Daphne Sashin

Orlando Sentinel (Florida)

February 19, 2008 Tuesday

Daphne Sashin, Sentinel Staff Writer

SECTION: LOCAL & STATE; FLORIDA; Pg. B1

KISSIMMEE — The boys of Cub Scout Pack 431 spread their fingers in the sign of the wolf ears and vow to do their best and do their duty. In their blue and brown uniforms, they raise their hands and promise to honor the law of the pack.

No one blinks when a parent calls out a question in Spanish during weekly Scout meetings at Primera Iglesia Cristiana Discipulos de Cristo church on Boggy Creek Road. In fact, the leaders encourage it as they alternate between English and their native language. The children are used to it, most of them from Puerto Rico or born in the United States to Puerto Rican parents.

“Some kids might know Spanish, and some kids might know English,” explained Luis Sanchez, 7, whose family moved from Puerto Rico four years ago. He is fluent in English but said he likes Spanish better.

The Central Florida Council of the Boy Scouts of America has three Scouting groups sponsored by Vietnamese churches and about 30 sponsored by black churches. But of the more than 800 Scouting groups in the region, the 6-month-old Kissimmee pack is one of just two units sponsored by Hispanic churches despite the rapidly growing Hispanic population.

Mirroring a national trend, regional Scouts officials have been trying to figure out how to get more Hispanic families, civic groups and churches to form Cub Scout and Boy Scout groups. A Kissimmee Cubmaster held the first Spanish-language training sessions for new leaders last year and provided them with Spanish handbooks. The Central Florida Council recently received a grant from Winn-Dixie to fund a Hispanic initiative aimed at adding to the organization’s ranks in Orange and Osceola, where Hispanics make up 24 percent and 40 percent of the populations, respectively.

“We fervently believe that kids need Scouting and Central Florida needs Scouting, so we don’t want to leave any stone unturned,” said Chuck Brassfield, director of field service for the Central Florida Council.

A national study in 2006 by the Boy Scouts of America found Hispanic parents favored activities that teach responsibility and involve the whole family — values heavily promoted by the Cub Scouts. Yet, few grew up in Scouts, and while they had positive impressions about Scouting, many saw a Scout as a white person who isn’t comfortable with people of diverse backgrounds.

Hispanic parents also worried that their children would lose their cultural heritage and become too “Americanized” if they joined.

Luis’ mother, Lourdes Navarro, said she had no experience with Scouting, but wanted her son to have “a normal kid’s life.” She signed him up after learning about the new Hispanic pack at church. The group lacked leaders so she volunteered, even though she said she felt weird wearing the uniform.

A bicultural experience

Navarro and the other leaders of Pack 431 say their use of Spanish helps parents less comfortable with English and gives the children a bicultural experience. The boys seem to have embraced their new after-school activity, diving into the same lessons that Scouts have practiced for decades — tying knots, building cars and, especially, camping.

“I’ve never shot a BB gun before. It was fun,” said Jeziel Ramos, 9, recalling the pack’s first camping trip in December. “I’ve never slept in a tent before. It was so cool. I heard raccoons. They were getting our food.”

The purpose of the Hispanic initiative is not to segregate ethnic groups, Boy Scouts officials say, but to boost their membership ranks. Even if the children speak English, their parents may be shy to confront their own language barriers — and that can be a problem for an organization that emphasizes family participation, said Ferdinand Lopez, Cubmaster of Pack 95 in Kissimmee.

“If they [the parents] don’t feel comfortable, they don’t want to go, and if they don’t want to go, the one that suffers is the boy,” said Lopez, who led the Spanish training sessions last year. “When they see that there are leaders that speak Spanish, they know they have a resource.”

Jeziel’s mother, Soriliz Rodríguez, said she’s happy her children are experiencing new things and learning American customs while not losing their heritage. The pack frequently adds its own flavor to the traditional Scouting activities. They bring rice and beans to events and look for any chance to turn a meeting into a party, whether to celebrate Chinese culture or friendship.

“In the Latin pack, they’re not going to lose their culture,” said Rodríguez, a bilingual first-grade teacher and the Cubmaster’s wife.

Cubmaster Francisco Ramos grew up in rural Puerto Rico and had no experience with camping or the Boy Scouts, but he knew that Scouting “is very good for kids.”

Ramos agreed to lead Pack 431, even though he sometimes has to ask for the right English words to express his ideas. At a recent meeting, the children were quick to correct his pronunciation of “perseverance” and “February.”

“One of my barriers is English, but I don’t care,” Ramos said. “The important thing is what we do for our kids.”