Solomon Islands has had a branch of the world-wide Scout movement since 1928....and it's still going.

In Honiara, Tania Nugent met one enthusiastic young Scout leader who says scouting helps young people play a constructive role in society, as the country recovers from years of civil unrest and ethnic tension.

Edward Anisi from the 1st Henderson Scout Group in Honiara: I've been scouting my life, since I was a small boy and it's what I love doing ... adventure.
My name is Edward and this is my scout group.

Tania Nugent: How many boys are in the scout group?

Edward Anisi: We have 40 in this platoon. Most of these boys involved in most of the troubles that happening. I just move into the community at Rove and I see these boys involved in like, shooting vehicles that go across the road, just shoot the police station, police headquarters and fights in the markets.

So when I bring them into some activities like this, I try to engage them from being in the communities just doing nothing and starting to creating small troubles in the community. So I just take them out every weekend to do something useful.

They are big boys. They are all grownups now. I'm just trying to involve them and make sure they realise that this is something good and this is something bad.

Tania Nugent: Do you have to really go and encourage them to come and to join or do they just want to come?

Edward Anisi: Well, in my case, I just did the activities that attracts them so they come. I don't go look for them. They just see what I've done is something more useful for young people. They're staying doing nothing back at home so it's their own interest. So they come up to me and say, "Oh I want to join the Scouts. What is it cost to me to join the Scouts,". "'I say oh, it's free. It's free. It's what you love. If you love to join Scout okay, you now a Scout boy."

I'm not a really educated guy, I go to school I finish at form 3 and I work as a carpenter helping my father, and even though I work with my father, this is my work of love.

I believe that if these boys will be with me in this program in scouting they will (be) improved yeah. They will be improved from their life.