Keeping Children Safe From Harm – taking action together

The World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM), in partnership with the Swedish Guide and Scout Council (Scouterna) organized a one-day Conference on Keeping Children Safe From Harm on the 1st of August 2011 at the backdrop of the 22nd World Scout Jamboree in Sweden.

The high profile international Conference was attended by many dignitaries starting with His Majesty the king of Sweden Carl XVI Gustav, who was there to support Her Majesty Queen Silvia, whose Childhood Foundation supported the Conference. Other participants (250 from over 75 countries) included Chief Commissioners of National Scout Organizations (NSOs), heads of Government and Non Government Organizations working with children and youth, Young Correspondents, World Scout Committee members, senior staff of the World Scout Bureau Central & Regional offices and invited guests.

The Conference programme included an initial plenary session with key speeches followed by a series of 11 parallel workshops presenting examples of policies, procedures and practices from within and outside of Scouting.

 

A Scout from Peru wins OECD video contest on progress

Javier Elias, 24 from Peru took part in a video contest organised by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) on the occasion of its 50th Anniversary. For the contest, the participants were invited to create a short video describing their vision of Progress.

 

APR Management Sub-Committee makes important moves

13 April 2011, Taipei -- The two-day meeting of the Asia-Pacific Region Management Sub Committee begins today in Taipei to review their achievements based largely on the Asia-Pacific Regional Plan for the past 18 months and to set directions for the remaining 18 months of their term.

 

Region endorses stand alone APR Jamboree in 2017

The Regional Scout Committee met in Makati City, Philippines on 16-17 April 2011 and tackled numerous issues of regional interest. One of them is the approval of the new implementing guidelines for recognizing youth events, in particular, the Asia-Pacific Regional Scout Jamboree, as endorsed by the APR Youth Programme Sub-Committee. This new guideline specifies that beyond 2013, the regional Jamboree will be held once in every four years in between World Scout Jamborees. This is a major change from the tradition of holding the Asia-Pacific Jamboree in conjunction with a national Jamboree of the host country at least once a year. Bidding for the 2017 APR stand alone Jamboree will be held in November 2012 at the Dhaka conference.

 

Regional committee sets framework for next triennial plan

The Regional Scout Committee, at its meeting on 16 April in Makati City, accepted for the first time a framework for the region’s strategic planning exercise. They agreed on a key decision that membership growth is the goal of the strategic plan for 2012-2015 and the sub-committees will be actively involved in identifying key strategies for the next triennium.

 

Lights off at the World Scout Bureau

Sunday, 27th March – Geneva, Switzerland

Join us for Earth Hour 2011

At 8.30 PM (local time) on Saturday 26 March 2011, lights will be switched off around the globe for Earth Hour. Every household of the over 31 million Scouts in the 161 member countries of WOSM all over the world, can set a global record by coming together in action for a common cause – the planet. BP said 『 Leave this world a little better than you found it' yes; you can do it by just going 『beyond the hour'. Please be in solidarity with the distinguished members of World Scout Committee and the World Youth Advisors as they lead by action in Geneva at this time and date.

We hope that you will be part of this and invite your friends and family to be part of this too. Turn off your lights wherever you are in the world to pledge your support for Earth Hour - the world's largest climate change initiative. Then, when the lights go back on, we want you to think about what you can change in your daily life that will benefit the planet. Send us your story of the actions you have taken to show how Scouts can make the difference in creating a better world to educationalmethods@scout.org

World Scout Comittee Election Results

Today the World Scout Conference elected six new members for the World Scout Committee. These members will replace the outgoing members who will finish their term at the end of the 39th Conference.

On International Day of Peace ten million Scouts around the world are helping to create more peaceful communities. The Gifts for Peace project, launched in 2007 as part of the centenary celebrations, highlighted the significant contributions that Scouts are making in relation to peace building. These projects made a difference and the work continues.

It is very symbolic that today on 21 September, International Peace Day, under the patronage of His Majesty King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia, key leaders from these associations, with key leaders from World Scouting and the World Scout Foundation, are meeting at the Centre for National Dialogue in Saudi Arabia to discuss how Scouting can play an even greater role in peace building around the world. 
Scouting does make a difference. Scouting contributes to creating a better, more peaceful world and we know that we can do more – watch this space and read on!