50TH COLOMBO CAMPOREE

SCOUTS WILL GATHER FOR THE 50TH COLOMBO CAMPOREE 

Colombo 25th August 2015  Over 3500 Scouts  and Cub Scouts from 55 troops and packs will gather this weekend at Sasthrananda Vidyalaya, Dehiwala to participate at the annual gathering better known as the Colombo Camporee. Open to the public, the camporee offers an opportunity for scouts from the Colombo District to demonstrate skills ranging from traditional scout activities such as camping to new skills they will learn during the days they live under canvas. The camporee will start on the 26th of August with the arrival of scouts from all parts of the District and will end on Sunday the 30th of August.

“This is just a great opportunity for our young people to get out doors and to showcase their talents and skills to the public, and give the boys a chance to form relationships with Scouts from other packs and troops,” said Organizing Commissioner L R D Lankathilaka . “It is also a way for the parents who are not a part of scouting to get acquainted with us and what we do.”

The theme for this year’s Camporee is “Keeping Scout Spirit Alive”. Highlights of the Camporee include Campfires, Cub Scout day, Talent Show and Vocational Skills. “I had lots of fun at the Camporees in the past I have attended, I am looking forward to this year’s Camporee too,” commented a Scout, from 10th Colombo Ananda College. Scouts will camp under canvas and cook and share stories around camp fires during the days and live the spirit of its founder Lord Baden Powell of Gillwell.

“We had a great experience organizing the event, we miss the Viharamaha Devi Park which was like home to us. We are very grateful for the principal of Shatranada Vidyalaya for supporting us.” said the organizing commissioner a veteran scouter with many years of experience at camporees.

The opening ceremony is scheduled for the 27th of August 2015 at 4.30pm and the chief guest at the 50th Colombo Camporee is Mohan Lal Grero MP and well known educator.

Colombo District Scouts Association starts its next hundred with pride having served the country since 1914. It is one of the Sri Lanka Scouts Association leading branches that serve over 5000 youth

Members annually. The Sri Lanka Scouts Association is one of the nation’s largest youth development organizations in the country.

YOUTH DAY @ 50th Colombo Scout Camporee 2015

The Youth Day activity at the 50th Colombo Camporee 2015 - The Urban Hiking Challenge, organized by the Colombo Rovers which kicked off from Viharamaha Devi Park, included four novel challenges such as Paper Pioneering activity at the Galle Face Green, the ‪#‎OTW‬ briefing at the Independence Square by Naushalya Rajapaksha from UNFPA and the 5 public awareness campaigns on eradicating sexual harassment from our societies, instantly planned out by the 5 scout teams which comprised of scouts from different schools attending the Scout Camporee and were executed in different public places in Colombo including the Dutch Hospital, the Arcade Independence Square, the Race Course and in buses on route 138, the ‪#‎scoutgoodturnselfies‬ taken by the scouts whilst hiking, after doing their good turn for the day as a scout and finally the Messengers of Peace (MOP) and World Scout Environmental Programme (WSEP) activity on waste Reduction and Reuse by making usable camping equipment and gadgets from waste collected by the scouts whilst hiking... Whilst being overwhelmed by the interest shown by the young scouts in Colombo for activities of this nature and the positive response from the general public on this type of public relations campaigns by the scouts, we are also thankful to everyone who chipped in to make the Youth Day 2015 a brand new experience and a roaring success!