Our plan is to use this Chapter 11 process to create a Trust that would provide equitable compensation to these individuals.”
Mosby assures Scout families that:
- Scouting is safer now than ever before. Approximately 90% of the pending and asserted claims against the BSA relate to abuse that occurred more than 30 years ago. That’s precisely why over many years we’ve developed some of the strongest expert-informed youth protection policies found in any youth-serving organization.
- From mandatory youth protection training and background checks for all volunteers and staff, to policies that prohibit one-on-one interaction between youth and adults and require that any suspected abuse is reported to law enforcement, our volunteers and employees take youth protection extremely seriously and do their part to help keep kids safe.
- Scouting programs will continue to serve youth, families and local communities throughout this process and for many years to come. Just last year, communities across the country benefited from more than 13 million Scouting service hours, and young men and women earned more than 1.7 million merit badges that represent skills that will help them succeed throughout their lives. Studies prove and parents agree that Scouting helps young people become more kind, helpful and prepared for life, and as long as those values remain important to our society, Scouting will continue to be invaluable to our nation’s youth.
If you would like to know more specifics, please use the links below.
If these resources don’t answer your questions, please feel free to reach out to BSA through Member Care at 972-580-2489 or MyScouting@Scouting.org.