Summer Camps held throughout the Pacific

Over 1,000 youth participate

Scouts in Palau enjoy camping in the Rock Islands

The year 2009 brought another summer of fun, adventure and skill development for the Scouts of the Pacific Basin. Summer camp programs were held throughout the Pacific, with nearly 800 youth participating within the islands of Micronesia, and over 200 Scouts joining Day Camp and Summer Camp within American Samoa.

For the first time in three years the youth of Yap State, FSM enjoyed a summer camp experience. The turnout was small, but the stories will bring more boys next year.

Working with the youth this year was a Venturing Scout from Hauula, Hawaii. Natahli Mills, from Crew 423, travelled the Pacific to assist at each camp as part of a personal growth project for her Venturing Silver Award. She taught the boys Scout Skills, Fingerprinting Merit Badge and Art Merit Badge.

Scouts and Leaders from Tafunsak, Lelu and Utwe municipalities
on the island of Kosrae, pose for a photo
on the last day of summer camp

This year summer camp programs introduced merit badges to several islands in an effort to see the first-ever Eagle Scout in Micronesia.

Scouts are Taught Traditional Skills

Along with Scout Skills and merit badges, Scouts in the Pacific are taught the skills of their ancestors from local experts. In many island nations traditional methods of hunting, fishing, weaving, sailing and cooking are being forgotten. In an effort to ensure Scouts are learning these skills, local experts are invited to share their knowledge with the youth.

Among skills that were taught this year include basket weaving, snaring a pig, simple navigation techniques and cooking. Experts also teach the Scouts local legends and language.

New Island Director

Calistro Reyes

New Island Director for Northern Mariana Islands

The Aloha Council, BSA welcomed a new Island Director for the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Calistro Reyes began working for the Aloha Council on July 20, 2009.

Calistro Reyes brings a lot of experience to Scouting. Prior to his retirement in 1996, Calistro worked for the Depart of Social Affairs as the Scouting Coordinator for Saipan. He served in that position for 16 years.

Calistro’s experience will be a great benefit to Scouting in CNMI. Since taking on the position he has helped organize a new unit, and a summer camp at Paupau Beach.

Scout Camp: Yap

The Scouts of Yap enjoyed their first summer camp experience in three years.

Scouts of Yap enjoy their new uniforms

Instruction on the Scouting method of starting fire

Scouts learn a new skill... their first time watercoloring

Scout instruction on Personal Safety

Enjoying a campfire with a visiting Venturer from Hawaii

Instruction in the basics of orienteering

Scout Camp: Palau

Scouts campout in the Republic of Palau

Uniform Donations help Island Youth enjoy Scouting

Uniforms go a long way to support the Scouting program in the islands. In an area in the world where there aren’t too many luxuries, Scout uniforms can be a symbol of pride, loyalty and dedication.

The Aloha Council is conducting a uniform drive to help provide this important element of Scouting to our Scouts. Many of our island youth have never had a new shirt in their life. Imagine what a Scout uniform would do for these young men. Currently units and families are donating their used uniforms for this purpose, as well as companies like First Class Shop in Edinburg, TX and Troy Pugh in Ephrata, WA.

For more information on how you can help, please contact the Aloha Council Service Center at the numbers listed above.

Marshall Islands advances Scouting Program

Majuro, Marshall Islands, under the leadership of Island Director Hirobo Obeketang and chairman Kenneth Kramer, is preparing to hold two camp programs this summer, the first on July 1-4 and the second on July 30-Aug 1. These two camps will introduce merit badges and the BSA advancement program to the Scouts in Majuro.

Three merit badges will be offered to our Scouts including Basketry, Art and Fingerprinting, along with Scout skills requirements of the Tenderfoot rank. To prepare for this, Scout leaders on Majuro took part in a 3-day seminar on merit badges, merit badge counseling and rank advancement held two hours each afternoon. Interest in the program increased so much, as word spread, that by the third day attendance at the seminar had doubled.

