Sri Lanka
Scout Association (SLSA) Chief Commissioner Janaprith Fernando announced
that, for the first time in 110 years of Scouting in Sri Lanka, SLSA
has surpassed 100,000 Scouts joining the Movement.Scouting in Sri Lanka existed since 1912 and became a member of the
World Organization of the Scout Movement in 1953. The six-figure member
is a milestone in the association’s history. Janaprith Fernando said that this feat will not be possible without the
support and tireless efforts of SLSA leaders, adult volunteers, and
parents who put their trust in the Movement. Moreover, SLSA gained the
trust of the government with its Chief Scout, Sri Lanka President Ranil
Wickramasinghe requesting the association to double its membership by
2024 through the support of the Ministries of Education and Youth
Affairs. WOSM’s focus on its triennial plan is Recovery, Sustainability, and
Impact. This growth is an exemplar of the Movement’s recovery not just
in Sri Lanka but across the Region. Asia-Pacific Regional Chairman Dale
Corvera and Regional Director JR Pangilinan expressed their
congratulations to SLSA on their remarkable achievement.
Our
aim is to build the capacity of our commissioners. These are the
commissioners who are leading our scouts and leaders in the districts.
So when we increase their capacity, they can deliver for scouting. This
is why we have selected Malaysia to do this training”
- Attorney-at-law Janaprith Fernando Chief Commissioner Sri Lanka Scout Association
Sri Lanka Scouts Association hits 100,000 members, soars to all-time high - in 13 Jun 2023
The Chief Commissioner of the Sri Lanka Scout Association Janaprith
Fernando Attorney-at-Law stated that the Sri Lanka Scout Association for
the first time in its 110 years of existence reached a membership of
100,000. He made this comment whilst addressing the 745 President’s
Scouts who received their President’s Scout Award certificates at a
ceremony held on June 02 at the Wayamba Provincial Council Auditorium,
Kurunegala. He further stated that there were 93,639 members as of March
15, 2023 and that by the end of May, this number had risen to 100,000.
Present at the occasion to distribute the certificates were the Governor
of the North Western Province, Mr. Lakshman Yapa Abeywardana and Senior
Advisor to the President Mr. Akila Viraj Kariyawasam. The Chief
Commissioner expressed his gratitude to all Commissioners, Leaders and
parents who contributed and worked tirelessly towards reaching this
target of 100,000 in the four sections of the Sri Lanka Scout movement
namely Singithi, Cubs, Scouts and Rovers. He further went on to state that during a meeting with the Chief Scout,
President Ranil Wickramasinghe has requested the SLSA officials to have a
target to increase the membership to 200,000 by 2024 and assured the
fullest support of the Government, the Ministry of Education and the
Ministry of Youth Affairs for scouting.
Scouts Movement to raise membership to 150,000 - in 11 Jan 2024
The Chief Commissioner of Sri Lanka Scout Association Janaprith Fernando
AAL said that the goal this year is to increase the membership of the
Scout Movement to 150,000. Fernando made this statement on January 3 at a function held to mark the
official beginning of scouting activities for the New Year under the
theme ‘With Transparency, in Unity and Diversity’. Fernando added that everyone who is connected with the Scout Movement is
requested to dedicate themselves in order to succeed in those tasks. He said that it was possible to bring the scout movement to the top
level it enjoys in all areas due to the dedication and interest of
everyone. He said that he was requesting everyone to continue providing
the same support to the movement.
With a vision to enhance the capacities and leadership among Scout Commissioners, 54 Commissioners from the Sri Lanka Scout Association will attend the DC Conference and Educational tour from June 19-24 in Malaysia. In addition, five Rover Scouts will attend the Asia Pacific Regional Youth Leadership Training Course from June 24-27 in Mouchak, Gazipur, Bangladesh.
Recently, a Bon Voyage ceremony was organised to wish the attendees who will represent Sri Lanka at these two events. The event was graced by the presence of Malaysian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Amb Badli Hisham bin Adam and Bangladeshi High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Amb Tareq M. Rafiqul Islam.
