Scouting in the Solomon Islands provides the young people of the South-Pacific nation education for life. Australian Scouting this October sent a team of 42 to run a joint peace project with Scouts from Honiara, a city which has seen significant civil unrest in recent years. These Scouts established a culture of peace and understanding between their two countries, while helping to strengthen the local community.

The Solomon Islands is a South-Pacific country made up of just under 1000 different Islands, has 67 official languages, a vast myriad of different cultures and traditions and absolutely stunning flora and fauna. In recent years however, civil unrest has tarnished some of the countries beauty and changed the course of history. Early in the new century, social tensions between two different racial groups in Honiara led to a coup, and the resulting civil unrest has seen the invitation by the Solomon Islands Prime Minister extended to RAMSI (Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands), a peace-keeping force led by the Australian Police Force in association with the police and military of other Pacific nations.

The Solomon Islands is one of Australia’s closest neighbours, and yet there is a significant distinction between the living standards of the people of the two countries. While Australians enjoy air conditioning, their TVs and an occasional holiday away from home, Solomon Islanders are considered lucky to have running water and electricity in their houses. This prompted the ACT Branch of Scouts Australia in 2003 to think about what we could do to help the people of the country, in whatever small way we could.

It has been three years since this first thought, and three youth-led voluntary service projects have since occurred and taken both countries communities by storm. In 2004, the Honiara Project saw 44 people travel to Honiara to complete much-needed renovation work on the Red Cross Development Centre, the only school for disabled children in the Solomon Islands at the time. It was a huge success, and in 2005, a similar project saw a youth team organise and fund a trip for 10 Solomon Islander Scouts to Australia on a culture exchange.

Drawing from these two previous projects, October 2006 saw 42 people from the ACT Scouting community travel to Honiara as part of the Solomon Islands Project 2006, a Scouts of the World voluntary service project led by the young people of ACT Branch. The organising committee for the Project was aged between 15 and 23, and we spent two-weeks living, working and relaxing with the local Solomon Islander scouts.

While we were there, we worked together on a number of different service projects that made a real and significant contribution to the Solomon Islands community. The first was a continuation of our special relationship with the Red Cross Development Centre, and we completed some basic maintenance work inside with the computers, roof and kitchen. We also built a sand-pit (including laying a concrete slab by hand in 95% humidity!) for the children, and a shade shelter using traditional Solomon Islander materials and techniques.

We also wanted to help strengthen the Scout organisation in the Solomon Islands as they play a vital role in community education. The Rover section in the Solomon Islands hasn’t yet been developed as part of Solomon Islands Scouting. According to Solomon Islands Chief Commissioner Joe Billy Oge, a great number of young people in this age range in the Solomon Islands don't have access to a job, and their involvement in the recent civil unrest has highlighted the need for them to have something relevant and productive to do in their spare time. With this in mind, the Australian National Rover Council chairperson was a member of the team and ran a workshop to establish Rovers, Solomon Islands style.

Scouts Solomon Islands doesn’t actually own any sort of facilities, not even an office. With this in mind we also contributed financial assistance and manpower to developing their recently acquired and only property, a piece of thick bushland in Naha, a suburb of Honiara.

This Project was an amazing project that achieved many things, but perhaps the most important of the team’s achievements is something that can’t be quantified or measured, and of which you will never be able to take an actual photo. Actually living and working with people of a remarkably different culture and background was an amazing and eye-opening experience. Many strong friendships were formed in that short two-weeks, which will last for life. We challenged prejudices held by team members from both countries, and worked deep in the community sending a powerful message to the leaders of our two countries.

At a time when the political and diplomatic relations between Australia and the Solomon Islands were at an all-time low, our teams were walking along the main street, Mendana Avenue in Honiara, wearing bright green t-shirts that read ‘Scouting Tugeda; Solomon Islands & Australia’ on the back. The team members were proud to be Scouts, and it showed everyone how Scouting is such a powerful social force in both of our communities.

It was an amazing project for everyone involved. It has opened their eyes to both the issues that exist in our own and neighbouring societies, as well as the possibilities to help create a better world.

Written by Team Leader, Hannah Lord and Michael Freeman.

Hannah and Michael are really "Scouts of the World"