American kids in Jakarta, Indonesia can take part in Cub Scouts through the Far East Council. The pack is a blend of American kids and local Indonesian kids. The American kids might have parents who work at the U.S. Embassy, for a private company, or even as missionaries. The Indonesian kids all have some connection to the U.S. – perhaps their family lived in the U.S. for a bit – and they all speak fluent English. The pack meetings are conducted in English, and are very similar to scouting in the U.S.
The pack is made up of both boys and girls – ages 6-11, the parents volunteer as den leaders, and we start each pack meeting with the Scout Oath and the Scout Law – just like in the United States. The kids go camping here too – and this is what my story is about. Instead of camping in the woods, they camped on a remote island! The kids were busy earning their advancement requirements and earned ‘belt loops’ for adventures such as fishing and whittling. As part of learning about ‘community’, the kids had a beach clean-up and planted mangrove trees to help the environment.
