COSS Inc. Statement on Scouting
Chelmsford Open Space Stewardship Inc. has partnered with Scouts for nearly two decades. During that time we have supported close to one hundred Eagle projects, service days, trail improvements, conservation efforts, and community programs led by young people in Scouting. We have seen firsthand the positive impact Scouting has on youth, families, and the wider community.
In light of recent national discussions about the future of partnerships with youth programs, COSS Inc. wants to be very clear. We fully support Scouting and the young people who choose to be part of it.
We reject the idea that Scouting exists to preserve exclusive “boy spaces.” Modern Scouting supports scouts of all kinds and genders. It is about the character, effort, and service of the individual scout, not their gender. The values we see in Scouts are the same ones our community depends on in so many areas, from conservation work to programs that directly help residents. Responsibility, respect, leadership, and care for the natural world are at the heart of what Scouts bring to Chelmsford.
COSS Inc. especially supports our local troops, packs, and crews, who have been some of our strongest community partners. Their projects and service days have improved trails, parks, farms and open spaces throughout Chelmsford, and they continue to play a key role in helping maintain these public lands for everyone to enjoy.
As long as COSS Inc. is active in Chelmsford, Scouts will continue to be welcome partners on our conservation lands and in our community programs. We are proud of the work they have done and proud to stand with them as they grow into the next generation of community leaders.