We can reduce indiscipline in Ghana through Scouting and Guiding – Dr Mettle-Nunoo
A former President of the Scout and Guide Fellowship of Ghana, Dr. Edward Mettle-Nunoo has stressed the need to intensify the establishment of Scout and Guide in Ghanaian schools to help reduce indiscipline activities in the country.
He was of the view that scouting was one institution of human life that "does not only model character into fine and disciplined responsible citizens, but it is also a lifetime commitment to the service of God, nation and humankind."
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“We are seriously challenged and compelled by circumstances of our time to wake up and put our houses in order,” he said, adding “Our schools have neglected Scouting and Guiding and our communities have become a den of hooligans and indisciplined youth.”
Dr Mettle-Nunoo made the remarks at the 2022 Annual General Meeting of Scout and Guide Fellowship of Ghana which was held in Accra on Saturday, July 23, 2022.
For him, the establishments of Scouting, in the wisdom of its Founder, Leut. Gen. Lord Baiden Powell among other things, was to create a world of peace and friendship using the Scouting methods.
“This Scouting and Guiding Method is to groom the youth from early childhood, and inculcate into them positive attitudes of discipline, law abiding, honesty, loyalty, patriotism and the spirit of volunteerism,” he explained, adding “To this end, Scouts all over the world have been trained along these core values, and in addition, the laws of Scouting and Guiding.”
Tribute
The President of Scout and Guide Fellowship of Ghana, Mr Prosper Bani paid a glowing tribute to the past and present leadership of Scout and Guide for their various roles in sustaining the fellowship in the country.
“I would like on this occasion to pay special tribute to all the former Presidents and executives who worked so hard to make it possible and still continue to show interest and provide guidance to the organization,” he said.
For him, the Fellowship “has survived because of the commitment of some older scouts to ensure that as we grow out of the youthful exuberance of young scouts and guides, we exhibit the same energy in the fellowship.”
He explained that the coming together of Scout and Guide “provides us the opportunity to continue engaging the young scouts and to make a difference in our communities.”
Mr Bani said while the Fellowship is making efforts to build stronger relations with the Boys Scouts and Girls Guides of Ghana, there are still some more work to be done to reach the desired objective of strengthening scouting in Ghana.
He expressed the commitment of the fellowship to ensuring that the desired objective of increasing the principles of scouting “in our children and young people are achieved sooner than later.”
Environmental consciousness
The President of SGF Ghana also challenged members of the fellowship to take interest in protecting the environment, saying “I call on each scout member to plant a tree each month as a contribution to making the world a greener, more environmentally friendly and to make it a better place for us and generations to come.”
He said Climate Change was having a devastating impact on the livelihoods of many people across the world and needed to be tackled head-on.
Mr Bani said the fellowship was committed to working with the Forestry Commission to obtain seedlings to embark on its tree planting initiative.
He also called on the government, private institutions, and individuals to contribute to keeping the earth safe and better, adding “In this regard, I further call on non-governmental organisations, private enterprises and public institutions to collaborate with SGF Ghana and all scouts and guides movements to populate their communities with trees to stop the encroaching of the Sahara Desert onto our Greenfields.”
Youth centered
The Chief Commissioner for Ghana Girls Guides, Zakiya Abdul Wahab stressed on the need for nurturing the youth by educating and instilling in them moral values to become responsible and patriotic citizens.
She stated that even during the Covid-19 pandemic, the organization was still carrying out its activities by leveraging on technology to reach out to the youth.
For her, Scout and Guide Fellowship would continue to prioritise the interest of the youth in the country and the world over.
Madam Abdul Wahab said Scouts and Guide would continue empowering young people in diverse ways to enable them to contribute significantly to the development of the country.
She also called for an effective collaboration among members in order to ensure active operations and the smooth running of the association to enable them to achieve the desired goals.