9/11/2012

Above: The World Scout Foundation Baden-Powell Fellowship gathering was greatly honoured by the presence of King Carl XVI Gustav of Sweden and Queen Silvia.

The Baden-Powell Fellowship Event was held in Finland for the first time

The King and Queen of Sweden visited Turku for the World Scout Foundation event 

The World Scout Foundation event was held in Turku from 6 to 9 September, 2012. A seminar on Saturday 08 September discussed leadership and King Carl XVI Gustav of Sweden opened the seminar as the Honorary Chairman of the World Scout Foundation

Finland was chosen as the destination for this year's event in recognition of its strong scouting tradition. At the event, scout leadership training and present scouting activities in Finland were discussed. About 100 major supporters of scouting from around the world attended along with Finnish donors to scouting.

The World Scout Foundation Baden-Powell Fellowship gathering was greatly honoured by the presence of King Carl XVI Gustav of Sweden and Queen Silvia. The royal couple attended a reception for invited guests at the Sibelius Museum on Friday that was organised by the City of Turku. On behalf of the City of Turku, Minna Arve, Chair of the Board of the City of Turku, hosted the evening.

Above: – Scouts have an important role in modern society in educating youths and children, says Minna Arve, Chair of the Board of the City of Turku.

"Scouting increases social skills"

In her welcome speech Arve emphasised the hustle and bustle of our society and the demands that makes of youths. According to her, society is evolving and one of its current main trends has been the strengthening of a mode of thought which emphasizes individualistic thinking at the expense of the collective.

– Our whole culture emphasizes rapid performance, expertise and effective time management. This constant rush places pressures on the individual, which are fed by societal expectations. Nor is our free time spared a continuous race against the clock – as time for relaxation and merely being with the family is seemingly on the decline.

She added that we need a greater sense of community, a stronger appreciation of others and the desire to help.

– Scouting has these values ​​at its heart, and that is why scouts have an important role in modern society in educating youths and children. In scouting one transmits caring ideals and those caring ideals are turned into practical action. Everyone participates in the common activities, which helps increase the social skills one needs throughout life.

Leadership

A seminar on Saturday 08 September discussed leadership and this got off to a wonderful beginning as the Honorary Chairman of the World Scout Foundation King Carl XVI Gustav of Sweden opened the seminar .

The seminar’s themes were the changing world and the role of scouting in this changing world. Björn Wahlroos, Suvi-Anne Siimes and Pekka Haavisto were amongst the speakers. Karin Ahlbäck who is a member of the World Scout Committee gave her speech from the perspective of scouting’s role in the changing world. 

The event demonstrated that scouting is a strong global movement. There are approximately 40 million Scouts in 216 countries. In Finland there are about 60,000 scouts and the Turku region has the densest concentration of scouts in the world – about 10 percent of the region’s 7 to 17 year-olds belong to a scout troop. Thus, it is no coincidence that the World Scout Foundation chose Turku as its venue for this year.

A model camp

In conjunction with the event Lounais-Suomen Partiopiiri set up a model camp in Varvintori in Turku on Saturday 8 September from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. At the model camp you could learn about scouting activities on land, by the sea and abroad. The camp had scout boats on display, demonstrated camp construction and scout music, and offered more information on joining the scouts.

King Carl XVI Gustav of Sweden also visited the model camp together with the World Scout Foundation.

Read more:

• www.worldscoutfoundation.org
• www.lounaissuomenpartiopiiri.fi