The President of Scouts TT shares with us his ideals for the Scout Movement on the occasion of Founders’ Day 2021

Happy Founder’s Day 2021!

Every year on February 22, Scouts worldwide join together doing different activities to commemorate and celebrate the birthday of our Founder, Lord Baden-Powell (BP), upon whose guiding principles still present today that our Movement is bound. BP’s vision has influenced countless generations of young people globally, providing them with informal education and training as well as opportunities for them to discover their potentials through a myriad of activities and impact-driven initiatives.

To Scouts like you and I, Founder’s Day is significant to us as it sparks fond memories of our Scouting heritage and of special moments we shared as we participate and celebrate with the over fifty-five million Scouts and five million volunteers in two hundred and twenty-four countries worldwide. Imagine this, that if we believe and live the part of the Scout Law which tells us that a “Scout is a brother to all Scouts” that we have over sixty million brothers and sisters in almost every part of the globe! Wow! What a concept!

You (members of the TT Scouts Executive) as part of this five million volunteers have contributed significantly in keeping our Movement alive so that the fifty-five million youths may have the honour and privilege of being part of the world’s largest youth organisation that has “service” as its backbone of its existence. I thank you for your contributions on behalf of Scouts everywhere.

Scouting has evolved significantly over the years and this present pandemic situation has even caused many more evolutions especially in the types of programmes and the way we deliver them, however, it’s what it means to be a “Movement” – we adapt to the times! In this new era, Scouting continues to be dedicated to creating impactful and life-changing experiences for young people, through its various programmes, events and activities that further impact the society we are living in. Over the years, Scouting has risen to the challenges of confronting and finding solutions to the many problems affecting young people with the intent to develop life-skills to mitigate these situations. This has not changed, it’s only the way we do it has changed.  Our Scouting programmes and activities continues to demonstrate the relevance of Scouting in today’s rapidly changing world. This is truly amazing, demonstrating that Scouting is a social force in our society for the common good. As the Movement expands and grows, the ripple effect of Scouting can be seen through local actions, community service and our advocacy.

This Founder’s Day, let us remember the vision, mission and purpose of Scouting – to contribute to the self-development of young people, by continuing to provide opportunities for them to develop themselves but to look beyond their own needs to the wider needs of humanity as they co-exist with others. As Lord Robert Baden-Powell once said, “the real way to gain happiness is to give it to others.” And, as our Promise reminds us, let us pledge on our honour “to do our best, to do our duty to God and to country and to help other people!” After all, “a Scout is a Brother (and/or Sister) to all.”

On behalf of Scouts TT and Scouting everywhere, I wish you all a happy Founder’s Day!

Michael Bradshaw

President, ScoutsTT