In my last article on “Our violent society” I wrote: “During a presentation to the Commission of Enquiry into the events of 1990 it was suggested that the organisation which attempted to overthrow the Government was able to attract many young people to what they saw as an ideal which would give meaning to their lives. Why is it that other religious organisations, non-Governmental organisations and Government social programmes are less successful?”
Since then I have been speculating on what new initiatives might be taken to capture the imagination of our youth. Then I noticed a letter in the Newsday of February 17 by Joel Quintal headlined, “100 years of Scouting in TT”.
Mr Quintal reminds us of the history of scouting and the importance it can play as a proven alternative (to gang membership) for young people. He states: “The values of self respect, respect for others, good manners, honesty, patriotism, and optimism (which are all promoted by the Scout movement) have served us well in the past and can do so well in the future.”
My first reaction was that while it was very important to revive the Scouting movement, as far as I was aware this only went as far as school leaving age -- 16 years of age –but our problem lies largely in the 16 to 25 age groups. I wondered if organisations such as the Field Naturalist Club could build on the Scouting attributes developed at school to provide activities that could attract young people.
I decided to explore this and similar possibilities and found the very informative Singapore Scouting Association website. There I discovered that scouting indeed progressed after the age of 16 and that two other organisations built on Scouting catered for older boys (and, most importantly, girls) indeed existed. These are: Ventures (ages 16-18) and Rovers (ages 17-27). The scouting movement also involves adults – as Leaders (21+) and Seniors-in-scouting (50-plus). So scouting starts at ages 7-12 (Cubs) and progresses to Scouts (12-16) and then to Ventures and Rovers.
Why would Scouting be attractive to young people–especially males who might not find it “macho”? Some of the successes of scouting can be viewed in the Singapore Scouting Association website. In viewing these we should acknowledge that Singapore, over which Trinidad and Tobago had a head start in the 1960s, is now one of the most successful small countries in the world while Trinidad and Tobago (blessed with petroleum riches which Singapore does not have) struggles with the perception of corruption, failed institutions and mismanagement at every level.
In Singapore the Scout movement has been used in times of national emergencies. The movement has expanded over the years by the efforts of individual leaders as well as by assistance from Government. The movement is incorporated by law as a non-profit organisation.
In many countries the movement started as a Boy Scout movement but has included girls to become co-educational. In other countries a parallel movement developed for girls–Brownies (the equivalent of Cubs) and Girl Guides (the equivalent of Scouts).
Lord Baden-Powell, a Lieutenant-General in the British Army founded the Scout Movement in 1907. He stated: “Try and leave this world a little better than you found it and when your turn comes to die, you can die happy in feeling that at any rate you have not wasted your time but have done your best.”
It is of particular interest to me that the scout movement was founded by a military man as I would have expected someone with a military background to be more likely to be associated with the cadet movement.
In Trinidad and Tobago more than one voice has proposed a military-like organisation to combat bad behaviour in schools and in young school leavers. I disagree strongly. It is precisely the military type behaviour – shooting etc, as is exhibited in “gangs”-- that we do not want to encourage. What is needed is development of self-discipline not discipline imposed by military type rules, regulations and punishments.
Scouting builds character and nurtures self-discipline. The activities of this movement include: camping, hiking, woodcraft, aquatics, cooking, sports, first aid, tying knots for rescue, signalling – Morse code and semaphore. Scouts form themselves into groups and so develop a group loyalty and a sense of belonging which is no doubt a part of the attraction of street gangs.
Hiking can develop a love for nature. Indeed the early concept of scouting in the US borrowed from the customs of indigenous peoples of that country who were close to nature.
In Trinidad and Tobago our forests are readily accessible as are our waters. Kayaking, which can be developed in our calmer waters, and surfing can both be as challenging as participating in gang warfare and should not result in fatalities. For the older members (Rovers and Ventures) there is scuba diving.
The world scout movement involves many international events – jamborees – and exchange visits with other scouting groups in other countries. This aspect of the movement opens up possibilities of travel for young persons.
The major problem will be to find the leadership to rejuvenate the scout movement in this country. No doubt Government initiative will be required in the first instance. But such initiatives must be in the background and should not provide photo opportunities for various Ministers as do most Government initiatives.
Perhaps our greatest hope may be in our new Minister of Gender, Youth Affairs and Child Development who seems to be working in the background and is less frequently seen before the media cameras.
I have written (Express, November 12, 2010) on the importance of the 4 H movement which had its genesis in agriculture, for the personal development of our young people. These two movements, 4H and Scouting, should be encouraged at every opportunity. Movements such as these break down social barriers and help all sections of our country to live more peacefully together to the mutual benefit of all.

* John Spence is Professor Emeritus, UWI. He also served as an Independent Senator.