The Scouts of the LDS Lelu and Utwe Branches in Kosrae, FSM held the first-ever Court of Honor within Micronesia on April 17, 2009. They were presented with the Tenderfoot rank and Gardening Merit Badge.The LDS Church recently assigned Elder Gordon Foote and Sister Susan Foote to work with the youth of Kosrae, and through their efforts and Scouting experience, the youth earned these two awards. Using the limited resources available on the island, the Scouts planted seeds and clippings to create a garden. When necessary, the Footes sought help from off-island friends and family to send needed materials, and turned to experienced local islanders to help teach the youth the necessary skills to earn the Tenderfoot ranks.
To ensure longevity of the program, efforts are being made to establish local leadership to assist with the new units. Basic Leader Training was held the same weekend as the Court of Honor to train local leaders to run the Boy Scout Troops and Venturing Crew. This will be important to achieving the goal of seeing the first Eagle Scout rank being awarded on Kosrae within five years.Overall, 16 Gardening Merit Badges and 17 Tenderfoot ranks were awarded, along with six adult religious awards for the local leaders working with the youth.
