Refugee boy scouts learn, bond on camping trips in US

2 Jan 2017 3:31 PM IST

The troop formed in 2014 deals with challenges and problems unique to the refugee population.

A Denver-area Boy Scout troop made up almost entirely of refugees provides a safe haven where its members can be themselves, troop leaders say.
Boy Scouts play soccer at Mango House, a center for refugees in Aurora, Colo., before leaving on a troop camping trip to the mountains.
Nepalese refugees Umesh Rai, 16, left, and Abishek Khadka, 14, explore a craggy area on Mount Evans in Colorado's Rocky Mountains, near Idaho Springs.
It's unclear how many of the nation's 2.3 million scouts are refugees, but \"few programs are as equipped to help children learn and embrace American culture,\" Effie Delimarkos, a Boy Scouts of America spokeswoman, said.
In addition, the group provides a blueprint for other Boy Scout troops to attract some of the tens of thousands of refugees who could make the United States home in the coming years.
The troop formed in 2014 deals with challenges and problems unique to the refugee population, but it also helps kids adjust to American culture, its leaders say.
At campouts, the scouts dine on foods from their native countries, such as fish head stew, fire-roasted corn and Chatpate, a popular Nepalese street snack.

A Denver-area Boy Scout troop made up almost entirely of refugees provides a safe haven where its members can be themselves, troop leaders say.

The troop formed in 2014 deals with challenges and problems unique to the refugee population.