Local Scout back from Japan visit
by Jennifer Brinker, Review Staff Writer ,April 14, 2006

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A local youth officer for the Boy Scouts of America recently expanded his world understanding of scouting at an international forum in Japan.

Paul Lee, a member of St. Ann Parish in Normandy and 20-year-old senior at Lindenwood University, traveled to Narita, Japan, March 1-13 for the International Youth Forum.

The biannual event is sponsored by the Scout Association of Japan, in conjunction with the World Organization of the Scouting Movement. More than 200 scouts from 25 countries 梞ainly in the Asia-Pacific region ?attended the forum.

Countries represented at the forum included Australia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei Darussalam, China, Fiji, French Polynesia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Kiribati, Korea, Macau, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Nepal, New Zealand, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Thailand.

The forum is just one of several events that are part of a friendship program organized by the Scout Association of Japan and the Boy Scouts of America. The goal of the program is to promote a friendship and understanding between scouts in the two countries. Participants also gained a better understanding of Japanese culture through a home stay they made with Japanese families.

Lee has been a Boy Scout since he was 6, and he earned his Eagle Scout award when he was 14. He serves as central region president for the scouts?Venturing Program, which he described as an "action-packed, high adventure co-ed division of Boy Scouts." It is open to young men and women ages 14-20.

During his stay in Japan, Lee toured several other areas including Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Nara and Kobe. He stayed for several days in Osaka with a Japanese Buddhist priest and his family of six.

"I was actually able to stay in the temple," he said. "I was able to witness a Buddhist ceremony, which I had never done before. And just being able to spend time alone in the temple ?that was a personal highlight."

He also visited with government and civic leaders, toured Mount Fuji, rode the Japanese bullet trains and visited the Naruto tidal whirlpools.

During the three-day forum in Narita, Lee said participants learned about the similarities and differences in scouting across the world. He said he found that many scouting organizations represented at the forum follow many of the same scouting principles.

"In the Boy Scouts of America, we have the scout law … we have 12 points that guide our scouting," he said. "And those points are pretty much the same all over the world."

He said that he was surprised to see the differences in scouting uniforms. And some countries have designated buildings for scouting, instead of gathering at unrelated locations for meetings.

In some cases, said Lee, "the local government will give a volunteer money to renovate their house and then that additional part will be the scout house," he said. "And typically, the leaders will be leaders for life. It抯 one of those things that gets passed down from generation to generation."

Lee noted that Japan was "the friendliest place I have ever been to in my life.

"Everyone is so eager to make sure your stay is top-notch," he said. "Their actual thought is that whatever they do is not enough." He added that they have a high regard for American scouts.

Lee said he was struck with how the Japanese engage in various religious practices from a number of denominations.

"A lot of Japanese people don抰 have a set religion," he said. For example, some "get married using the Christian rite, and when they die … the burial and final ceremonies follow the Buddhist rite. Everybody is deeply religious, but it抯 not just one religion exclusively."

Lee is expected to graduate from Lindenwood next month with a degree in human service agency management. After that, he said he hopes to gain full-time employment as a professional scout.

He also remains involved with several local Boy Scout troops as a mentor. His primary work is with Troop 256 at Lucas Crossing School in Normandy, and he also helps with troops at St. Ann. "I抳e had a lot of very positive experiences in scouting, and I抳e been able to tour all across the country," he said. "I hope to become a professional and keep giving back to the scouts in that way."