Boy Scouts, Girl Guides Rally in The City

Residents and visitors alike got a glimpse of the boys and girls of the Barbados Boy Scouts Association and Girl Guides Association when the two organisations collaborated to host a march through The City, today.

More than 1 300 members of the two organisations participated in the joint World Thinking Day Rally, which started at Passage Road Playing Field around 10 am, went through Bridgetown, and ended at Harrison College, where all enjoyed a day of fun-filled activities.

The proud beavers, blossoms, brownies, cub scouts, guides, scout leaders, ventures, rangers, and their parents, marched to the beat of the Boy Scouts and Girl Guides bands.

Some marchers also held placards in hand, and shouted out who they are, as shoppers and workers rushed out of stores to cheer them on.

Public Relations Officer for the event, who also holds the position of social media content manager for the Girl Guides Association, Margaret Burke, said Thinking Day was marked as the day of international friendship among all scouts and guides across the world.

“We are just hoping to encourage persons to join these organisations that offer discipline, self control management. Girl Guides and Boy Scouts have always teamed up, we have always collaborated, but in the past that has happened to a lesser extent.

“So this year we are trying to encourage more joint events between the two organisations and there is one common strength, which unites us, which is B-P [Baden Powel] spirit. Lord Robert Baden-Powell is our founder and he is the thread that unites us, hence the theme B-P Spirit the Thread that Unites Us,” Burke said.

Public Relations Officer for the Boy Scouts Dwayne Worrell, also a venture/scout leader, reiterated Burke’s sentiments that the event was focused on fostering greater friendship, collaboration and team work between the two associations.

“We have come together today to start the ball rolling on what we think would be greater collaborations in the future. For one, we want to be able to show Barbados who we are, so we are out here in our numbers to remind everyone that we are a very integral part of our social fabric.

“Boy Scouts teaches people about leadership, about team work and collaboration, and teaching life skills that you may or may not get in other places,” Worrell said.

Worrell noted that while the Boy Scouts Association continues to see a steady intake of new members at the primary school level, there was work to be done in the area of recruiting adolescents. (AH)