BoyandGirlScouts.com – News, Opinion, Advice

admin Says:

13 October 2008 at 3:01 pm.

You’re going over soon? I didn’t realize you were still active. Thank you!

Mike Walton (Settummanque, the blackeagle) Says:

9 April 2009 at 4:06 am.

I would like to make some comments on the two “Councils” which are there in Iraq. I was a part of both organizations and assisted with organization of both during my two tours in Iraq.

First, let’s dispel the difference between a “local Council” as it is organized here in the States (and the former Direct Service Council, which was formed to “capture everything else not in a geographical local Council”) and the “Green Zone” and “Victory Base” Councils.

Both Green Zone and Victory Base has no official standing with the BSA. They are NOT local Councils of the Boy Scouts of America; therefore, the naysayers which have been complaining about “the BSA bringing Scouting to Iraq” are misleading you. What the BSA IS bringing, however, is some (small) resources to SUPPORT the re-emergence of a national Scouting program (for boys AND girls) in the Kingdom of Iraq.

Both organizations use the word “Council” because that is a term which their host-nation counterparts understand — the idea of groups of people coming together to mutually support each other. THAT is what is going on in Baghdad — both within the “International Zone” (the “Green Zone”, to which the name of the group took it’s name from) and within the spawling Victory Base areas of Baghdad.

I think of both as “extremely large units” which are based on the European model of Scouting: both sexes, minimal uniforming, large doses of outdoor and personal survival skills, coupled with some character and citizenship skills.

Is there any Scouting going on anywhere else in the country? YES, most definately, although it gets very little press and there’s a lot of concerns about the future. In areas held by American forces, civil affairs and regular Soldiers and Marines, veterans of Scouting as a youth or adults, are assisting local communities with forming Scouting “groups” (not “Councils”, more like ‘units’) in an effort to get kids off the streets and giving them some positives in their lives.

The problem is, like in most US communities (think “inter-city” or “rural” here), the personality of the Scouter organizing the group is tied to the success factor of the organization and the amount and types of activities being undertaken. When the personality “rotates out”, the program tends to come to a standstill even with a replacement “leader”.

I had an opportunity when I was stationed in Baghdad to pass along some questions about Scouting and it’s role to the-then senior General officer, General David Petratus. He is a strong supporter of Scouting, having been a part of the program as a youth and later young adult.

His concern is that that good-intentioned Scouters will come over and treat Scouting like we would here in the United States — tightly structured, advancement, badges, etc. etc. and we have to remember that before we were all here and before Saddam’s edict to remove Scouting from the nation — Iraq had a robust Scouting organization and was doing well for itself.

Scouters should be encourging Iraqi adults and educators to “take back” and reorganize THEIR SCOUTING program — and not for us to bring a BSA “Scouting program” to their nation.

I agree.

The idea that we now have two “Councils” there with lots of volunteer (and a couple of professionals on a military tour) Scouters is a GREAT THING. As one of the founders of the “Green Zone” Council, I can tell you that finding and fixing volunteer Scouters to attend meetings and activities after their in some cases 12-hour shift is a BIG CHALLENGE. Everyone there understands that the mission — what brought them there — is “job one” to coin a car phrase. However, the same reluctance to do something to benefit the community is found there just like back home.

And just because your General, Command Sergeant Major or Director says “yeah, Scouting’s a great thing to get involved in on your off-duty time”, there’s a lot more of those below the leadership line which says, “Hey look — love to support ya but it’s not happening here. I need your head in the game as WE’RE playing it — I don’t want you to drop your guard because you’re thinkin’ “Boy Scout” instead of “insurgent”. I can agree with most of that too and it makes it tough — even at MY paygrade — to do some of the things we all know would move the Iraqi Scouting program forward a bit more!

I encourage those Scouters — my peers — to continue the great work of working with Iraqi youth; but I further remind and encourage them that those kids’ parents and those in their communities need to step forth and organize Scouting units for their youth. There will be a time that the Coalition will be gone… it’s coming… and we certaintly don’t want to read about some mullah taking a time-honored program like Scouting and turning it into a “freedom fighter” program which some nations (read Cuba for one) has done in the past.

Settummanque!