Emily Mayol grew up in South Florida tagging along with her older brother and his boy scout troop on camping trips, picking up essential scouting skills and learning the rhythm of life in nature. Despite being the only girl, she said she fit right in — feeling like part of the troop long before she could officially join.
In 2018, the year the Boy Scouts permitted girls to join, Mayol joined Miami Beach Troop 65. She was 10 years old and the first girl to join the local Cub Scouts program, Scouting America's entry-level youth program.
Asked why she didn't just join the Girl Scouts, Mayol, now 17, admitted, "I wasn't into the arts and crafts or selling cookies aspects of the Girl Scouts. I wanted to be outdoors and play in the mud or run around in the rain."
Founded in 1910 and long considered a bastion of tradition, the Boy Scouts of America announced in 2017 that they would admit girls into the Cub Scouts the following year.
Like other organizations, the Boy Scouts of America — now rebranded as Scouting America — lost members during the pandemic, when participation was difficult. Currently, the organization serves more than 1 million young people, including more than 176,000 girls and teens. Membership peaked in 1972 at almost 5 million.
In 2019, Victoria Parra, 18, joined the same Miami Beach troop. She, too, was driven by a passion for the outdoors and learning real-world skills.
"I just felt more connected to being outdoors," said Parra. "Having to deal with different terrain, tying knots, and those sorts of things that I knew were predominantly Boy Scout activities."
As the first girls in the troop, they bonded and mirrored each other's potential and developed a confidence that ultimately made them unstoppable.
"I learned a lot from Emily," said Parra. "Because we are opposites in a lot of ways, which allows us to teach each other about being good team members and leaders."
Scouting's highest achievement: Eagle Scout
As they approached the end of their program, they set their sights on Scouting's highest achievement: Eagle Scout. This past October, they both achieved it, making them the first female Scouts in Troop 65's 50-year history.
They are among more than 6,000 girls who have achieved the vaunted Eagle Scout rank.
There were nearly 1,000 teens and young women in the inaugural class of female Eagle Scouts in 2021.
Committing to becoming an Eagle Scout is widely regarded as the ultimate test of a Scout's leadership, dedication, and perseverance.
It's a challenge few see through to the end, explained Ed Steinman, the troop's Scoutmaster since 1970. "I did not become an Eagle Scout myself — it's not easy," Steinman said. "You have to be devoted, meet every requirement, and truly commit to the process."
To earn Scouting America's Eagle Scout rank, candidates must first progress through the preceding six ranks, earn 21 merit badges (including 13 required for Eagle Scout) and assume a leadership role within their troop. Each Scout must also plan and lead a community service project that showcases initiative and organization. Finally, they complete a Scoutmaster conference and a Board of Review to confirm their achievements and character.
Thousands join Scouting every year, but only 4% to 6% complete the journey. That difference is precisely what makes the achievement so respected.
"Becoming an Eagle has tremendous benefits for the future of these girls, because it's not easy to accomplish it," emphasized Steinman. "You need to have longevity, you need to find ways to promote yourself, and you need to help others."
For her community project, Mayol was inspired to build essential resources for her school's theatre club: six acting blocks and a storage shelf to hold them.
"I love theatre," she said. "And I want other people to grow in this craft long after my time in the program, which is exactly what my project contributes." At the same time, her school's funding for theatre and arts programs has decreased significantly, she said, making her project all the more significant.
When Parra became aware of a dangerous weed species threatening the healthy ecosystem of her cherished North Miami park, the Enchanted Forest Elaine Gordon Park, she didn't hesitate to turn it into a community project.
"Air potatoes are very dangerous because they mess up the other trees and plants we have, which also affects the wildlife in the park," she said. The air potato vine can grow up to 12 inches in a day, explained Parra, wrapping around other plants, suffocating them, critically shrinking them, and depriving them of sunlight and oxygen.
Building on an initiative by Scoutmaster Steinman, Parra designed four bucket stands and scattered them throughout the park, encouraging visitors to remove air potatoes by placing them in the bucket rather than relying on large-scale cleanups. She also created informational placards for each stand to educate visitors about the dangers of this invasive species.
"The park has personal meaning to me because I grew up in it. I want to protect it and keep it healthy," said Parra.
Taking their case to North Miami City Hall
She took matters further by speaking in North Miami's Town Hall and urging the council to permanently install her bucket stands before the hazardous root began to propagate, earning their cooperation in September. "I went up to tell the city how important it is that they set them up sooner than later since the season for the potatoes was coming up and they were going to be active and dangerous," she said.
As they look back with fulfillment and forward with confidence, both young women are preparing for the next chapter of their lives — carrying with them the skills, values, and lessons they learned through Scouting.
"I want to follow my passions in theatre and art animation, and use my skills to help lead and get things done," said Mayol.
"I want to be a guiding voice for others," Parra said.
"I plan to spread the values and morals I learned, like being yourself, being a strong teammate and leader, and accepting others." Parra is preparing to launch a podcast called 'Savvy Girls: Smart Money' that aims to advise young women on financial literacy.
The Miami Beach troop is now primarily composed of young women, a stark change from when Mayol and Parra first joined.
The reality is that, though Scouting America has become more inclusive, membership rates alarmingly dropped during the 2020 pandemic and have only gradually increased since.
Recruiting new youth has become a significant challenge for Steinman, who said the primary reason is a shift in social influences on young people.
"There are too many things kids are involved in nowadays. The internet is a big one," Steinman said.
Once they enroll, it becomes increasingly unlikely that they will stay until the end, he said.
"We can gather a big cub group, but then you can't get the parents to participate, and that's been a major problem. Once parents are involved, kids will stay."
"There is more to scouting than meets the eye. It helps youth communicate with each other, react to many different situations, and most importantly, learn how to plan."
"There is camaraderie, discussion, collaboration, and intensity; it's a whole different way of living; scouting really gets them to create their own future."
Paloma Pimentel is a free-lance journalist based in South Florida.
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