“I think you get more bonding experiences,” Carley said.

According to Jim Battaglia, the CEO of Stonewall Jackson Regional Council, which serves 13 counties in Central Virginia, about 90 girls ages 5 through 17 have joined the Cub Scouts and Scouts program. There are currently three all-girl troops, with three more planned this spring.

“The interest is very, very high,” Battaglia said. “Girls want the program.”

In 2018, as Scouts BSA rolled out its new plans, it said in an announcement that it hoped to “serve families and welcome girls and boys into Scouting in communities across the country. [The campaign] reinforces that the mission and core values in the Scout Oath and Scout Law are welcoming, inclusive and foundational for both young men and women.”

According to the most recent national membership numbers available, in 2017, the program had more than 2 million members. Both the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts of America have fought declining membership in recent years.

The Girl Scouts organization condemned Scouts BSA’s decision to admit girls, saying at the time that “no one does girl leadership better than we do.”