JENKINTOWN, Pa. – A difficult year has passed for Ukraine, and many people living outside of its borders have an ever-powerful need to reconnect with their roots. As schools let out for summer, many young Ukrainian Americans find themselves headed deep into the forest to disconnect from their very busy lives and dedicate all of their time and energy to an all-Ukrainian scouting experience.
They attend camps in Ohio and New York run by Plast Ukrainian Scouting Organization that attract hundreds of participants from every corner of the United States. They head home at the end of summer with a heightened sense of self-esteem, leadership ability, stability and confidence, and reassured in their Ukrainian American identity.
Campers form a tryzub at the Pysanyi Kamin campground.
Plast is the largest and oldest Ukrainian scouting organization in the world, with more than 100 years’ experience shaping some of the most outstanding leaders, teachers, artists and scientists of the last century. While Plast itself adheres to no political ideology, it requires its members to have faith in God and Ukraine.
As Ukraine faces its biggest challenges of this century, members of Plast have once again demonstrated their faith in God and Ukraine as activists, journalists, diplomats, clergy and soldiers on the frontlines in the Donbas and in international campaigns supporting Ukraine. The skills and convictions they learned from Plast camps and activities guide them in a truly exceptional way.
Robert Baden-Powell, the founder of international scouting, once famously said that “a week of camp life is worth six months of theoretical teaching in the meeting room.” Indeed, many of the skills needed to be productive and successful cannot be learned in any other way but practically. Guided by this principle, Plast is offering more than a dozen programs for Ukrainian American youths during the summer of 2015, and invites all those interested to join its ranks and enroll in a camp.
Campers at Mount Baker in Washington.
Three primary age groups are welcome to participate in Plast camps. Among them are “ptashata” for children age 4-6, “novatstvo” for children age 6-11, and “yunatstvo” for those age 11-18. All of these groups participate in extensive age-appropriate activities meant to develop skills from art and music to outdoorsmanship and team-building.
This year’s camps for ptashata are taking place in three locations. Two sessions will take place at the Ukrainian National Association’s Soyuzivka Heritage Center – the first from June 21 to June 27, and the second from June 28 to July 4. For those with older siblings attending Plast camps, ptashata and their families can stay in tents at other Plast-owned campgrounds on July 12-18.
Novatstvo and yunatstvo are invited to spend three weeks at any of the three main campgrounds in New York state or Ohio on July 4-25. They will learn about Ukrainian history and customs, gain confidence to express themselves as leaders and patriots, participate in diverse activities, and experience the natural world hands-on under the responsible care of highly qualified and trained counselors. Ukrainian language comprehension and speaking skills are required for participation in these camps.
Older teens age 16-18 who cannot get enough of the outdoor experience can participate in what is popularly called “Super Camp” this year at Vovcha Tropa, a campground in East Chatham, N.Y., on July 4-19. Activities include rock-climbing, deep-woods backpacking, and the camp offers a more advanced Ukraine- and nature-centric program.
Members of Plast who wish to continue their work fostering and educating new and young generations of Ukrainian Americans can participate in a series of training and team-building camps throughout the summer. For those interested in being counselors for novatstvo, a training camp is being held at Vovcha Tropa for Plast members age 16 or older on June 21 through July 1.
“Shkola Bulavnykh,” a counselors’ training camp for young women, is taking place in Hunter, N.Y., on June 20-July 2. This challenging camp teaches members of Plast how to lead camps and run seminars teaching practical and theoretical skills; it fosters unity and growth for those hoping to become counselors for future generations of Ukrainians in America.
To top off the summer, members of Plast above age 15 can unwind at a watersports camp (Morskyi Tabir) while sailing, water skiing, windsurfing, canoeing and swimming and more on August 1-7 near Raystown Lake in Pennsylvania.
For more information about any of these camps, or to find out how to enroll yourself or your child in Plast Ukrainian Scouting Organization, visit www.plastusa.org. See you soon!