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2. FRIDAY, JUNE 20, 2014. THE VINCENTIAN
News
Scouts: Confident about the future “THE SCOUT MOVEMENT in St. Vincent and the Grenadines has a bright future. I am optimistic that the Movement can build positively on its 100 years of service to young people here.” These were some of the sentiments expressed by Ronald Richardson, Operational Executive of the Inter-American Region of the Scout Movement, with particular responsibility for the Caribbean, when he and Bernard Joseph, Committee Member of the local Scout Movement, visited with THE VICNETIAN, last Monday.
Richardson was in St. Vincent and the Grenadines last weekend, June 13 — 15, to facilitate a ‘Retreat’ for Executive Members, Commissioners and Scout Troop Leaders of the local Scout Movement. The ‘Retreat’, held at the Scouts Headquarters at Arnos Vale, examined a recent audit of the local Movement conducted by the World Bureau (of Scouting), identified remedial action with respect to the recommendations of the audit, and generally cut
a path for the future operations, priorities of the local Movement.According to Richardson, Ronald Richardson, among the areas Operational Executive of the discussed in detail Inter-American Region of the were Finance, Scout Movement. Administration, Programme and Membership Expansion, Interaction/Collaboration and Imaging Building (Public Relations). The area of Programme and Membership Expansion was of particular significance, and Richardson pointed out that the ‘Retreat’ gave its blessing to a drive to increase membership, with activities towards that end targeted at schools, churches and the community at large. “There is to be,” Richardson said, “particular focus on the Venture Scouts,” and he explained that Venture Scouts are those in the age range of 15 — 19, “the impressionable years of our teenagers.” A reinvigorated effort in this regard is expected to be characterised by a programme which focuses on leadership skills training, real need skills (vocational) training, entrepreneurship sensitization, management skills, and community service awareness sessions. “We are excited by this area and intend to encourage the use of expertise from the wider society, business people included,” Richardson reported, even as he made an appeal for support for the programme, and pointed to the benefit of partnership between business and Scouts. With respect to membership expansion, the effort afoot will not only seek to increase and broaden membership at the entry level, but a concerted effort is to be made to attract Leaders , beginning with encouraging the “return” of former scouts. Females are not to be excluded. One of the criteria for Leadership in the Movement is a clean police record, “Important,” Richardson explained, “since the Movement is all about Youth Protection, and we do everything to assure parents and guardians that there is no chance of molestation of their children,” Joseph underscored the need for corporate support for the Movement, but assured that the Movement is not sitting idle. Efforts to finance its operations include the operation of a Lotto Booth, rental of the Scouts headquarters for seminars, weddings, etc, and rental of camping equipment. “The Movement receives a small Government Subvention and will move to preparing and submitting project proposal to funding agencies, but the support from corporate society is crucial,” Joseph told THE VINCENTIAN. There are currently 350 registered Scouts in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. This number does not include the Seventh Day Adventists Pathfinders. The current Executive of the local scout Movement comprises: Ken Murray — President; Fitzgerald Providence — Vice President; Ave Weekes-Stephens — Vice President; Elizabeth Williams — Secretary; Phillip Cambridge — Treasurer; Bernard Joseph and Doris McIntosh — Committee Members.
Small group in session at last weekend’s ‘Retreat’.