12-year-old blazes trail with all-female Scout troop
On Feb. 1, 2019, the Boy Scouts of America: Boy Scout program officially rebranded as Scouts BSA, allowing girls to join scout troops across the county.
Today, troops can be all female or all male. One 12-year-old Wake Forest girl named Ava Nowok has taken the opportunity to form her own scout troop. But just as the shift in Scouts BSA policy has faced backlash, Ava herself experienced negative comments after her family announced her decision on social media.
Ava grew up hearing her dad's childhood memories from his own experiences in scouting. He shared photos of the time he fell into poison ivy on a scout adventure. Bob Nowok said attending summer camp with his little brother and dad is one of his fondest memories.
His stories inspired her.
"When I heard the word Boy Scouts immediately it came to me – camping and bonfires, and it just sounded like a lovely thing to do," she said.
A new generation of Scouts; a new reason for backlash
The family expressed surprise and excitement at the new doors opening for their daughter. They said they didn't even know the Boy Scouts would become available to girls.
"I'm thrilled the girls have all the choices their brother has," Nowok said.
Ava said she's happy about the opportunity to join the scouts and share all the childhood experiences her dad told her about.
But not everyone shares this positive sentiment.
The family said within 10 minutes of announcing their daughter's plan on social media, negative comments started rolling in. More than half of the responses were unfavorable.
The critics didn’t stop Ava from forming a troop of her own. At first, she was following in her dad’s footsteps; now she’s blazing a trail all her own.
“I took two steps back and let her lead. And I followed her," Nowok said. "I'm real proud of her."
Ava, as undaunted by the negative backlash as she is by the threat of poison ivy and camping in the cold month of January, said, “I feel as though this would be able to be a great path in life to take.”
