22 October 2008
Scouts in Mannheim Get Steamrolled
Posted by admin under: International .
Kent Harris at Stars and Stripes says that because the military base that has been the headquarters for Boy Scouts of America’s European area council is closing, the BSA has to move, too. The same thing applies for the Girl Scouts of the USA. When a kid moves to Europe to stay with mom or dad who have been stationed in Europe they don’t have to leave the BSA behind. There are international councils that allow the children to remain active in American Scouting by creating their own troops overseas chartered through the Transatlantic Council (http://www.tac-bsa.org/) or North Atlantic Council (http://www.usagso-na.org/).
The two organizations, which serve about 14,000 youth across Europe, have been headquartered in Germany since the 1950s.
“As long as anyone can remember,” Renwald said, laughing.
But Stem Kaserne in Mannheim is scheduled to close at the end of the next fiscal year, Renwald said.
Military officials strongly suggested the groups look in Italy, Cozzone said.
Camp Darby, a logistics and storage hub that houses an active-duty population of less than 300 soldiers and airmen, is one of the least populated bases in Italy. But it’s got a campground and private beach that attract thousands of visitors around Europe every summer.
“The campground is certainly something we’re looking at (for future gatherings),” Cozzone said.
Renwald said the Girl Scouts held two weeks of a camp on base last year and plan to do more. A gathering for junior high school and high school girls throughout Europe is set for the Martin Luther King weekend, for instance.
I guess there are worse things than having your council office move to the beaches of Italy. No, stop. Don’t make me go to camp at an Italian beach. I just… oh, okay.
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