SOUTH SALT LAKE — The boys of Troop 1262 spent last week packing and trying on their new hunter green Scout shirts, specially made for their appearance at the 23rd World Scout Jamboree held in Kirara-hama, Yamaguchi, Japan.

Troop 1262 is unique, because its members are descendants of Karen and Karenni refugees from Burma, who fled to Thailand generations ago before migrating to the United States as legal citizens.

The 18 Boy Scouts will begin traveling to Japan on July 24. Following the jamboree, the Scouts travel to Myanmar (formerly Burma), where they will use their native language and visit family members in refugee camps, many of whom the boys haven't seen since leaving for the United States.

"We got approval from United Nations High Commission on Refugees, to go into the refugee camps; even though the Burmese government has reconciled with the Karen armies, these people don't trust the Burmese and are reluctant to go back," said Michael Nebeker, a troop leader who has worked with refugee families for about eight years.

"They're homes were burned their livestock was killed their lands were land-mined, there is a lot of distress, so there are still a lot of people left in the camps."

While living in the refugees camps of Thailand, many of the young men learned how to secretly hunt small animals to supplement preferred meat-based protein the diets of their families, which consisted of rice and vegetables.

"We taught them how to swim, how to hike; they've taught us how to hunt and fish because they are so good at it," said Nebeker. "Your parents either worked to provide the protein or the kids snuck out and hunted squirrels, rabbits, foxes, snakes, bird, fish, that's what they lived on — they know what it is like to go without food for days.

The troop has raised $110,000 toward a $122,000 goal needed for their pending trip by working outdoor jobs — such as raking leaves and painting homes — selling popcorn, and donations through a go-fund me account*.

Other plans for the trip include flying to Bangkok, visiting the Gulf of Cyan to play soccer on the beach and visit the ocean, which none of the boys have ever seen.

Life in the U.S.

After arriving in the United States, several of the teenage refugees had a difficult time adjusting to their more sedentary lifestyle in the United States, sitting behind school desks for long periods, struggling with lessons in English, only to return home to spend their evenings in urban apartments with their families.

"It was very hard to adapt to the new environment. I didn't do so well at school at first, I didn't care at all," said Hae Soe, a soft spoken 16-year-old, who migrated with his Karen family to the United States in July 2007, after living in a refugee camp for eight years.

Some of the teenagers turned to gang activity and other criminal activities in order to find purpose and acceptance in their new environment. Several of the young men turned up in youth detention centers.

Detained youth were visited by inner-city service employees and LDS Church welfare missionaries, who became concerned about the trend toward trouble with Myanm refugee teens.

So was born the Jungle Refugee Troop, known formally as Troop 1262, in 2006 under the direction of Scout leaders and sponsored by the Columbus Branch of the South Salt Lake LDS Stake .

Leaders, hoped that the troop would serve as a positive outlet for physical activity with purpose, to divert the teenagers from gang activity, and to help them find appreciation for their new community.

"Scouting is pretty important because it doesn't matter what type of person you are, it will help you develop your weaknesses into your strengths, and for me personally, I was very quiet and shy — I still am a little bit — but it has given me the courage and confidence to get out of my comfort zone and venture out," Soe said.

Troop 1262 has seen tremendous growth since its creation, with nearly 100 young men registered as members of the troop, representing a variety of faiths, including Baptists, Buddhists, Catholics, Mormons and Muslims.

Related:

Refugee scout troop to visit their native country

A Boy Scout troop in South Salt Lake calls itself the most unique in the country. (Photo: KSL-TV)

Although the Jungle Refugee Troop has embarked on several adventures together — from camping at Bear Lake, to meeting Utah government officials, and attending the 2013 National Jamboree — returning to their homeland and participating in the World Scout Jamboree will be the biggest trip yet. It will allow the boys to reflect on how far they have come as first generation American refugees.

Refugee camp

Part of the reason why the boys can return to their refugee camps is their visit to the Myanmar embassy while on the National Jamboree trip.

There, the Scouts met Lwin Htun Than, Burmeese service chief, who invited the boys into the embassy and publicly apologized to the Scouts and their families for how their people had been treated.

He offered to help the boys get visas to make the visit to the refugee camps, Nebeker said. "It was one of the most eloquent and beautiful speeches I have ever heard in my life, these boys were shocked about the welcoming."

Recently, the Scouts completed the visa process through the help of Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, who held a congressional ceremony in Washington, D.C., earlier this month to honor the young men for being examples of the American Dream.

Once at the World Scout Jamboree, the young men will be able to mingle with 30,000 Scouts from around the world during events and activities geared toward global development, science, culture and peace.

"We come from another world, we lived in the jungle, we never learned about other cultures, and it will be exciting to learn about different cultures," said Kyaw Htay, 17, a Karenni refugee who migrated to the United States with his family of four.

*KSL.com does not assure that the monies deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account, you should consult your own advisors and otherwise proceed at your own risk.

Cassidy Hansen is currently studying both Political Science and Communications at Brigham Young University, while working as an intern at the Deseret News. Contact her at chansen@deseretnews.com

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