Target to increase the membership to 200,000 by 2024
Speaking at the event Sri Lanka Scout Association’s Chief Commissioner, Attorney-at-law Janaprith Fernando said that in 2014 the World Scouts Bureau shifted to Malaysia and since then it has been home to almost all scouts who visit Malaysia. “When I took over in 2021, the membership had dropped to 56,000 post-COVID. We had a target of increasing membership to 180,000 by 2023. Now, His Excellency the President has given a target of 200,000 to be reached by 2024, but we will reach it by 2025. So our aim is to build the capacity of our commissioners. These are the commissioners who are leading our scouts and leaders in the districts. So when we increase their capacity, they can deliver for scouting. This is why we have selected Malaysia to do this training,” said Fernando.
He further said that Mouchak is one of the best camp sites in South Asia and five River Scouts between the ages of 18-26 will have this experience. “This is the Youth Leadership Training Programme and will be very beneficial to them because these are youth who are engaged in active scouting in their districts. We are convinced that when they return that they will be able to train their fellow scouts and junior scouts. At the end of it all, our goal is to ensure that we not only have the numbers, but the quality as well. We want to ensure that Sri Lanka will have a generation of leaders who will be trained to face any situation,” he added.
In her comments, Assistant Headquarters Commissioner Shehara Kanaka Halaldeen said, “I look forward to learn from the DC Conference while building a relationship with Malaysian counterparts in scouting. I thank the Chief Commissioner and the Sri Lanka Scout Association for organising the conference”.
Sharing his thoughts, Headquarters Commissioner Dr. Anil Perera said that he is eager and fortunate to explore the opportunities at the conference in Malaysia. He said that when a scout or a commissioner is attending an international event, they talk about various expectations at the interviews. “These include everything from gaining knowledge to improving language proficiency, becoming creative and innovative, learning life on earth, enhancing career, making friends, showing our way and gaining self-confidence and self-discovery. All these expectations are applied to us as well. But we all are not just scouts or scout leaders, but we are commissioners holding a national responsibility and we are decision-makers at different levels. We are the leaders of change. So let us make this opportunity to enhance our knowledge, enrich our roles and build our capacities aiming at learning best practices, model systems, new knowledge and success stories. As we visit the World Scouts Bureau and the Malaysian Scout Association we must consider this as an event for us to gain knowledge and experience that we can use at national as well as at district level in planning, executing, controlling and measuring outcomes of our initiatives and strategies which will be used to develop scouting in Sri Lanka. In fact we are here to create a better and inclusive world for our children,” he underscored.
Adding his thoughts on behalf of the River Scouts attending the training programme in Bangladesh, Hansith Perera said that the training course will provide them with a platform to learn and most importantly exchange ideas and discuss on how they could improve scouting methods and stay relevant to the modern context. “This training course will give us the opportunity to broaden our network among our peers in the Asia Pacific region. The opportunity to connect with fellow scouts from diverse backgrounds and cultures is invaluable. Together we can share our experiences, learn from each other and foster the spirit of unity and collaboration. By enhancing our leadership and broadening our perspectives, we can bring greater joy and purpose to the lives of those we serve. We are committed to bring back the knowledge and insights we gain from this course back to Sri Lanka by sharing and implementing these learnings locally. We hope to contribute to the growth and development of the scout movement here in Sri Lanka and inspire others to embrace the principles of scouting,” said Perera.
The Ambassadors present at the occasion extended a warm welcome to their respective countries and wished the commissioners and rover scouts the best in their journeys while requesting them to gain maximum out of the two international events.
The largest annual Scout event has just wrapped up a record year for participation!
This
year, the Jamboree On The Air - Jamboree On The Internet (JOTA-JOTI)
saw a record 600,000 registered participants - which means a 40%
increase in registration on our platform
compared to last year! This includes 7000+ Scout Groups and tens of
thousands of individual participants from 149 countries.
