Community Service Event

Hello Scouters!! Recently, the boy and girl scouts here in Iraq went out in the community to help beautify the area. The children found a playground in need of repair, so they grabbed thier paintbrushes and went to work! The children were happy as the put a bright coat of paint on the equipment. Everyone had a great day and now the children of that area have a fresh, and colorfull place to play!!!

Iraqi Scouting Promise and Law

The Scouting program in Iraq also has a promise and law, much like the Boy Scout oath and laws. As with any translation, it is difficult to truly capture the subtleties of the language, but here we go.


For the Iraqi equivalent of Cub scouts and Brownies, which are translated as Cubs and Flowers, the promise is:

I promise to do my best, including what I must do toward God and my country, and do good every day, and work according to the Cubs (or Flowers) law.

For Cubs and Flowers, the Law is:
1-Cub (Flower) Honest and trustworthy .
2-Cub (Flower) believes in God and is loyal to his country and parents 3-Cub(Flower) Useful
4-Cub (Flower) friendly.
5-Cub (Flower) Thrifty
6-Cub (Flower) Merciful toward animals
7-Cub (Flower) Obedient
8-Cub (Flower) Cheerful
9-Cub (Flower) Clean
10-Cub (Flower) brave

For the older kids, Scouts and Girl Guides, the promise and law are:

Promise for Scouts and Girl Guides
I promise on my honor to do my duty to God and my country, and to help my people in all circumstances and conditions

Law for Boy Scouts and Girl Guides
1 - Scouts (guiding) Reliable
2 - Scouts (guiding) believes in God and loyal to his homeland and his parents
3 - Scouts (guiding) Useful
4 - Scouts (guiding) friendly
5 - Scouts (guiding) polite and respectful
6 - Scouts (guiding) Merciful toward animals
7 - Scouts (guiding) Thrifty
8 - Scouts (guiding) Obedient
9 - Scouts (guiding) cheerful
10 - Scouts (guiding) Clean
11 - Scouts (guiding) brave

For comparison’s sake, the Boy Scouts of America have an Oath and Law:
Oath:
On my honor I will do my best
To do my duty to God and my country
and to obey the Scout Law;
To help other people at all times;
To keep myself physically strong,
mentally awake, and morally straight.

Law:
A scout is
Trustworthy,
Loyal,
Helpful
Friendly
Courteous
Kind
Obedient
Cheerful
Thrifty
Brave
Clean and
Reverent

Pine Wood Derby

May 8th was another great day for the Iraqi scouting program!! In conjunction with the Green Zone Council, with the help of many volunteers, the children were able to expierence a Pine Wood Derby! The children carved and decorated thier cars and raced them agianst each other! The cars were outstanding and very creative. Everyone had a great time and the children were all smiles!! We look forward to being able to interact with the children again soon as the weather gets warmer.

Scouts at the 86TH Combat Support Hospital

March 8th was another great day with the Iraqi Boy Scouts and Girl Guides! Today they went to the 86TH Combat Support Hospital to visit with wounded coalition forces and local nationals. Everyone at the hospital was very excited and this was an excellent opportunity for the Iraqi children to interact with soldiers and locals. The children handed out Trails End Popcorn which was graciously donated. Everyone shared laughs and smiles!! Afterwards the children ate lunch that was provided by the hospital dinning facility, and were allowed to play around in a FLA (military ambulance) and finally played games! There were many games available to include a piñata, stuffed animals, Frisbees and footballs. The children were so excited and enjoyed tossing around the toys and taking the stuffed animals’ home with them! It was truly a great day for all involved, and a memory that will last a lifetime!!!

10 February Day Camp

On 10 February the Green Zone Council had the oppurtunity to share another great day with the Iraqi Boy Scouts and Girl Guides. The children were excited, and again the GZC had the oppurtunity to be instructors. We helped teach the first aid and knot tying classes again. The kids also taught us some of the knots that they use!! There was a team building excersise where the kids had to work together to achieve a goal. There were some sports set up and the kids really enjoyed playing soccer with the soldiers! We had alot of volunteers for this event and are looking forward to warmer weather and the chance to work with the scouts and giudes again!

Popcorn Fundraiser

On February 2, 2008, Trails End Popcorn Company donated $25,000.00 worth of popcorn to the Iraqi scouting program. DHL arranged for the two and a half tons of popcorn to be shipped right to our door for free! This was a great event for the scouts and girl guides, giving them the oppurtunity to have a direct hand in funding for the program. The children were all smiles and very eager to do all that they could. While the scouts and leaders ran the event, it was rewarding to the Green Zone Council to help in any way we could. We had so many volunteers who contributed to the success of the fund raiser and would like to extend a thank you to everyone!!

On 29 December 2007, the Green Zone Council had another great day with the Iraqi boy scouts and girl guides. The scouts and their scout leaders arrived at the camp around 9:00 in the morning, and we had the privilege of acting as instructors for a few classes this time! We had a first aid class, knot tying, soap carving, arts and crafts and some games and sports time. While the Iraqi leaders were still in charge of the scouts, it was nice to be able to help with the events! We look forward to warmer weather and the chance to do even more with the scout camp!