Cultural Conflict?

[Prairie_Scouter]

I'm sure that, like me, most of you see the same folks helping out at our kid's activities, whether it's Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, PTA, other school activities, sports, etc. We have the usual problems with getting parents to help out, but we've noticed something interesting recently. Interesting, and potentially politically sensitive. When you look at the demographics of the parents who participate, you get a smattering of everything, but what we've noticed is that there is virtually no participation by people of Indian descent, whether they be Indian or Pakistani, etc. Check that; there's NO participation, especially if the people are 1st generation, ie, emigrated from overseas rather than born here. Now, even mentioning this at a school or whatever would probably generate a firestorm, so I'm not even sure we could even discuss it, but I'm wondering if any of you have seen anything like this in your areas, and if you've tried to figure out what's going on. Or, am I just seeing an aberration that's unique to my community? Now, I do know that in traditional Indian culture, the women are considered to be subservient and are pretty much expected to stay home. The men, in that culture, would probably see helping out in the children's activities as somehow beneath them.

 

It's challenge enough to get ANYONE to help out these days. We're a predominantly white community with a growing ethnic presence, so I'd expect most of the volunteers to kind of follow along demographic lines, so I was really struck that this single group is so obviously missing. I thought I'd bring this up here, rather than in the "normal" forums, because the ethnic issue is a bit stickier than just the usual "nobody wants to help out" problem we all deal with. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

[Trevorum]

Our troop doesn't have that problem. One of our SAs was born on the Indian subcontinent and he is very active.

[Prairie_Scouter]

Well, of course, I could be completely wrong :-)

[firstpusk]

Prairie_Scouter,

 

I think that it is commendable that you have noted a possible problem here. I think that it is important to move toward a greater understanding across cultures. I am no expert, but I have worked a number of scouts whose parents came from either India or Pakistan. I always start by trying to get to know a bit about the family. Where do they come from? What is it like there? What are their religious traditions? Some of this can be gathered in the SM conference with the boy. Although I agree that there is a tendancy for the mothers to stay at home, they may have significant professional training. It is not unusual to find mothers that are engineers, doctors or college professors. Find out what the parents do for a living.

 

Once you know a bit about them, it is the job of the Scouter to sell the program like they would to any other parent. The folks that I know from the Indian sub-continent tend to be very traditional and family oriented. Make sure they understand that the scouts want to reinforce their values and that we respect them. Look for a chance for them to contribute like you would any other family. Just like the parents of any other scout, they might be hard to sell at first. You need to help them to understand that their personal involvement shows that they value their son's participation in the troop.

 

I have had success a couple of different ways. One is that often the family may travel back home. I have asked if they would be willing to share something of their homeland with the troop. Just 10 or 15 minutes. It could be a regular meeting or a court of honor. We had one of our boys talk about going to India for the first time since he was a toddler.

 

Another is to talk to the parents about a religious emblem. You have to know their faith and the requirements, but that information is easily discovered through PRAY or your local relationships committee (if they are on the ball). They may not pursue the emblem. However, the fact that you have shown an interest in their son and provided some resources with regard to their own beliefs often breaks down barriers.

 

The merit badge program has hooked several parents. I know of one who became an SA after his work with the boys on merit badges. I have worked with three Indian sub-continent Eagles in my old troop and have worked with a couple of others through the district. Like anyone else, these parents want the best for their boys. Play to that desire with honesty and mutual respect and I think you will find the results are very rewarding for everyone involved.

[Its Me]

We have one Indian in our pack and his is an assistant den leader and sits on the School Advisory committee with me.

 

I am guessing that he has been here a while ~10-20 years.

 

 

[Prairie_Scouter]

Thanks a lot for your insights, folks. Appreciate it. I'll take that all into consideration.

[frank10]

So far we have one Indian Scout and one active Indian mom.

Our problem is in recruiting from the large Portuguese population in town. Some of the fathers are openly hostile to the program. They do not want their sons mixing with youth from out side their closed community.

[Fuzzy Bear]

Testing, Testing, Testing...