{"id":50198,"date":"2019-07-28T21:32:36","date_gmt":"2019-07-29T03:32:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/?p=50198"},"modified":"2019-07-29T18:20:50","modified_gmt":"2019-07-30T00:20:50","slug":"lady-chaplains-making-an-impact-at-world-scouting-jamboree","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/lady-chaplains-making-an-impact-at-world-scouting-jamboree\/","title":{"rendered":"Lady Chaplains making an impact at World Scouting Jamboree"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>By ALAN SMASON, <em>Exclusive to the CCJN<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Religious figures have always provided integral and necessary counseling at World Scouting Jamborees. Rabbis, rectors, priests, pastors, and imams representing all of the major established religions have dispersed spiritual guidance and pastoral support for the thousands of Scouts who make the journey from near and far to encamp with their counterparts in Scouting once every four years.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_50199\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/3-women-chaplains-at-WSJ-3103.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-50199\" class=\"wp-image-50199 size-medium lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/3-women-chaplains-at-WSJ-3103-300x212.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"212\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/3-women-chaplains-at-WSJ-3103-300x212.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/3-women-chaplains-at-WSJ-3103-768x541.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/3-women-chaplains-at-WSJ-3103-1024x722.jpg 1024w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 300px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 300\/212;\" \/><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-50199\" class=\"wp-image-50199 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/3-women-chaplains-at-WSJ-3103-300x212.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"212\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/3-women-chaplains-at-WSJ-3103-300x212.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/3-women-chaplains-at-WSJ-3103-768x541.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/3-women-chaplains-at-WSJ-3103-1024x722.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/noscript><\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-50199\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Lady chaplains at the 2019 World Scouting Jamboree from left are Rabbi Susan Elkodisi, the Rev. Malin Karlsson and minister Tanya Edwards Evans. (Photo by Stephen Shore.)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Such is the case again at this year\u2019s 24<sup>th<\/sup> World Scouting Jamboree being sponsored by the World Organization of the Scouting Movement (WOSM) in the Appalachian mountains of West Virginia. Held at the Boy Scouts of America\u2019s Summit Brecthel Family Scout Reserve, some 45,000 Scouts from 156 countries are actively camping for the fortnight period that ends on August 3 expressing mutual respect and love of Scouting.<\/p>\n<p>For the first time this year\u2019s Faith and Beliefs chaplain staffers are a part of the International Service Team (IST) at the Jamboree. Great strides are being achieved by ladies, who are assuming more responsibilities than ever before at this year\u2019s World Scouting Jamboree.<\/p>\n<p>As the leader of a small, pluralistic Jewish congregation mostly attended by octogenarians, Rabbi Susan Elkodsi\u2019s new role as a Jamboree chaplain is a major change for her. \u201cThis is a big difference and I have to say it\u2019s a wonderful experience to see all these young people behaving as though there\u2019s no difference \u2013 the Americans in one campaign and the Senegalese and the Poles and the Galicianna \u2013 they\u2019re behaving like teenagers and it\u2019s just wonderful,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>Elkodsi envisions bringing her years of experience as a rabbi to the Jamboree participants. \u201cTo me, a chaplain is someone who helps a person to access his or her own spiritual resources (and) to help that person cope with what\u2019s going on,\u201d she mused.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_50200\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Rabbi_Susan_Elkodsi.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-50200\" class=\"wp-image-50200 size-medium lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Rabbi_Susan_Elkodsi-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Rabbi_Susan_Elkodsi-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Rabbi_Susan_Elkodsi-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Rabbi_Susan_Elkodsi-1024x768.jpg 1024w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 300px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 300\/225;\" \/><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-50200\" class=\"wp-image-50200 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Rabbi_Susan_Elkodsi-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Rabbi_Susan_Elkodsi-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Rabbi_Susan_Elkodsi-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Rabbi_Susan_Elkodsi-1024x768.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/noscript><\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-50200\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Rabbi Susan Elkodsi, a pluralistic rabbi, is enjoying her first World Scouting Jamboree.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>She believes that international events like the World Scouting Jamboree can have a positive effect on the world at large. \u201cWe hate what we feel,\u201d the rabbi continued. \u201cWhen we get to know each other and we realize what other people fee like, we can bond over the things that unite us rather than focus on the negativity.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Although she is a veteran of the 2007 National Jamboree in her native Sweden, the Rev. Mali Karlsson is attending her third World Scouting Jamboree, having been to both the 22<sup>nd<\/sup> gathering held in Sweden in 2011 and 2015\u2019s 23<sup>rd <\/sup>, but more importantly, her first as a Lutheran chaplain.