Boy Scouts seek suicide as a cure to falling numbers

Steve Chawkins reports, Boy Scouts launch campaign to boost their Latino ranks and staff :

Aiming to boost their sagging numbers, the Boy Scouts are launching a million-dollar campaign to draw more Latinos, a group that has long resisted Scouting's appeal.

But the Scouts' national officials acknowledge that it may be a tough sell. Only three of every 100 Scouts are Latino, and some immigrant families see such groups as an indulgence of the well-to-do in their home countries. Some also bristle at the uniforms.

"We go in in a uniform that looks like the Border Patrol," said Paul Moore, head of the Scouts' Los Angeles Area Council. "Then we ask [adult volunteers] to fill out complex applications that ask for their Social Security numbers. I think we've found some good ways in L.A. to deal with some of these things, but we have to do a better job of getting parents to see Scouting as something that aligns with their hopes and dreams for their kids."
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"It can't be all Norman Rockwell Caucasian guys like me," said John Richers, the director of Fresno's Boy Scout council. "I'm hoping that Scouting tomorrow looks more like Marcos Nava than John Richers. We have to make sure we still have relevance in the new America, if you will."

Brenda Walker comments on this brilliant move by the Scouts.