Comissioner: Scouting an excellent option for boys

Scouting is alive and well in this country.

 

That’s the message from Chief Commissioner of the Barbados Boy Scouts Association, Dr. Nigel Taylor, who is telling parents that it is an informal educational programme that not only complements the formal education students receive at school, but helps to lay the foundation for success in their adult years. 

 

He made the point as he noted that a number of Scouts have gone on to fill key positions in this country. Among them, he stated, is Chief Justice Sir Marston Gibson who is the Deputy Chief Scout and has recently been appointed as President of the Barbados Boy Scouts Association. Taylor explained that Sir Marston takes over the role from Governor General Sir Elliott Belgrave, who remains Chief Scout and has been appointed Honourary President.

 

Referring to a recent study conducted by Tufts University in the United States to determine whether Scouting and its goals really work, the Chief Commissioner noted that the survey conducted among 1800 Cub Scouts and 400 non-Scouts under the age of 12, showed marked differences between the two groups. He explained that while at the start there were no significant differences in character attributes between the two groups, by the end of the survey, the differences were striking in several areas, and he was adamant that the results would be the same here in Barbados if a similar study was conducted.

 

“The report also showed that Scouts were more likely to embrace positive social values more so than those who were not Scouts, and it also showed that those that were more engaged in the programme were reporting high expectations and high outcomes in every category. So the long and the short of it is – Scouting works! So anytime I hear people say they don’t want their children in Scouts or the Scouts themselves say they want to leave the programme; these are persons to me for the most part who look for the easy way not to mould themselves into societal best,” Dr. Taylor said in an interview with The Barbados Advocate.

 

The Chief Commissioner maintained that society needs well rounded citizens and if they are to achieve that, academics cannot be the only focus, wholesome programmes such as Scouting have to be incorporated into their schedule. His comments came as he indicated that they have been seeing a slight increase in the number of boys joining the programme, as the overall figure moves closer to the 3000 mark. Moreover, he said that even though the programme is celebrating its 104th anniversary, Scouting is evolving, it is growing and adapting to remain relevant and of interest to the young men who join. This, he said, includes embracing various sources of technology that are available.

 

“For the most part we have gone into waters that were not tried before. At the national level the administration of Scouting is pragmatic – we do not dwell on the systems of the past only to get Scouting done, we use modern systems, but we keep the past systems as good foundations,” he said.

 

He further explained, “For example we teach our boys to track and trail for survival, but now we have GPS. So what do we do? Do we tell our boys not to use GPS? Of course not! We use the modern technology to supplement what we have been taught. So we still teach them the old way, but we embrace the new.”

 

With that in mind, he noted that in addition to the traditional badges the boys pursue, they have also introduced badges on current and relevant topics such as HIV/AIDS and Substance Abuse to broaden their knowledge in such areas. (JRT)