FIRST EVER GIRL AIR SCOUTS AWARDED WITH MEMBERSHIP BADGE
Sri Lanka Air Force is the pioneer of Air Scouting in Sri Lanka and first Air Scout Group of 57th Colombo Air Scout Troop had been established in 1972, by the Sri Lanka Air Force under the direction of the former Commander of the Air Force, Air Chief Marshal Padi Mendis. This year Air Scouts celebrated their Golden Jubilee and eight (08) Girl Air Scouts were awarded Membership Badge for the first time in Air Scout history along with eight (08) Boy Scouts during Badge Awarding ceremony which was held on 06 August 2022 at the Guwanpura Air Scout Training Area. The ceremony was organized under the leadership and guidance of Group Captain JAPS Jayawardena, the Chairman of SLAF Air Scout Group. The event was attended by the Deputy Chairman of SLAF Air Scout Group, Group Captain ES Ponnamperuma, Commissioner of National Scout Headquarters and Secretary of SLAF Air Scout Group, Wing Commander LSR Pagoda along with Scout Masters and parents of the Air Scouts.
2nd team
The
membership badges for newly enlisted Air Scouts were awarded on today
at Air Scout Headquarters Sri Lanka Air Force Colombo. Chairman of the
Air Scout Group, Group Captain Paminda Jayawardana Secretary of of the
Air Scout Group , Group Captain Dr. Rajeev Pagoda Scout leader of the
57th Air Scout Troop Colombo Corporal Sanjeewa and other scout masters
with some parents were participated for the Badge Awarding Ceremony. The
new team of scouts got the first step in their scout journey on that occasion.
"Our World, Our Equal Future" Sri Lanka Girl Guides Association wishes a very happy World Thinking Day to our membership and sister guides and scouts around the world!!!!
Millions of Girl Guides around the world celebrate World Thinking Day on February 22 every year. It’s because of the joint birthdays of Lord Baden Powell, the founder of
the Girl Guides and Scouts Movement and the World’s Chief Guide, Olave
St. Clair Soames.
The Scouts Movement, started by Lord Baden-Powell (Lord B.P.) in 1908,
unexpectedly became popular among children and teenage boys. Lord BP was
encouraged by this enthusiasm and organized a rally on September 4,
1909 at Crystal Palace in England to get everyone together. Among the
thousands of boys, a group of girls dressed in similar attire could be
seen.
The girls requested Lord BP to include them as well. The main objective
of this group, which attracted the attention of all, was to highlight
that it is acceptable to have “a similar process for girls”. The very
fact that at that time, only men had the right to vote and to think of
agreeing to such an idea in a male-dominated society explains Lord BP’s
personality.
Lord BP handed over his handwritten copy of the Girl Guide Law to his
sister, Agnes, who, like himself, was very good at extracurricular
activities and was fluent in almost 11 languages. He asked her help in
starting a new movement for Girls: Girl Guiding
In the midst of numerous obstacles, setbacks and protests against the
empowerment of girls, Lord BP and Miss. Agnes’s unwavering commitment
and later Mrs. Olave’s relentless efforts helped the Girl Guide movement
to become the largest voluntary campaign for girls and young women
around the world . The membership has crossed 11 million. They also set
an example to girls and young women around the world by overcoming the
gender barriers around them and becoming more and more empowered. The
idea of commemorating that great man and women who changed the lives of
tens of thousands of girls and young women was mooted at the World
Conference in 1926, and Lord BP and his wife agreed to use February 22
as their joint birthday. It was also agreed by the majority that this
day should be used as a day to remember and explore fellow Girl Guides
and Girl Scouts around the world. The Thinking Day Fund was created in
1932 by Lady Olave St Claire Soames, the World’s Chief Guide. The fund
aims to empower girls and young women around the world by allocating as
much funds as possible where the need is most genuinely felt. The
Thinking Day logo was introduced on World Thinking Day in 1975, which
has been changing and evolving through the years. It has been active
under a single theme and will continue to be celebrated with the hope of
ensuring a better tomorrow for girls and young women.
This year the World Association for Girl Guides and Girl Scouts decided
to hold World Thinking Day on February 22nd, under the theme “Our
World, Our Equal Future, the Environment and Gender Equality”. The Sri
Lanka Girl Guides Association launched three locally tailored activity
packs based on this theme. This was launched online on February 18th,
19th and 20th . We were able to successfully implement this exciting and
innovative activity with over 5,000 participants from the three
branches of the Sri Lanka Girl Guides Association: Little Friends, Girl
Guides and Rangers participated actively to complete the challenges
incorporated in the activity packs: on the 18th February the activities
were based on the theme “Does Gender Limits You?”, on the 19th – “Your
Voice Against Climate Change” and on the 20th – “Beat Plastic”. The
members who participated in these activities shared their experiences
under each theme and on the last day they collected as much waste
plastic as they could and handed it over to the plastic collection
centers.
