Risk management for scouts

9 February 2006- Scout Association representatives from Hong Kong, Korea, Nepal, India, Bangladesh, Maldives, Brunei, Filipino, Malaysia and China are meeting in Punakha to develop a guideline to formulate a risk management policy in relation to youth, especially scouts, in the region.

“When people talked about risk it is mostly associated with physical well being of the person,” said the area commissioner of the Singapore Scouts Association, Mr. Malcolm Tan Ban Hoe. “But in the current world youth face mental health, emotional, technological and financial risks, and there area also different forms of child abuse.”

Internet pornography, gambling and chatting were some of the technological risks while child labour and sexual abuse were some of the forms of abuses, he said.

Physical risks were involved during outdoor activities like hiking, camping and trekking and through the spread of communicable diseases.

During the four-day workshop, resource persons will brief scout association representatives on the different kinds of risks and on identifying, classifying and managing risks. Participants will also share experiences of the risks they have faced.

According to the Asia-Pacific regional director for World Organisation for Scouts Movement (WOSM), Mr. S Prassanna Shrivastava, scouting activities, indoors as well as outdoors, involved a lot of risks.

“But we cannot keep away from these activities because of the risks,” said Mr. Shrivastava. “Therefore as a movement we need to provide all opportunities to the youth to enjoy getting educated through scouting in a safe environment.”

Mr. S Prassanna Shrivastava added that it was also important that this part of the world was made aware of scouting and risk management. Of the 28 million scouts around the world 18 million were in the Asia-Pacific region.

Although the workshop aims at coming up with a common, universally applicable risk management guide, participating countries have the freedom to adopt it or not. The guideline, resource persons said, could be used in preparing a risk management policy in the context of the country adopting it.

The other objective of the workshop is to equip the participants with basic knowledge and skills of risk management.

The workshop organised by the Bhutan Scouts Association with assistance from Save the Children is a follow up of a workshop that took place in Singapore in 2003, which discussed how to come up with a risk management guideline.

According to the workshop director, Wangchuk Namgyel, Bhutan became the member of WOSM in 1999 and has more than 19,000 scouts between the ages of 6 to 25 years at present. There are about 700 scoutmasters in the country and schools throughout the country have scouts.

About 27 scoutmasters are also undergoing a training of trainers course in life skills in Khuruthang, Punakha.

Scout to Attend Forum in Japan

NEW ATHENS — Paul Starcher, a 19 year-old Venture Scout from New Athens, has been selected to represent the United States in the 2005/2006 Scout Association of Japan International Scout Forum from March 2-13 in Japan.

He will be one of 32 boys and girls and nine leaders from the United States to make the trip.

The International Scout Forum is a joint program of the Scout Association of Japan and the Boy Scouts of America. About 200 youth from 26 countries, mostly in the Asian/Pacific Region, will be attending the event. Japan is expected to have 47 scouts and 41 leaders attend.

The theme will be ‘‘New Century-New Beginning.’’ The objective of the forum will be the promotion of international understanding and friendship among the participants. It will feature speakers and discussion groups and is intended to enhance the enrichment of the Scouting program through sharing of information and experiences among the participating countries, as well as deepen the participants’ knowledge of Japan.

‘‘This is an honor,’’ said Starcher, who will represent the Venturing program at the world youth conference. He explained Venturing is the co-ed high adventure program for Scouts between the ages of 14 and 21. He holds a national position in the program as president of the Central Region Area Four, which covers all of Ohio and West Virginia. He has held that position since last September after applying for the job last summer.

The selection of those who will make the trip was made by the International Division of the Boy Scouts of America. The trip will also include traveling around the country, sightseeing and staying three days in Tokyo with a Japanese host family. Prior to leaving for Japan, he will visit the National Boy Scout Headquarters in Irving, Texas, near Dallas, where he will take a tour and meet national and international Boy Scout officials.

Starcher is an Eagle Scout and a member of Venturing Crews 2690 in Cadiz and 530 in the Greater Pittsburgh Council. Both specialize in high adventure activities.

‘‘I’ve done a lot in Venturing,’’ Starcher continued. ‘‘It has a lot to offer. The organization gives kids a chance to challenge themselves. It builds character.’’

He pointed out the program also offers girls high adventure opportunities.

In Venturing, Starcher has earned a Silver Award, which is the equivalent to Eagle in the Boy Scout program.

‘‘I like to earn the awards,’’ he said, ‘‘but you don’t have to work toward them. Some do some don’t. It’s the activities that make it fun.’’

He also noted he has earned a Bronze Outdoor Award.

Also during his Scouting career, Starcher has attended the National Boy Scout Jamboree in 2001, served as a guide at the Venturing underground mine exhibit at last year’s National Boy Scout Jamboree and taken a trip to Hawaii. Starcher is currently a freshman at Bethany College, where he is serving as the freshman class vice president. He is treasurer of the outdoors club and involved with the Alpha Phi Omega national service fraternity.

According to Starcher most of his expenses will be paid for by the Ministry of Education and Scout Association of Japan. He knows of only one other Scout and leader from Delaware, Ohio, who will be attending the event. The rest will be selected from all over the country.

Other Scouts attending the event will be from Australia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burunei Darussalam, China, Fiji, French Polynesia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Kiribati, Korea, Macau, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Nepal, New Zealand, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Thailand.

