A group of teenage girls gather tight in a cluster, smiling, giggling and whispering. They pose for selfies, pucker their lips and quickly check the photos.
“All right, girls, let’s gather up and get in line,” said Jamie Stanley, 34.
The girls quiet down and approach Stanley. Their gaze turns toward her as she instructs them to lift their hands to mirror hers. It’s the Boy Scouts of America sign — three fingers up, with the little finger touching the thumb. One by one, the girls study their hands. Stanley reassures them, “That’s right.”
The girls lift their bags and load them into vehicles. Not long into the drive, they request their first musical choice: Justin Bieber. They’re just like many other teenagers, with one exception – they’re an all-female refugee scouting troop.
“This particular Venturing crew is unique – not only is it one of three all-girl crews in the state of Colorado, but it is also one of athe first in the country that welcomes refugee girls who are learning what it means to be American in a fun and adventurous way,” said Boy Scouts spokeswoman Effie Delimarkos.
P.J. Parmar, 43, founded this particular crew, who are in the Boy Scouts’ Venturing program for boys and girls ages 14-20. As a child, Parmar was an Eagle Scout. Today, he’s a primary care doctor in Aurora and owner of Mango House, a shared space for refugee services. In 2014, Parmar started Boy Scout Troop 1532, which consists of boys from refugee families. He knew he wanted to extend it to girls, too.
“There’s absolutely no reason boys should get to do something that girls can’t,” Parmar said. “It’s that simple.”
Last year, Boy Scouts announced that girls will be able to enroll into its Cub Scout program and can go on to earn the Eagle Scout award. According to BSA, the name of the organization remains the Boy Scouts of America, but the name of the Boy Scout program will become Scouts BSA in February, when chartered partners can choose to establish single-gender troops of girls. Parmar said he plans to add elements of traditional Boy Scouts into the refugee scouting crew in the future as the national organization welcomes girls.
“The BSA’s decision to welcome girls into the Cub Scout program and to offer a program for older girls comes from input we have received from our Scouting families, as well as prospective Scouting families,” said Delimarkos. “More and more, we are hearing from communities interested in learning how Scouting can build bridges for children – connecting new cultures, experiences and adventures.”
Parmar agrees. “It’s everything we do (at Mango House),” he said. “It’s about equity and equality, usually ethnic or economic. Gender equality is a big piece of what we do.”
Nirshika Neopany, a 14-year-old member of the crew, appreciates being able to participate in the program. She is a refugee from Nepal. Her family moved to the Denver area in 2012.
“Life was really hard (in the refugee camp), and my parents were really poor,” she said.
Nirshika is energetic and smiles often, but she grows serious when talking about her past.
Asked what she liked most about coming to the U.S., she responds with a smile, “Freedom. We have more freedom here.”
The program has taken the group to places near Denver and as far away as the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve. For many, it’s their first time camping. During the campouts, leaders such as Parmar and Stanley teach them basic outdoor skills, while also fostering leadership skills. But finding volunteers, Parmar said, is difficult.
“The main challenge we have is finding enough adult leaders,” he said. “The vast majority of leaders in scouting are usually the dad, or the mom, of the kid. We don’t have that. Our situation is unique.”
Their parents, he said, are working. “They work jobs that are odd hours, and often on the weekend.”
During a recent campout trip, Stanley steers the black passenger van toward the turnoff for the sand dunes, listening to the girls laugh, smile and lean into one another as they sing along to the radio.
Stanley looks in the rearview mirror and smiles.
“In many ways, I was a lot like them,” Stanley said. Now an implementation specialist for a tech company, she said she’s thankful for the help she received at a young age.
“I was an at-risk youth, but I had women who invested their lives in me,” she said. “It’s because of what they did, that I was given opportunity. So, it’s kind of a pay-it-forward for me, especially for these girls.”
A lot of inner-city refugee families don’t know what’s available to them, she said. “They can be anything, instead of being stereotyped into one role.”
Volunteering with the program has made Stanley “more empathetic,” she said. “I don’t understand the anti-immigration and anti-refugee stance. I believe this country is the second chance, the second hope. That’s the true American dream.”
Stanley looked out the window, then back to the rearview mirror at the girls.
“It’s easy to say, ‘I don’t feel safe (regarding immigrants).’ It’s harder to say these words when you look at those eight behind me,” she said. “They’re typical teenagers — they have hopes, they have dreams.”
At the end of a recent campout, the girls circle around a fire for warmth. It’s getting cold, with temperatures slipping into the 30s. Even though they shiver, they laugh often and share their hopes for the future.
