Residents of the Indonesian City of Yogyakarta on the island of Java were jarred awake early in the morning on Saturday, May 27, 2006, by a 6.3 magnitude earthquake.

Officials at Indonesia’s social affairs ministry say that more than 4,900 people were known to have died, while other reports put the death toll at more than 5,100.

As an immediate response to the disaster, the Scouts Care Task Force of the Gerakan Pramuka National Headquarters, sent five scout leaders to Yogyakarta, one of the areas most affected by the earthquake. The Chairman of Gerakan Pramuka, Prof Azrul Azwar, the Vice Chairman, Scouts Care Task Force Chairman, Parni Hadi, and the Secretary General of Gerakan Pramuka, Joedyaningsih, give full support to the five scout leaders. In addition, the Gerakan Pramuka NHQ has sent an ambulance with a medical doctor who is also a scout leader.

The five scout leaders will coordinate with the Scouts Care Task Force in Yogyakarta Provincial Scout HQ. The task force in Yogyakarta was initially formed to anticipate the eruption of Mount Merapi, near Yogyakarta. For the last three weeks, there have been several small eruptions prompting the evacuation of people living near the volcano. The Gerakan Pramuka Task Force helped with the evacuation process but is now on hand to help the victims of the earthquake.

Around Indonesia, Scouts have joined the relief effort by collecting money and materials to help the survivors. More than 200,000 people have been rendered homeless in the aftermath of the devastation and in the district of Bantul, 70 to 80 per cent of houses have completely collapsed, as have various large buildings, including the public hospital.

Youngest ever Mountaineer completes seven-summit challenge

———————————————————————-Rhys Jones climbs Mt Everest

May 17, 2006 – Rhys Jones, a Network Scout from Hampshire today successfully reached the summit of Everest, the world highest mountain. In climbing Everest Rhys becomes the youngest ever person ever to climb all seven of the highest peaks on each of the worlds continents.

Rhys completed the Everest climb on his 20th Birthday. Rhys reports, "Despite deep snow, the weather continues to be very good" which has enabled this to be the first successful summit from the south side of the mountain this season.

Rhys is already a record-breaking mountaineer; he is the youngest Briton to successfully climb Alaska’s 20,320ft Mt McKinley, and the youngest to summit Mount Vinson, the highest mountain in Antarctica.

Rhys is the youngest of only ten British mountaineers have achieved the feat of climbing the world highest peaks and is one of just hundred climbers worldwide to have achieved this feat.

Rhys has already succeeded in reaching the highest summit in North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe, Africa and Australia.

Peter Duncan the UK’s Chief Scout said on hearing about Rhys achievement "Scouting is all about giving young people the chance to have adventures. Rhys has completed one of life’s great adventures and we are very proud of what he has achieved. He is an inspiration to the Uk’s 500,000 Scouts"

Editor’s notes

The highest mountains on each of the earth’s continents are:
• Mt McKinley – North America
• Mt Aconcagua – South America
• Mt Kilimanjaro – Africa
• Mt Kosciusko- Australia
• Mt Elbrus – Europe
• Mt Vinson – Antartica
• Mt Everest – Asia

(frm scout site)

Teaching Values in Scouting

The values of Scouting are encapsulated in the Scout Oath and Law. But we often spend more time teaching sheepshanks and Dutch oven cooking than we do teaching duty to God and cleanliness.

When I teach Strictly for Scoutmasters at Philmont, we do an interesting exercising. We brainstorm specific ways to teach each of the values found in the Scout Oath and Law. Rather than give you the “answers,” I’ll offer this challenge. Write each of the following values on the top line of an index card:

• Trustworthy
• Loyal
• Helpful/To Help Other People at All Times
• Friendly
• Courteous
• Kind
• Obedient
• Cheerful
• Thrifty
• Brave
• Clean
• Reverent/Duty to God
• Duty to Country
• Physically Strong
• Mentally Awake
• Morally Straight
• General

Now, try to come up with as many specific ways as possible to cover each of those values in your troop program. For “thrifty,” for example, you might have your PLC plan an actual budget for your next outing. For “physically strong,” you might require Scouts to do 10 pushups before entering your meeting room each week. Put things that apply to more than one value on the “general card.”

You get the idea. Hopefully your Scouts will get the values.

The Unknown Scout

How Scouting Started in the United States

 One day in 1909 in London, England, An American Visitor, William D. Boyce, lost his way in a dense fog. He stopped under a street lamp and tried to figure out where he was. A boy approached him and asked if he could be of help.

"You certainly can," said Boyce. He told the boy that he wanted to find a certain business office in the center of the city.

"I’ll take you there," said the boy.

When they got to the destination, Mr. Boyce reached into his pocket for a tip. But the boy stopped him.

"No thank you, sir. I am a Scout. I won’t take anything for helping."

"A Scout? And what might that be?" asked Boyce.

The boy told the American about himself and about his brother scouts. Boyce became very interested. After finishing his errand, he had the boy take him to the British Scouting office.

At the office, Boyce met Lord Robert Baden-Powell, the famous British general who had founded the Scouting movement in Great Britain. Boyce was so impressed with what he learned that he decided to bring Scouting home with him.

On February 8, 1910, Boyce and a group of outstanding leaders founded the Boy Scouts of America. From that day forth, Scouts have celebrated February 8 as the birthday of Scouting in the United States.

What happened to the boy who helped Mr.Boyce find his way in the fog? No one knows. He had neither asked for money nor given his name, but he will never be forgotten. His Good Turn helped bring the scouting movement to our country.

In the British Scout Training Center at Gilwell Park, England, Scouts from the United States erected a statue of an American Buffalo in honor of this unknown scout.