More men needed

THE lack of men in leadership positions in the Barbados Boy Scouts is becoming a major concern for those heading the Association.
One such person is Chief Justice Sir Marston Gibson, who is appealing to men in Barbados to get involved in the Association, which plays a significant role in society.

The Chief Scout and President of the Association said that while he is grateful for the contribution women have made to the group, there is a need for more men to come forward to help guide and direct the future of the nation.

“It is bothersome, and I have told the Governor General [Dame Sandra Mason] and Chief Commissioner [Dr Nigel Taylor] that it is going to be a part of my mission to try to get men to come back into the Association. I know a lot of them think that they need to be perfect …

“We don’t need perfect men, we just need men who believe that we have to cultivate the next generation to whom we will hand this nation over,” he said.

Speaking at the Association’s National Awards Ceremony 2018, which was held at the Harcourt Lewis Training Centre on Saturday, Sir Marston also voiced that he was concerned about the direction in which many of the young men in the nation are heading.

But at the same time, the Chief Scout said he believes that the scout movement and other organisations have the ability to positively influence young boys to choose the right path in life.

“What we need first is for men to step up and to be guiders of those boys. It doesn’t need to be men who used to be in the scout movement, they can be entirely new to the idea of scouting.

“But certainly, we are going to rebrand this movement so that it becomes more interesting, so that it becomes more rewarding, and so that the men in Barbados could see that in being a part of the movement, they are helping to build good citizens that will continue to make sure that the fields and hills continue to be our own and that we can continue to move upward and onwards,” he said.

Sir Marston, who handed out the awards, congratulated all those scout leaders who were recognised for the good work they have been doing in touching the lives of young boys.

The awards handed out were, The Order of the Broken Trident; The Order of the Pelican; The Order of the Bearded Fig Tree; The Order of the Flying Fish; The Order of the Bronze Star; The Medal of Merit; The Distinguished Service Award; The President’s Award; The Chief Scout’s Commendation; The Chief Commissioner’s Award; and the Silver Dolphin Award, which was given to lay persons.
At the ceremony, Chief Commissioner Dr Nigel Taylor announced that leader Trevor Jones would be promoted to Leader Trainer and presented him with his honorary beads. (AH)