Scouts Founder’s Day is observed on February 22, the birthdate of Lord Robert Baden-Powell and, coincidentally, his spouse Olave Baden-Powell.

This year, ScoutsTT observed Founder’s Day on Saturday February 24 with a solemn ceremony at the Bandstand in the Botanic Gardens, Port of Spain.

In her capacity as Chief Scout, Her Excellency Christine Carla Kangaloo, O.R.T.T., President of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, accompanied by her husband, His Excellency Kerwyn Garcia SC, First Gentleman, attended the Founder’s Day observances meeting with ScoutsTT leaders and several of the young scouts themselves.

Proudly wearing her Chief Scout neckerchief indicating her promise to uphold the Scout beliefs, Her Excellency delivered the following address to the assemblage:

• Your Excellencies, Heads of Diplomatic Missions

• Air Vice Marshall Darryl Daniel, Chief of Defence Staff

• Your Worship Alderman Chinua Alleyne, Mayor of Port of Spain

• Mr. Mark Ainsley John, National Scout Commissioner

• Leadership and representatives of the National Scout Association of Trinidad and Tobago, Girl Guides Association and Trinidad and Tobago Cadet Force

• Adults in Scouting, Scouts, Girl Guides and Cadets

• Parents and Supporters of the Scout Movement

Good morning

Today is a wonderful and exciting day for me, as I hope it is for you.

It is exciting for me, because I have just received a National Scarf and Certificate of Membership and I am now officially part of the Scouting family! I am delighted to be your Chief Scout, and to have the opportunity of addressing this morning, not only the exceptional young people who make up the Scouting movement, but also, those who are charged with the scared duty of their care and guidance.

66 years ago, at the Annual Luncheon of the Boy Scouts of America Movement in New York City in 1958, John F Kennedy said to his audience: “Your devotion to the Scouting movement and the principles for which it stands are deeply gratifying in these hectic, crisis-ridden days when basic principles and staple traditions are too often neglected”. Those words ring as true today as they did then – perhaps even more so – insofar as the Scout Association of Trinidad and Tobago is concerned. These are hectic, challenging days, and your devotion and commitment to the scouting movement and to our nation’s young people, are indispensable ingredients in our struggle to overcome our challenges.

To paraphrase what President Kennedy also observed then: “There is no pressure group to speak up for scouting – there is no lobby to push for greater recognition, no army of professional fundraisers to drum up the financial resources needed to expand the program. But the scouting movement remains a dynamic part of national life – due, in large measure, to the tireless efforts of public-spirited citizens such as yourselves”. Nearly everything that President Kennedy said then, also remains true of the Scout Association of Trinidad and Tobago today. You remain a dynamic and an indispensable part of national life; you are, all of you, public-spirited and self-sacrificing citizens. But there is one thing that is no longer the way that President Kennedy described it back then: you are not walking this road alone, or without help. You have, in me, your newest member, the biggest advocate that there can be for the Scouting movement; you have, in me, someone who will walk the road with you and who will always speak up for scouting.

I am thrilled that my investiture also coincides with some very significant events in the Scouting calendar. Today, as we have heard, we celebrate the birthday of Lord Robert Baden-Powell, the ‘father’ of Scouting; the man whose vision and determination gave birth to a global movement that has lasted for more than 100 years! To put the icing on the cake, we are also acknowledging the 95th anniversary of Cub Scouting and the retirement of Ms. Cheryl Walker-Lewis, the Headquarters Commissioner for Cubs, after 30 years of service to the young people of our nation. How fitting that we are doing so at the very location of the first ever Cub Scout meeting in Trinidad and Tobago all those years ago! I thank Ms Walker-Lewis, on behalf of a grateful nation, for her invaluable contribution to Cub Scouting over the years and for her dedication to the wellbeing and development of our little ones. Your service will never be forgotten.

