CHANGING THE FUTURE OF AFRICAN SCOUTING ELEPHANT AND THE WAY FORWARD _TRAINING THE YOUTHS AND TRUSTING THEM TO LEAD_
Kim Balogun Olamilekan Amos
Scouting is a great volunteer partnership of youths and adults. Certain problems which recently pitted the youth against Adults in Scouting In Nigeria had ignored the clear WOSM guidelines on how to play the game of Scouting.
Scouting in Nigeria had missed the boat of global progress which now defines and characterized the Movement.
First is the entrenched nature of its essence and tenets. It is on the bedrock of its ideals and methods which had been regularly violated.
Second, is its make or break use of the patrol system which is rooted
in a controllable group of a size and members chosen by the boys and girls themselves as their buddies. This means leaders are not to alter the choices made members of the sixties, patrol, crew, etc.
Third, the Youth and Adult Policy Guidelines are clear and persuasive enough as to how things Scouting are expected to be done. To what extent are we guided by these in our Scouting practice in Nigeria today?
Fourth, historically, we were ahead of the pack in Africa with the Regional Office in Lagos and with great Scout Leaders from across the Nigerian landscape North, East, West and South.
The training and leadership tradition picked at the First All Africa Jamboree at Shere Hills in Jos in 1977/78.
The Nigeria Scouting elephants has since then declined so much that every efforts since then had been without appreciable progress.
Fifth, the interplay of ethnicity, regionalism, decisive religious distractions had been seized by a few agitators for selfish end which climaxed in the various sizes that have brought the Elephant in us to no more than ants.
Sixth, efforts made to review, renew and re-engineer Scouting through Committees, internal studies and self assessment were not allowed to be debated among “scouting friends” but often among self aclaimed trainers who have added no credible instance of development beyond the Scout beads.
Seventh, the age-old Scout Training locations, Makoko, Molete, Kagoro, Iyekogba, etc.
have morphed to become effigies of what they used to be. Greed in managing once Scouting resort assets through sale, takeover bids, and else have left their indelible marks.
Eight, the fight for control and administrative leadership had exploited the forces of division which today is seen in the clearly polarised movement requiring regular intervention and little internal cohesion for eyeball to eyeball debates on common interests.
Ninth, there had been progressive and systemic abuses which had been built on a culture of sporadic exclusion of those who did not agree to the ways things are being run. The outcomes are too many to list here.
10. Widespread abuse of technology and the creation of platforms with ugly uses and abuses.
11. Other Scouting nations and regions are commissioning independent studies to chart the course of future actions.
12. Scouting thrives when planning, programs, projects, activities and funding activities are embodied in a clearly stated rules of procedures such as handbooks, Policy, Organisation and Rules (PO&R).
13. Parents, guardian, sponsorship by corporate bodies, schools and spiritual bodies are vital for success.
In a nutshell, But it is not too late for us to begin once again, the needed corrective actions. To my mind, there are remedies and lessons we can learn from other climes.
WHAT ARE THE REMEDIES?
1. Scouting in Nigeria was for too long dominated by a cult of trainers who never allow the required administrative leadership to work. This need to be corrected as trainers are trained to run sixies, troop, crew, etc activities. There is a clear line of cooperation and team building in outdoor Scouting activities, through the “Committee Systems” that are supposed to give technical support, advisory services especially in providing Scouting infrastructure, strategic linkages, fund raising, etc.
2. The International nature of Scouting had great features of which the Jamboree is a global gathering which camping provide at cub and troop levels. We have successful histories of unencumbered international Jamboree participation. The success of the 2007 Jamboree is yet to be matched and will surely be matched when we get a few things right.
3. Scouting is an ethical and a disciplined organization. Nigeria Scouting lost its age old allure with the systemic indiscipline which dominated its activities and climaxed in various crises.
4. Training should now be focused on what will accelerate youth participation through Proficiency, advancement or merit badge scheme. This entrepreneurial training scheme will ensure that we retain and improve on current situation. The regular public award of such badges will ensure that we grow a crop of youths who will mature to play greater role in the Movement.
