NAGASAKI, Japan––Theo Johnson, a member of Boy Scout Troop 175 and First UMC in Waukesha, Wis., served as the sole ambassador of Boy Scouts of America to the August Nagasaki Peace Forum.
Theo joined 30,000 other Scouts attending the 23rd World Scout Jamboree in Yamaguchi, Japan. During the event one person from each of the 161 nations attending the jamboree was invited to participate in the Aug. 5-6 Nagasaki Peace Forum.
The event at the Nagasaki Peace Memorial Park commemorated the 70th anniversary of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
“The program provided delegates with opportunities to learn more about the impact of war as well as focus on the positive aspects of peace,” said Theo. “As I observed how the events that occurred 70 years ago affected the featured speakers (people who had survived the bombings), I had a better understanding of how war had defined their views of Americans. Although this was a very uncomfortable situation for me, it has profoundly changed how I see the world and all its citizens.”
Theo said the two days in Nagasaki and the 12 days in Yamaguchi was “an incredible experience.”
He said the “wow” factor really hit him as he boarded a bus to Nagasaki. “I realized that I had the opportunity to represent BSA and USA at an international forum.”
Theo is a high school sophomore, an honor student and a member of the soccer and robotics teams. He is also a member of the Key Club, and the International Club.
He was selected to represent American Scouts for a variety of reasons including the fact that in 2013 he raised $820 for the Nothing but Nets campaign to eliminate malaria. He received the Good Samaritan Award following the presentation of a check to West Virginia Bishop Sandra Steiner Ball during the National BSA Jamboree.
Photo The World Jamboree of Scouting was held July 28 to Aug.8, 2015, with the theme “A Spirit of Unity.” The Kanji Character “和” (WA) used with the theme embraces many meanings such as unity, harmony, cooperation, friendship and peace. One Scout from each of the 161 nations attending the jamboree was invited to attend the Nagasaki Peace Forum on the 70th anniversary of the dropping of the Atomic bomb on that Japanese city. People who survived the bombing spoke at the event..