 

Govt to bring out national youth policy RSS KATHMANDU, Feb. 8: His Majesty?s Government is in the final stage of bringing out national youth policy with an objective of including more than nine million youths in the mainstream of national development. The youth policy includes various subject matters on how to make the present education system technical and income-oriented and how to orient a larger number of confused youths, who have been compelled to join in various evils and aberrations, to involve in development of the country and in positive works. As per the census of 2001, the youths aged 14-35 years account for 38 per cent out of the total population and the policy is aimed at addressing the larger number of youths who can contribute in nation-building, said Assistant Minister for Education and Sports, Bhuwan Pathak. In this connection, the National Youth Policy-2062 Draft Committee constituted under the convenorship of Assistant Minister Pathak prepared the draft of the policy and put it forward to HMG along with procedures for the formation of the Youth Council. The committee has put forward the proposal for constituting a National Youth Council under the patronage of His Royal Highness Crown Prince Paras Bir Bikram Shah Dev. The proposal also sets the provision to ensure wide-ranging representation of talented youths of 16-40 years of age group from various walks of life including Dalits, indigenous, backward and excluded communities. Stressing the need of such policy for clearly specifying the responsibilities of the youths towards the nation and to mobilize them as per the demand of the hour, Assistant Minister Pathak admitted that the policy will be enforced within Mid-March. He also said the youth council will exert its efforts to move ahead intelligent but misled youths towards tasks of boosting national glory by addressing their serious problems. At present, the youths are in urgent need of proper career counseling and are engulfed either in insurgency or in educational unemployment. Assistant Minister Pathak added that unemployed and unskilled youths are annually increasing in our country even though the state invests around Rs two billion for education each year, which is enough only for increasing the literacy rate. He also admitted that keeping in view this situation, the proposed policy will focus on producing innovative youths armed with skills and technology. Chief Commissioner of Nepal Scout and one of the policy draft committee member Shreeram Lamichhane said the youths tend to involve on various wrongdoings such as violence, killings, and drug abuse due to the state?s failure in bringing them in the mainstream. He also stressed on including scouts for moral education in all the schools of the country so as to make the youths patriotic and disciplined from their childhood. Actress Jala Shaha expressed her wish that the proposed youth policy may encourage Nepali youths to embellish our nation with our own blood and toil which is being used as present for the betterment of the Gulf countries. She also expressed her concern over the set-back of our country day by day due to lack of effective youth policy and its implementation. Well-known National Player Sangina Baidhya stressed that the national youth policy should be able to create an environment where youths dedicate themselves for good image of the country in the international community. Similarly, Miss Nepal Sugarika K.C said the national youth policy should be aimed at creating opportunities that can explore the hidden talent of the youth force of the country and inspire them to develop their genius in their respective sectors. The youth policy is also centered on protecting and respecting the youths who could specialize in art, music, sports, education, acting and other sectors as well as in inspiring the youths towards creative works by preventing them from gender discrimination, conflict, abuse and evil practices. Most of the foreign countries have adopted different youth policies in a view of using and utilizing youth force in constructive works properly. Experts also took the youth policy as a positive initiative which is expected to address problems and potentials of youth who cover almost half of the total population of Nepal.(posted on gorkapatra)   :…………………Comments on this Post are warmly welcome

Mexico City Scouts break Guinness World Record

Scouts in Mexico City collected more than one million (1,155,670) cans and created the world’s biggest Scout emblem that is 1000m² in size! It took thousands of Scouts more than 2 days to build the shining Scout Emblem that broke the Guinness Record and helped raise money for the communities of Chiapas.

The principal objectives of this Scouting event was to 

• Contribute to and form and ecological culture through recycling
• Donate resources to social causes
• Strengthen the values and principles of Scouts in Mexico

 

Chiapas, a region that was badly hit by the hurricanes last year will benefit from the money raised from the recycling of the cans that is to be donated to projects that focus on street children and the rebuilding of communities.

The President of México Vicente Fox was present at the event and was witness to the great contribution Scouting has made to Mexican Society from the money raised by this event.

This year, the Mexican Scout Association celebrates its 80th year of being part of the World Organisation of the Scout Movement

Nepal is to name one of its new mountain peaks after Lord Baden Powell to honour the father of the world scouts movement.

The process for naming the 5,890 meters high peak in Lamtang regn, Rasuwa district, after Baden Powell had founded the scout movement in 1807.

The mountain, which was known locally as ‘Urkema peak’, has been formally named as ’ Baden Powell Scout Peak’ after the decision to this effect was forwarded to the Council of Ministers for official announcement, according to the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation.

The Peak was renamed to honour the memory of the late Powell on the occasion of the centenary celebrations of the foundation of the scout’s movement. The renaming has taken place at the special initiatives and request of the Nepal scouts.

This mountain is among the 1,311 Himalayan mountain peaks identified so far by the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation. However, only 327 mountains have been opened by the Government of Nepal for mountaineering activities. Despite this, several mountain peaks are not yet visited due to some reasons related to lack of transport facilities and security. The Newly named Baden-Powell Peak is likely to be attempted for several reasons: it is in Rasuwa districts, in an area where security is granted and where transport is not an obstacle. Hence, it will draw the interest of thousands and thousands of scouts around the world, especially from 2007, the centennial birthday of Lord Baden-Powell.

So far altogether 1,311 mountain peaks, including this peak, in Nepal have been identified, the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and civil Aviation has stated.

Of all the identified peaks, the number of mountain peaks opened by His majesty’s Government for mountaineering activities has now reached327 with the addition of the Urkema Peak soon to be named as the Baden Powell scout peak.

Although the government has opened such a large number of mountains for climbing purpose, many mountain peaks have not been attempted by any climbers so far due to various reasons, lack of transportation facilities being one of them.

However, the proposed new peak is said to be accessible for climbing for many reasons including the safety aspects.

Moreover, there can be no two opinions over the topic of the mountain peak renaming an icon and a subject of interest for the millions of young boys and girls involved in scouts throughout the world as it would be named after the very founder of the world scout movement that teaches discipline, self-reliance and patriotism to these boys and girls.(Source :nepalscouts site)