Scouts call for managers

By SALLY POKITON
THE Scouts Association is in a state of crisis and needs the support of dedicated people to run it.
Speaking during the Scouts Association of PNG annual general meeting, which also saw his investiture as the chief scout of PNG last Saturday, Governor-General Sir Michael Ogio said scouting, being a youth organisation, required its members to continue supporting it after they had grown up.
He said the association needed the interest and support of parents and the community to ensure it was operating.
He said too often, scouts grew out of the organisation and most of the vital young adult leaders moved on to other­ family and work commitments.
Sir Michael said he knew the benefits of scouting on youths of PNG having been a scout himself as a student.
“This is fairly easy in the village situation where other organisations such as churches play an important role in supporting the association,” Sir Michael said.
He said the problem was in the urban areas where a mixture of disjointed groups lived together and schools were often the focal point for scouting programmes.
Sir Michael said attempts were being made to link scouting with sports so that youths not only play  sports but also develop civic skills and knowledge to be good and beneficial citizens.