Keeping
in mind that there are thousands upon thousands more who participate in
local JOTA-JOTI activities without registering on our website, this was
a big year for global participation!
Over 60+ years, this event
has evolved from an opportunity to explore and connect regionally and
globally via amateur radio to include modern communication technology,
like online chats and video calls, an app and a metaverse.
Following years of restrictions due to the global
pandemic, this year we encouraged Scout Leaders to bring Scouts together
in person to take part in digital, radio and in-person activities
focused on communication and other skills.
As one Scout Leader from Bosnia and Herzegovina put it: “Such a fun
time again this year, this time just the way I always wanted to
experience it - in a big room with a lot of Scouts and a bunch of fun
activities I got to organise with my friends.”
Young people need these opportunities to connect more than ever, and
it was heartwarming to see the connections happen over the 3-day event.
Among many activities to choose from, our digital campsite included 100+
JOTA-JOTI activities in popular areas like the Innovation Lab,
International Campfire, Celebration Arena, Fun Zone and Faiths and
Beliefs Space.
Safe from Harm Online
As always, safety and the well-being of participants is the top
priority at all Scouting events. During JOTA-JOTI, we have the added
challenge of monitoring digital spaces and helping participants and
Leaders learn about online safety. In the month leading up to JOTA-JOTI,
9200 people took our Be Safe Online course for young people, while 930 adult leaders took the online safety course for adults.
A Safe from Harm team of 24 staff and volunteers ensured that our
helpline remained monitored 24/7 throughout JOTA-JOTI and helped monitor
and respond to issues in all events with live interactions.
Amateur Radio
Amateur radio is the heart of JOTA-JOTI, which originally started as
the “Jamboree On The Air” only! Still today, Scout Groups around the
world gather during JOTA-JOTI to learn about telecommunications and set
up their very own radio station!
While we can’t know the exact number of JOTA-JOTI radio stations
around the world, we can share that 1200 Scout Groups registered their
radio call sign with us this year. Based on the photos and video clips
we saw on social media, Scouts had a lot of fun learning how to create
and use radio.
Badges and More Go Digital with ScoutPass
ScoutPass,
the first-ever digital wallet for Scouts, had a successful hard launch
during this JOTA-JOTI and we couldn't be happier with the results!
Nearly 15,000 ScoutPass wallets were created and Scouts claimed
50,000 boosts or badges throughout the weekend. We are thrilled to see
Scouts taking the opportunity to keep track of their Challenge Valley
achievements in a new way, and we hope Scouts had fun engaging and
boosting each other, too!
It’s not too late - ScoutPass is now available for all Scouts to use and enjoy!
JOTA-JOTI Team
This event wouldn’t be possible without a dedicated JOTA-JOTI team of
more than 70 volunteers, plus staff, who help create engaging
programmes and activities, keep JOTA-JOTI events safe, deliver webinars,
live shows and other activities, and more.
Further, we have to recognise the role of adult volunteers worldwide
in facilitating local scouting events. While nearly 80% of this year’s
participants were under 19 years old, about 20% were Scout Leaders and
other adults in Scouting who make in-person events and activities
possible during JOTA-JOTI (and all the time!).
Looking Ahead to JOTA-JOTI 2024
This was a year for experimentation, with lots of new activities
trialled, such as the ScoutPass app for Scout badges, boosts and other
credentials, a dedicated JOTA-JOTI Minecraft server, more activities for
Leaders to do offline with their groups, the integration of the new
Scouts for SDGs Hub, and a Metaforest experience in Decentraland.
The JOTA-JOTI team plans to take these experiments and feedback from
Scout participants and Leaders into account as we re-envision this event
for the years to come. In 2024, we also hope to build on our
collaboration with National Scout Organizations and partners to create a
diverse programme by and for Scouts.
While the sun has barely set on JOTA-JOTI 2023, we are already excitedly looking ahead to next year’s fun. Mark your calendars for 18-20 October 2024 and until then, stay connected, stay safe and keep creating a better world!
_page-0001.jpg)
