World Scout Day 2013

SCOUTS’ FOUNDER’S DAY 2013
22 FEBRUARY 2013

MESSAGE FROM MR TAN CHENG KIONG
CHIEF COMMISSIONER
SINGAPORE SCOUT ASSOCIATION

Dear Brother and Sister Scouts

2013 marks the 106th year of World Scouting. As the organisation continues to grow in strength, it is also timely for us to consider how we, as Scouts, can play a greater role in our duty to society and Nation.

The theme for this year’s World Scout Day celebration is “Building Bridges”. As Singapore faces the challenges of a rapidly aging population, we must be able to engage and connect with the older generation.

Scouts must be prepared for the society that you will inherit. I strongly encourage you to engage and get to know the senior citizens amongst you. This can be your own grandparents, older relatives or even neighbours and the elderly in the neighbourhood. Talk to them, learn from them, try to understand the problems that they face and see what you can do to help.

The Singapore Scout Association has recently introduced Seniors-in Scouting. We want to encourage active ageing amongst the seniors through the Scout Method. One group is learning how to play the ukelele and has been performing at scouting and community events. I encourage scout units to invite the seniors to conduct classes for the scouts. This will be an excellent opportunity to promote inter-generation bonding. I would love to see the younger cubs and the seniors performing together in the near future.

Our seniors have a wealth of life experiences that we can learn from. They can provide advice when you face obstacles in life and guide you as you seek to improve the community.Let us all work together to build bridges across the generations. As a Scouting family, we will be able to make a difference in fostering a more caring and cohesive society.

Wishing everyone a Happy World Scouts’ Day.