Later this morning, there will also be an investiture ceremony for the 1st QRC Sea Scout Group, capping off a truly and justifiably, celebratory week of events.

All of these extremely significant events, present us with an opportunity to reflect on what it means to be a Scout, and on the role that the Scouting movement plays, and can yet play, in the development of our young people and, ultimately, the country.

There are numerous accounts of the impact that becoming a scout has made on the lives of our young people. The cultivation of discipline, the acquisition of skills, the development of self-confidence, the fostering of a commitment to helping others, and exposure to and the nurturing of an appreciation of the environment are only some of the positive impacts that the scouting movement has on the lives of our young people. On occasion, that impact can be quite dramatic. I remember one such incident in my own life.

My father was a scout, and through scouting, he learned how to swim. One might imagine that that is all ‘par for the course’ as far as the scouting movement is concerned. After all, the Sea Scouts have been around for decades, and are one of the well-known groupings in the movement. But what one could not imagine, is how that simple skill can and does impact the lives of families in a far-reaching way. One day, my father and my brothers paid a visit to a nearby friend, and my brothers found their way into our friend’s swimming pool. No sooner had they done so than one of them found himself in serious difficulty and began to sink under the water. My father saw what was happening and immediately flung himself into the pool and effected a lucky rescue. That incident is a real-life example of the impact of scouting. A young boy’s life was saved, literally through the skills that had been taught, years before, to a Scout.

I can’t imagine the number of lives that the Scouting movement has saved over the past century of its existence. But I do imagine that it is in movements like yours that our country’s hope of saving the lives of our young people, and of our young men, in particular, rests.

As President Kennedy said of America in 1958, today Trinidad and Tobago is facing challenging days. Too many of our young boys and men are losing their lives to crime, literally and figuratively. Too many of our young boys and men are turning to a life of crime and the repercussions are serious, and are deadly.

Those more knowledgeable than I am about the underlying sociological reasons for this, point us to the fact that these young boys and men feel abandoned and isolated, with no father figure or role models to emulate. There are also young boys and young men who live in areas in this country that are far more inaccessible than we can understand, and who feel cut off from the rest of the society – thus reinforcing that sense of abandonment and of isolation. The result is that there is a huge cohort of young boys in our country, who have little or no sense of belonging. And this is where I believe that movements such as the Scouting movement have a critical role to play. From the experience of my brother’s near-drowning, I can tell you that impacting just one human being in communities such as these – just one young man – can have a nuclear effect, not just on the life of the person who is directly involved, but on the lives of all of those whom that one person touches. I would like the Scouting movement in particular, to consider redoubling its already valiant efforts to reach out to these boys and men in these areas of our country, and try to make them a part of scouting, and bring them into our fold. I would like us, as Scouts, to challenge ourselves to bring to the lives of those who need it the most, a real sense of belonging and of family.

I know that it is a big ask – all of you in the movement are already voluntarily giving of yourselves to the very limits of your powers. But, I would like to think that what I am asking of you, as your Chief Scout, aligns seamlessly with your Scout Promise of duty to God, Country and helping others. And what I am asking you to do, in addition to everything that you already do, is, quite literally, to help save Trinidad and Tobago. In this effort, and in these challenging days, I do not believe that anyone can ever give too much.

And so, my fellow-scouts, I urge you to imagine the possibilities that would abound if more and more young people joined Scouts. I believe that that would make this country a better place. Scout leaders – the ball is in your court. Let us all do our part in ensuring that our youngest citizens have the tools and equipment they need to fulfil their highest potential.

Our movement’s founder, Lord Baden-Powell, once said, “the real way to gain happiness is to give it to others.” Let us honour his statement by giving to every child we can, the happiness of being a part of the Scouting movement. And, in so doing, let us continue to work together to make Trinidad and Tobago a better place.

Have a wonderful Founder’s Day celebration and I look forward to seeing you all achieve your goals and dreams in the years to come.

Thank you.