The training seminar was combined with preparation to participate in the 2009 Republic of the Marshall Islands Flag Day ceremonies, held on May 1st. Individuals from the Department of Public Safety were invited to teach the leaders how to drill their Scouts to prepare them for marching in the Flag Day celebration. Uniform donations were also secured for most of the Scouts participating. In all, over 100 Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts marched in the Flag Day parade.

These same Scouts are now preparing to take part in the Boy Scout summer camps, which will be held on the small islet of Enemanit. Funding for this camp will provided primarily by PII, Inc. and Do It Best Hardware.

Growth of Scouting in the Pacific Basin

The Pacific Basin is expanding to serve more youth as new units are established and existing ones are strengthened.

Yap State recently rebuilt a Boy Scout troop with the help of Curtis Villa (pictured above), a Filipino national who is in Yap with his family on a contract with the College of Micronesia.

Kosrae State and American Samoa organized five new units between them, two troops and one Venturing Crew, with the LDS Branches in Kosrae, and a new Cub Scout Pack and Scout Troop with Aua Elementary School in American Samoa.

More new units, serving youth on other islands, are expected this year.

Kosrae State, FSM holds first-ever Court of Honor within Micronesia

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.

Update on Scouting in the Pacific

Republic of Palau

In the far west reaches of the Pacific Basin Scouting lies the islands of the Republic of Palau; a gem in the Pacific, especially when it comes to Scouting.

Palau, and Koror State to be specific, has one of the most active Scouting programs in Micronesia. Although small in number, Koror State offers consistent Scouting activities.

This is all due to Scott Yano, Director of State and Cultural Affairs, and El’Zeder Eledui, Scouting Coordinator. The successes here in Palau can provide examples of how to succeed in other areas of the Pacific, and you can be a part of this Scouting experience in paradise by becoming an Island Commissioner.

Above: Scott Yano, Director (far right); El’Zeder Eledui, Scout Coordinator (in blue)
and the staff of Youth Division of the Department of State and Cultural Affaris

Mariana Islands

The PBS District of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) opened a new Scout Service Center on the island of Saipan. The facility was donated for the use of Scouting by the Saipan Government. The building was in poor condition when received and repairs and renovations were funded primarily through donations from Tan Holdings, Inc., Century Insurance, District Chairman David Sablan, the Saipan Rotary Club and with labor provided by district volunteers.

The facility will house the Boy Scout district offices and be used for Scout Roundtables, district meetings and Basic Leader Training. It is a large facility and includes one main room that serves as a resource center and library, three offices and a conference room.

Aloha Council Scout Executive visits American Samoa District

Above: Scouts from Troop 296, LDS Malaeimi Ward, welcome Aloha Council Scout Executive Jeff Woolsey to American Samoa with the traditional ‘ava ceremony

Scout Executive Jeff Woolsey, accompanied by PBS Director John Mills, visited American Samoa to help kick off a year-long celebration leading up to Scouting’s 100 anniversary.

Among the many highlights of the trip was the Scout Fiafia, or celebration, held at the beach in front of the American Samoa Governor’s office building. Approximately 250 Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts attended the event which included a Camporee, Pinewood Derby, and Patrol and Troop competitions of fire by friction (pictured above), coconut husking, basket weaving and tug of war. The competition was fierce as the winners of coconut husking and fire by friction won their events in under one minute.

During the visit six young men were awarded their Eagle Scout ranks. Fomai Amituanai (Troop 357), Peniamina Lesa and Christopher Samia (Troop 355), Taupati Mamea (Troop 191), Eugene Brown (Troop 346) and Mau Malaki Te’o (Troop 295) each were presented their Eagle Award by Jeff Woolsey, Executive Staff member Fiamatai Faitau and their parents.

The visit culminated with a District Recognition Dinner where three Scout leaders received the District Award of Merit and Aki Dameworth, District Training Chair, received her Wood Badge beads.

