There are about 60 kids and parents gathered in the Oakland Presbyterian Church gym, and the energy is somewhere between a family reunion and organized chaos. Kids race in from the playground. Parents prepare for the meeting. Flags are gathered for the presentation of colors. Conversations overlap, friends excitedly catch up, and somewhere in the middle of it all, a lesson in camping skills is about to begin.

Welcome to Cub Scouts. Just maybe not the version you remember.

The uniforms are familiar. So are the campfires, camping trips, and lessons in tying knots. But look a little closer, and you’ll see something different. Girls alongside boys. Parents, grandparents, and siblings joining the fun. Families of all shapes and sizes finding common ground. And on this particular evening, not a screen in sight.

Cub Scouts may seem like an activity from your parents’ or grandparents’ generation, but for families looking for kids’ activities that foster in-person friendships, encourage new experiences, and build community, scouting still has relevance. Now packs like 978 in Winter Garden welcome girls as well as boys into a family pack that also allows parents, siblings, grandparents, and other family members to join activities alongside the scouts.

 “We open it up to the family, so it’s giving other avenues for these individual families to have meaningful moments and connections together as a family,” says Wes Catlett-Miller, cub scout master of pack 978.

That openness is newer than it might seem. For a long time, scouting had firm limits on who belonged. The organization didn’t admit girls to Cub Scouts until 2018, or allow gay adult leaders until 2015, and in 2025 it changed its name to Scouting America. Wes knows people walk in with a picture already in their heads.

“We probably all have preconceived notions of what we think scouting is or what it was,” he says. Ultimately, though, it’s about bringing together kids who share a sense of adventure and curiosity to learn new things, build confidence, and make friends.

Wes says their pack wants all kids and families to feel welcome.

“The welcoming environment we are providing for families and youth from all walks of life, from all different types of families – I think the kids know that they’re feeling seen and they’re feeling heard and they’re in a space where they can be themselves.”

That atmosphere is what drew Wes’s family to the 978 when his oldest son expressed interest in joining the scouts. In addition, they found an outlet for exploring nature and a venue for building values and confidence and learning new skills.

“Our motto in cub scouts is ‘Do your best,’” Wes says. “You learned something new, you gave it a try, you did the best you could, and that’s totally great.”

“We put so much pressure on ourselves at times for perfection, and that’s not really what it’s all about. It’s about expansion and just taking a risk.” 

Along with skills like building a campfire or tying knots, the scouts gain confidence in themselves with the new activities they try; learn the importance of looking out for each other with the buddy system; and understand the value of giving back to the community through service projects like the food drive Scouting for Food.

There are useful lessons for the parents, too. 

“I think it’s also made me a better parent,” Wes shares. “These kids are teaching me stuff every day. They’re teaching me as much as I’m teaching them.” 

It has also been a way for parents and family members to find connection. It can be harder to make friends as an adult and once you have kids. Wes says he has seen some of the parents become friends through the program and plan activities together outside of the scouts. 

“As much as the kids are building relationships, the parents are finding their friendships as well,” he says.

Those connections are part of what makes the experience meaningful for the entire family. The kids come for the camping trips, adventures, and friendships, but the parents often discover a community of their own.

Still, if you ask Wes what he hopes the scouts take with them, his answer is simple: “I know they have a better sense of themselves and what they can do,” he says. “But I hope, if anything, they just leave knowing that they did a lot of great stuff and that they had a lot of fun doing it.”