<\/p>\n<p>Karlsson sees her job as a chaplain as not much different from her male counterparts. \u201cIt\u2019s mostly the same,\u201d she considered. \u201cI\u2019d say when it comes to the chaplaining parts, there shouldn\u2019t be any difference.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Karlsson oversees Alpha Camp, one of four Scout encampments with a population of about 6,700 Scouts. he Scouts are amping at four camping sites at the Summit, the largest World Scouting Jamboree in history.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI have two chaplains in every sub-camp,\u201d she explained. \u201cThey are the ones who are primarily in charge of the people in their sub-camp. The way I\u2019ve interpreted my role is I\u2019m more in charge of them and, I think they will have more stress than me.\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_50201\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Linda_Edwards_Evans.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-50201\" class=\"wp-image-50201 size-medium lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Linda_Edwards_Evans-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Linda_Edwards_Evans-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Linda_Edwards_Evans-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Linda_Edwards_Evans-1024x768.jpg 1024w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 300px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 300\/225;\" \/><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-50201\" class=\"wp-image-50201 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Linda_Edwards_Evans-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Linda_Edwards_Evans-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Linda_Edwards_Evans-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Linda_Edwards_Evans-1024x768.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/noscript><\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-50201\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Enjoying herself at the 24th World Jamboree is chaplain Tanya Edwards Evans.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Two years ago, at the 2017 Boy Scout National Jamboree (also at the Summit), United Methodist Church Scouter Tanya Edwards Evans was both the first woman chaplain and the first African-American to be selected to serve. A woman of French, Caribbean, Native-American and African heritage, Evans, a minister, was selected to serve Scouting by her UMC bishop after a long association as both a church member and a mother of Scouts.<\/p>\n<p>It turned out that many Scouting units charter-partnered with the United Methodist Church were being run by women instead of the traditional male Scout leaders. As there was little or no female or African-American representation from the church, Evans was asked to help support the existing units.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ve learned how to use coping skills,\u201d Evans said in recounting her life\u2019s struggles as a member of two minorities.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA lot of countries accept women in this role,\u201d Evans added. \u201cIt\u2019s harder for Americans to accept this role,\u201d she noted. \u201cWe\u2019ve got to change the culture in this country.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The World Jamboree has given Evans an opportunity to appreciate all the possibilities found in the Scouting program internationally. \u201cIt is wonderful to see the diversity of women that are here from India to Korea to Viet Nam. Some of them are wearing their native dress, but all of them are Scouts. All of them; have the (inter)national Scout symbol. All of them know the scout Law,\u201d Evans observed.<\/p>\n<p>She has accepted her position as a chaplain with gratitude and hopes to make a difference at the World Jamboree and beyond. \u201cI fill that position, but I also know how to treat people with dignity and respect,\u201d she commented and then added: \u201cYou tell me what you need.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As a final comment, the chaplain issued a challenge to other churches to support Scout troops. \u201cIt\u2019s mentoring young people. Period,\u201d she explained. \u201cIt doesn&#8217;t matter if they\u2019re male or female, find a group of young people and give them structure.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div style=\"padding-bottom:20px; padding-top:10px;\" class=\"hupso-share-buttons\"><!-- Hupso Share Buttons - https:\/\/www.hupso.com\/share\/ --><a class=\"hupso_toolbar\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hupso.com\/share\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-src=\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/buttons\/share-medium.png\" style=\"border:0px; padding-top: 5px; float:left;\" alt=\"Share Button\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" class=\"lazyload\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/buttons\/share-medium.png\" style=\"border:0px; padding-top: 5px; float:left;\" alt=\"Share Button\"\/><\/noscript><\/a><script type=\"text\/javascript\">var hupso_services_t=new Array(\"Twitter\",\"Facebook\",\"Google Plus\",\"Pinterest\",\"Linkedin\",\"Tumblr\",\"Email\");var hupso_background_t=\"#EAF4FF\";var hupso_border_t=\"#66CCFF\";var hupso_toolbar_size_t=\"medium\";var hupso_image_folder_url = \"\";var hupso_url_t=\"\";var hupso_title_t=\"Lady%20Chaplains%20making%20an%20impact%20at%20World%20Scouting%20Jamboree\";<\/script><script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/js\/share_toolbar.js\"><\/script><!-- Hupso Share Buttons --><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":50199,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[8790,8795,10131,10130,8788,10129,978,10132],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50198"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=50198"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50198\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":50233,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50198\/revisions\/50233"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/50199"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=50198"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=50198"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=50198"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}