When I was looking for a topic to write about this week, the headlines I was immediately beset upon with were all about the U.S.—Mexico border and the enforcement of a zero-tolerance policy by the Trump administration in regard to illegal immigration, primarily in regard to the separation of illegal immigrant children from their parents by ICE officials.

And while that is a compelling story, that is not what I wrote about.

As gut-wrenching as those images are and as complicated the issue is, I do not want to write another story about the sadness of the world. Instead, here I would like to tell a story of hope. The world could use a little bit of that.

Boy Scout Troop 1532 of the Denver area is mostly what you would expect from the Boy Scouts. Camping, cookouts, and canoeing are among some of the varied activities that the boys of the troop engage in throughout the year and especially during the summer.

The catch? The majority of the boys are refugees.

Founded by PJ Pamar, a refugee family doctor in the Denver area (himself with something of an immigrant background having been born in Canada to Indian parents and subsequently moving to the United States as a 1-year-old), Troop 1532 provides a haven to immigrant refugee children from the perils of growing up in a world that, especially at the present, is not always welcoming of the political and local reality that they represent.

"I wanted to offer these kids some of the Scouting opportunities that I had, in an environment safe from racism. I wanted a place where I can relate to them about the challenges of growing up as a 'third culture kid', or where they can have fun without worrying about those challenges for a weekend," said Pamar.

As a Boy Scout himself in the 1980s he frequently found that kind of environment with the Scouts, one which was often at odds with the hostility he would encounter at school. Experiencing taunting, racial slurs, and all other forms of harassment, Pamar "got heavily involved" in his Troop and the Order of the Arrow, Boy Scouting's version of a national honor society. Perhaps one of the most touching things about Pamar's early experience with the Boy Scouts was: "I discovered white kids who weren't racist. Maybe it was because there was more adult supervision, or maybe because the families involved in my Troop held more inclusive values, but I felt welcome."

What moved me so much about this story, I think, was my own personal involvement with the Boy Scouts of America. As an Eagle Scout myself I understand the camaraderie that can develop when boys are boys (in the best way possible of course). The kind of bonds I made with some of my fellow scouts in the program were lasting ones, and much like Pamar, I have taken the Scout Law and the Scout Oath to heart. It's the thing most on my mind when I endeavor to "do a good turn daily".

Yet, as Pamar is adamant about in a personal blog (the CNN story was not so holistic in its coverage) everything is not all fun and games. As one might imagine, there are certain unique challenges that the Troop faces, one of these being names and birthdays. That is, with kids so suddenly transplanted from one culture to another (one that is largely alien), their names don't always translate well into English spellings or characters. They might also be misspelled by someone along the way. Birthdays are an issue too because of the difference in how a date is written (for example May 7^th, 2018 is 5/7/18 in the U.S., but 7/5/18 in a lot of other countries) and thus sometimes it's not known how old a scout really is. Language too, can be an issue, though many of the scouts know at least some degree of English.

Gear is another hurdle. As virtually all the scouts come from an impoverished background, really none of them have tents, sleeping bags, or other camping equipment to speak of. But for Pamar, that's an easier issue to overcome, as his organization, Mango House, which supplies refugees with all sorts of equipment, is more than able to stock enough gear for the scouts to go on campouts.

Despite all the challenges, it seems to me an incredibly rewarding experience. It's no secret that the Boy Scouts of America has struggled with identity over the past couple of years. The question of admitting gay scouts and leaders, as well as a controversial new move to begin accepting girls, have each sparked both outrage and approval. It's worth remembering too that the Boy Scouts do not have an impeccable record when it comes to race, at times banning black and Asian scouts from joining troops.

And yet, in my mind I think those moves are to be welcomed and should be here to stay. So what if a scout is gay? Does that affect how well he can lash a rope? So what if a girl wants to be a member of a troop? Who are we to say who can canoe or not? Girls (albeit usually sisters and mothers) were always welcome at my troop's outings, after all.

And so too for these scouts. So what if a scout is a refugee? Mightn't the Boy Scouts give him a direction, a sense of purpose, a sense of community, and perhaps guide him to what I hold should be among the utmost of American principles: equality and kindness?

For me PJ Pamar's Troop 1532 provides a sense of hope for struggles present and future. Whether it be over immigration or other divisive issues, there is the hope that all might be transcended by something unlikely: a campfire in the woods.