Plast camporee combines competition with compassion (06/09/02)

Plast camporee combines competition with compassion

by Deanna Yurchuk

EAST CHATHAM, N.Y. - The old adage of "do good and it will be good" was tested this past Memorial Day weekend as 163 teenage members of the Plast Ukrainian Scouting Organization partook in an extraordinary event of competition and compassion organized by the Lisovi Chorty fraternity at Vovcha Tropa, the Plast campground in East Chatham, N.Y.

Upon receiving the directives about this annual jamboree, the troops knew from the start that this year's gathering would be unique. Months before their arrival at the splendid woods of Vovcha Tropa, the scouts were assigned three tasks.

The first was to respond to the following question, inspired by Yuri Starosolsky's book "Velyka Hra" (the Great Game): "What does it mean to be a productive member of society?" The other two included preparing a skit to reflect the theme of good deeds and choosing a charity on whose behalf each troop would be collecting points throughout the weekend competition. The top three winners would have a donation made in their name to their charity of choice.

"The idea was to bring the program back to the basic concept of brotherhood and to instill in the kids a sense of community service, which is one of the core tenets of our organization," said Taras Ferencevych, the organizer of the event.

Although the overall competition was to result in sizable monetary prizes, the organizing body also wanted to remind the young scouts of the importance of small-scale altruism. In an effort to encourage random acts of kindness, leaders handed out colorful "good deed cards" whenever they witnessed an honorable act. In the end, the accumulated cards were tallied into each troop's total score.

In addition to the underlying theme of social consciousness, the weekend's activities included traditional sports events, group challenges, debates, an outdoor dance, a bonfire and an innovative field game requiring resourcefulness, strategy and wilderness know-how which wowed even the most seasoned participants.

For Myron Deputat, a leader from Buffalo, N.Y., the event was successful because it provided a forum for the youth to socialize. "Our teens are happiest when they gather with their friends in Plast settings," he said.

This year's participants hailed from New York, Buffalo, and Rochester, N.Y., Philadelphia, Newark, Passaic and New Brunswick, N.J., Washington and Boston. The program offered opportunities to both strengthen bonds among troop members, as well as meet scouts from other parts of the country.

The winners of the overall competition were: the boys' troop from New York in first place, girls from Newark in second, and girls from New York in third - the groups earned $500 for the 9/11 Firefighters' Fund, $300 for the Children of Chornobyl Relief Fund (CCRF) and $200 for City Harvest, respectively.

Malanka Misilo, 17, from the Newark girls' troop, said, "I really liked the theme of this year's Sviato Yuriya. You always see famous people on game shows like Celebrity Jeopardy playing for a good cause. It was nice to see that we could do something, too."

The troops' selections of charities spanned the gamut and reflected the various allegiances of today's Ukrainian American teenagers. In addition to those mentioned above, others included the Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute, Jerry's Kids, Vovcha Tropa, Special Olympics, Habitat for Humanity, the St. Constantine Church Chornobyl Fund and the Plast magazine Yunak.

When asked how her troop chose its charity, Ms. Misilo responded that the CCRF had been the Ukrainian charity of choice among her peers for years. Inspired by recent photos of orphanages in Ukraine the girls said, "Why not give more?"

On a different note, Adrian Podpirka, 17, from New York City said that along with his friends he decided to give back to the community in which they live. "The competition for the donation was a real incentive for us to work together. We felt it our duty to help others out," he explained.

According to Mr. Ferencevych, the greatest success was the cooperation among all those involved, leaders and participants alike. "I was impressed by the level of enthusiasm generated by the humanitarian theme of this year's Sviato Yuriya. It was fun with a purpose," Mr. Ferencevych said.

Mr. Podpirka attested to this by saying, "This was my last year as a participant and I had a blast."

"Do good and it will be good." The old adage held true indeed.

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