To coincide with World Thinking Day on the 22nd, we took action to
celebrate World Thinking Day on the 26th of February at the National
Training Centre of the Sri Lanka Girl Guides Association in Kadawatha.
The Chief Commissioner Miss Sulari Jayawardena was our Chief Guest and
the keynote address on Climate Change was delivered by Mr. Menaka
Wijesinghe, an activist on Climate Change.
The National Celebration was organized respecting all health guidelines
and saw the participation of nearly 100 Butterflies, Little friends,
Guides, Senior Guides and Leaders representing all 9 provinces of the
country. Another significant feature of the day was the planting of
fruit saplings in the grounds around the Kadawatha National Training
Center for the next generation to protect, nurture and enjoy.
Furthermore, with the aim of setting an example to those who organize
events locally, we created the backdrop of our Thinking Day event using
discarded cement bags, old newspapers and disposable CDs and waste
plastic bottles and bottle tops.
It is our responsibility to commemorate Lord Robert Stevenson
Baden-Powell, Agnes Baden-Powell and Olave St. Claire Soames, who gifted
the world with a valuable movement that has opened the doors for a
brighter and better future for girls and women and helped them build
self-confidence, leadership qualities and skills to positively face the
challenges of today’s world. The worldwide movement of Guiding will
continue to further enrich these qualities in the women of today and
those of the future thus upholding our aim: to bring about positive
change to create a better world strengthened by the bonds of friendship
and unity, through a more empowered society where Women of the future
take on a more prominent lead role.
ஒரு லட்சம் மரக்கன்றுகளை நாட்டும் தேசிய சாரணர் நிகழ்ச்சித்திட்டம் இன்று (22) முற்பகல் ஜனாதிபதி கோட்டாபய ராஜபக்ஷ அவர்களின் தலைமையில் கொழும்பு கோட்டையில் உள்ள ஜனாதிபதி மாளிகையில் ஆரம்பமானது. உலக சாரணர் இயக்கத்தின் ஸ்தாபகர் பேடன்-பவல் பிரபுவின் 164 வது பிறந்த நாளை நினைவுகூரும் வகையில் இந்த நிகழ்ச்சித்திட்டம் திட்டமிடப்பட்டுள்ளது. தலைமை சாரணர் ஆணையாளர் மேஜர் ஜெனரல் மிலிந்த பீரிஸ் ஜனாதிபதி அவர்களை வரவேற்றார். ஜனாதிபதி அவர்களினால் சிகப்பு சந்தன மரக்கன்றொன்று நடப்பட்ட பின்னர் கையடக்க தொலைபேசி மூலம் அது பதிவு செய்யப்பட்டது. இத்திட்டத்தின் படி நாடளாவிய ரீதியில் உள்ள 70,000 க்கும் மேற்பட்ட சாரணர்கள் ஒவ்வொருவரும் தங்கள் வீட்டுத் தோட்டங்களில் இரண்டு மரக்கன்றுகளை நட்டு அவற்றை கவனித்துக்கொள்வார்கள். “துரு“ கையடக்க தொலைபேசி செயலியின் மூலம் இந்நிகழ்ச்சித்திட்டம் மதிப்பீடு செய்யப்படும். இந்நிகழ்ச்சியில் இலங்கை சாரணர் இயக்க அதிகாரிகளும் கலந்து கொண்டனர்.
The project by the National Scouts Movement to plant 100,000 trees was inaugurated today (22) under the patronage of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa at the President’s House premises in Colombo. The project has been designed to mark the 164th Birth Anniversary of Lord Baden Powell, the founder of the Scouts Movement. Chief Commissioner of Sri Lanka Scout Association Major Gen. Milinda Peiris welcomed President Rajapaksa by adorning him with the scarf.The official inauguration took place with the planting of a red sandalwood sapling by President Rajapaksa. Later the plant was registered via mobile phone. More than 70,000 scouts across the country are expected to participate and achieve the target of 100,000 by planting two plants by each in their home garden. Every tree thus planted will have to be registered in the ‘Thuru’ Mobile application under Sri Lanka Scout Association. Continuous assessment will be done to ensure that plants are well looked after. Members of the Sri Lanka Scout Association participated on this occasion. Photography By: Sagara Lakmal de Mel & Shamika Wakwella (President’s Media Division)
