LOS ANGELES — Aiming to boost their sagging numbers, the Boy Scouts are launching a million-dollar campaign to draw more Latinos.
But the Scouts’ national officials acknowledge that it might be a tough sell. Only three of every 100 Scouts are Latino, and some immigrant families see Scouting as an indulgence of the well-to-do in their home countries. Some also bristle at the uniforms.
“We go 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. . . . 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.”
