Memory Lane “17th Annual General Meeting of The Scout Association of Belize” held May 29, 2004
May 29, 2004
The Seventeenth Annual General Meeting of the National Scout Assembly of The Scout Association of Belize was held on Saturday, May 29 at the Association’s conference room at the Belize City Center.
Mr. Leonides Cuellar, President of the National Court of Honor and International Commissioner, chaired the meeting. Special guests included Sir Colville Young, Governor-General of Belize who attended the meeting in his capacity as Patron, Hon. Francis Fonseca, Minister of Education, Youth and Sports, guest speaker, and Mr. Julian Castillo, Chief Scout of Belize.
The Chairman called the meeting to order and immediately proceeded to call for the various messages and reports for the year in review from the directive of the Association.
Chief Scout Julian Castillo in addressing the meeting pointed out the high rate of juvenile delinquency faced in our country today and focused on the proven record of the preventative method of development of young people that Scouting provides. He stated that there is a need for the Association to redouble its efforts to spreading Scouting in Belize. He invited everyone who shares the experience of Scouting to reflect on the values, which we promote, and while doing so, ask ourselves if we are doing our best to live by these values in our lives. In closing, he thanked everyone who worked tirelessly to serve young people during the past year and the Government of Belize for their continued support.
Mr. Ramiro Duran, Director of Education, who is responsible for youth program and training of volunteer adults, noted in his introduction that very importantly the educational objectives in both program and training were met despite setbacks with volunteer support. He further said that Scouting continued to give young people the opportunity to build their lives on the principles they voluntarily accept and which encompasses elements such as adherence to the Scout Promise and Law, learning by serving, learning by playing, playing by the rules, become responsible, working in small groups and stimulating adult presence. He closed his remarks by saying that the final aim of the program is that every young person who has shared the experience of Scouting should always do his or her best to be a person of freedom and integrity, ready to serve others, a creative person and a spiritual person. He then ended his report by highlighting the events held during the year in review.
Mr. Randolph Johnson, Director of Operations who oversees the expansion plan for membership, reported that the focus for the year 2003 was to consolidate existing Units and the retention of existing members. He said this was particularly challenging in many ways and in most instances was because of the lack of the volunteer element. He also pointed to the lack of financial resources in some instances where the uniform could not be bought, thus preventing Units from being formally invested into the Association. He went on to say that while District Assemblies were established in each district, not all were functional to the desired level but work will continue to improve in this area. The challenge here, he said, is to have appropriately functional District Assemblies so that eventually they will have their own District Training and Program Teams to increase the efficiency of running programs, thus achieving the educational objectives of the Association. In finalizing his report, Mr. Johnson reported an average of 9.3% increase in membership and pledged his ongoing support to work harder in the new year to continue working towards an increased membership, thus making the Scout program available to many more young people.
Mr. Luigi Heredia, Director of Support Services, then presented his report saying that Camp Oakley has been going through some changes and the camping grounds are currently being upgraded to meet the needs of visitors and campers alike. He went on to say that a project to plant 1000 cashew seedlings in a 10-acre area saw its first phase, which was the planting of 250 trees. He then said that water continues to be a problem at the camping grounds but work is underway to expand the system. He closed his report by thanking all the sustaining members of the Association, the Government of Belize, and The Belize Scout Endowment Foundation for their continued financial support, which makes Scouting available to young people. The audited financial statements of the Association were then presented. Mr. Heredia reported that financially the Association ended up with a deficit but in spite of this the program of activities and training was not affected. Scout Shop profits had a drastic decrease in profit as selling prices were reduced to meet the ever-growing demand for uniforms and accessories to those who cannot afford the high cost, even though uniforms are subsidized. In closing, he pointed out that Government continues to be our greatest benefactor. The reports were then moved for acceptance.
The main speaker, Hon. Francis Fonseca, Minister of Education, Youth and Sports then addressed the meeting. In his remarks he said that whenever one thinks of Scouting, one thinks of honor, service to our country, our community, our family, commitment to young people, instilling the right values, friendship and loyalty, partnership, discipline, respect, responsibility, and character-formation. Many young people are trying to lead a productive life. However, there are also many young people who are at risk. For this reason, The Scout Association has a critical role to play in helping young people to become good citizens. He concluded by saying that the Ministry is committed to the work that The Scout Association does and that his doors are always open for discussions.
Ms. Cynthia Robateau, Cub Scout Leader for the 1st Corozal Scout Group, presented a special Thanks Pin to Minister Fonseca in recognition of his invaluable contribution to the development of Scouting in Belize.
Mr. Julian Castillo, Chief Scout, then presented service awards to qualifying members of the Association, among them the President’s Service Award, the third of its kind, to Mr. Leonides Cuellar, International Commissioner and National Court of Honor Commissioner for his exemplary and invaluable dedication and service of forty-four years to Scouting in Belize.
Sir Colville Young, Governor-General of Belize and Patron of Scouts was presented with the Silver Wolf Award, the unrestricted gift of the Chief Scout, awarded for service of the most exceptional nature. Sir Colville has served the Scout Movement for ten years as its Patron.