Commonwealth Scout Forum

Report by CSL Anita Muscat

To celebrate the Diamond Jubilee year of Her Majesty The Queen Elizabeth II in 2012, two representatives from each Commonwealth country were invited to Gilwell Park to participate in the first ever Commonwealth Youth Forum. The forum was held between the 26th and 30th of April 2012 in Gilwell Park, the home of Scouting in the UK. Twenty Commonwealth countries were represented by Scouts aged between 18 and 25 and who hold the top Scout Award in their country. One of these participants was a leader from the Victoria Scout Group, Darren Mercieca. The other Maltese Scout was Jean-Marc Bonello from the Fgura Scout Group.

The theme for the Youth Forum was 'Developing Scout Partnerships in the Commonwealth' which reflects the Commonwealth theme for this year of 'Connecting Cultures.' The objective of the forum was to engage young people from the Commonwealth countries in discussion on how Scout organisations can work together to develop their programmes and enhance international experience for young people in the Commonwealth.

The representatives also met Mr. Kamalesh Sharma, the Secretary General of the Commonwealth at Marlborough House, the Headquarters of the Commonwealth Secretariat. On the final day, the Scouts took part in the Queen's Scout Parade held at Windsor Castle during which they saluted the Chief Scout of the UK Bear Grylls and her Majesty the Queen. This was followed by a National Scout Service at St. George's Chapel in Windsor Castle

A truly unforgettable experience for those lucky Scouts!