Helping All Cultures Communicate

One of Scouting’s priorities is to reach out to underserved communities and introduce the values of Scouting to both young people and their parents, many of whom have never heard of the movement before. In many cultures, activities like Scouting can quickly evolve into a family experience, and we welcome parents and other family members who enjoy volunteering in our units.

So when I see how our Scouts in multicultural neighborhoods give back to their communities, it sends a great message of how we help to bridge gaps and build stronger relationships among different cultures.

A Scouting program underway in Dallas to help with school translations is a terrific example.

Venturing Crew 9 students join in the library for an after-school meeting on their translator duties at Conrad High School, led by crew advisor Tricia Johnson on Nov. 8, 2013 in Dallas. // Photo courtesy of theeagle.com

Venturing Crew 9 in Dallas uses its diverse language skills to deliver a unique service by supporting school district translators at parent-teacher conferences, PTA meetings and other school events where translators are needed.

They also become volunteers with the district and go through interpreter ethics training from Catholic Charities of Dallas.

One of the translators from Venturing Crew 9, Miang Lian, told The Eagle newspaper in Bryan-College Station, TX how he plans to be a business owner. In the meantime, he views helping parents and teachers communicate through his translation skills as one way to give back to his community.

“If I translate, it’s helping people,” Miang Lian told the newspaper. “It’s good for them and will affect the future.”

What a great story of how this Venturing Crew is helping to build the future of this community! We need more programs like this to help all cultures feel at home, communicate with important stakeholders in their neighborhoods, and as a result create a stronger bond among different cultures across our nation.

What efforts are underway in your communities or organizations to help those wishing to improve their language skills? It’s an important role where we can all contribute to keeping communications open across all cultures.

Yours in Scouting,

Wayne