Be a Part of the Scouting Experience

The remote islands and atolls of the Pacific are overwhelmed by poverty and limited opportunities. Scouting on these islands provides a substantial resource in the development of young lives and the young people living there. As we look for more and more ways to better serve our youth in the Pacific, we ask assistance from our entire Scouting family on behalf of these future leaders.

There are so many ways that individuals or groups can help these young boys and girls. Individuals who are interested can be Island Commissioners, adopting and visiting an island periodically to help run our Scouting programs; Venturing crews or patrols can spend their annual high adventure experience in the islands learning about new cultures and running summer camps; people or groups can adopt an island financially to help support its annual Scouting program; or districts, units or individuals can help collect donated uniforms to send to the different islands. Many of our youth have never had a new shirt in their life. Imagine what a Scout uniform would do for these young men.

Chief Scout Executive visits the Pacific Basin

Chief Scout Executive, Robert Mazzuca, and a contingent of national, regional and local Scout leaders, toured parts of the Pacific region in March to celebrate the success of Scouting in the Pacific. The group visited the islands of Guam, Saipan and Majuro, with special stops in Kosrae and Ebeye.

During their visit CSE Mazzuca helped award five Awards of Merit on several islands and the Silver Beaver to Jerry Kramer in Majuro, Marshall Islands. Jerry is a long-time Scouter and founder of Troop 454 in Majuro. He is the head of PII and annually donates the resources needed for our summer camp on Enemanit. This marks the first time a Scouter in the Marshall Islands has received this prestigious award. Additionally, on a very short stop-over in Kwajalein, the Chief attended an Eagle Scout presentation for two Scouts, along with the Base Commander Col. Reid.

The highlight of the trip was in Majuro where the group dropped in on a camporee on the small islet of Enemanit, a part of the Majuro atoll system. The camporee was attended by about 400 Scouts from several of the neighboring islands. The Chief and his party traveled to the islet using a traditional Marshallese outrigger canoe, called a korkor. They spent the day participating with the youth in traditional activities like fire-starting, basket weaving, coconut husking, and fishing. At the end of the visit, as the group was boarding the boat, they were treated to a sight of 400 youth lining the dock and singing farewell.

2008 PBS Summer Camps

Summer Camp programs were held throughout the Pacific this year, with over 1,000 youth attending camps in Guam, Saipan, American Samoa, Chuuk, Pohnpei, Kosrae and Majuro. Cub Scout Day Camps were also held throughout the islands. The need for Scouting becomes so clear when even girls from the local villages show up for our annual camps and events.

The summer camp experience is used to help build a knowledge of personal culture along with Scouting skills. In place of materials like reed or raffia, Scouts learn to weave with local materials like coconut and pandanus leaves. But many traditional Scouting skills, knot-tying, orientation, first aid, etc. are also taught to the boys. One of the favorites among the islanders is hiking or marching along trails and roadways. As they hike through villages they will sing the Scouting songs they have learned and yell their troop and patrol cheers.

Special thanks must be given to those organizations that contribute many resources to help these camps become a reality; groups like Triple-J Enterprises, Pacific International Inc., Lions Club of Pago Pago, Do It Best Hardware and the various government and private agencies that support our Scouting efforts.

Welcome to PBS

Pacific Basin Scouting

Aloha and welcome to the Pacific Basin Scouting Weblog, published by the Aloha Council, BSA.

Scouting in the Pacific, under the direction of the Aloha Council, consists of an area expanding across six time zones, both sides of the International Dateline, and North and South of the Equator. It includes American Samoa, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Republic of Palau, Guam, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.

Kosrae, FSM - The Sleeping Lady

Through this blog we hope to share the story of Scouting in these areas, highlighting the uniqueness of the program and needs of the youth we serve. This will be a place where photos, news and information will be posted and where Scouters can contribute to help the overall needs of the program.

Our blog will be updated regularly with occasional updates for special projects or events. We will also maintain a quarterly news digest with articles posted to this site. So, please join us and be a part of the largest Scouting effort in the BSA and the World.