With girls to soon join its ranks, the Boy Scouts of America has announced that it will drop the word "boy" from the name of its flagship program.

For 108 years, the organization's iconic program has been known as Boy Scouts, but beginning this summer, children will be invited to say, "Scout Me In," as the program accepts girls for the first time.

Next year, the organization will change the name of its older youth program for 11 to 17-year-olds to "Scouts BSA."

The parent organization will remain the Boy Scouts of America, and the Cub Scouts program for 7 to 10-year-olds will also keep its title.

Girls are already being admitted into Cub Scouts, and will be able to join Scouts BSA next year.

"Cub Scouts is a lot of fun, and now it's available to all kids," said Stephen Medlicott, National Marketing Group Director of Boy Scouts of America, in a news release. "That's why we love 'Scout Me In' - because it speaks to girls and boys and tells them, 'This is for you. We want you to join!'"

The "Scout Me In" campaign is part of an effort to welcome girls and boys into scouting communities across the country. In a news release, Boy Scouts of America wrote that the change reinforces its mission to be welcoming, inclusive and foundational for young men and women.

Since announcing its historic decision to welcome girls into scouting last fall, more than 3,000 girls across the country have already enrolled in the BSA's Early Adopter Program and are participating in Cub Scouts ahead of the full launch later this year.

"As we enter a new era for our organization, it is important that all youth can see themselves in Scouting in every way possible. That is why it is important that the name for our Scouting program for older youth remain consistent with the single name approach used for the Cub Scouts," Michael Surbaugh, chief scout executive of the Boy Scouts of America, said in the release.

But Girl Scout leaders told the Associated Press that they were "blindsided" by the move and are working on an aggressive campaign to recruit and retain girls.

Those efforts include the creation of numerous new badges focused on outdoor activities, science, engineering, technology and math. The organization will also expand corporate partnerships in both those areas and will develop a Girl Scout Network Page on LinkedIn.

''Girl Scouts is the premier leadership development organization for girls,'' said Sylvia Acevedo, the Girl Scouts' CEO told the Associated Press. ''We are, and will remain, the first choice for girls and parents who want to provide their girls opportunities to build new skills ... and grow into happy, successful, civically engaged adults.''