Former scouts and guides to meet ‘Together with Friendship, Fellowship and Fun’

The Sri Lanka Scout and Guide Fellowship (SLSGF) will host the 15th Asia Pacific (AsPac) Gathering of the International Scout and Guide Fellowship (ISGF) in Colombo from today until 8 September at Global Towers, Colombo 6.

This will be the third time that Sri Lanka will host the event, having previously done so in 1974 and 1983, becoming the first member country in the Asia Pacific region to do so. The delegates, who are former members of the Scout and Girl Guide movements, will gather under the theme of ‘Together with Friendship, Fellowship and Fun’.

About 100 participants are registered to attend the event, mainly from Australia, New Zealand, India, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Indonesia and the Maldives and will include a delegation from Sri Lanka. 

Speaking about the Gathering, Sri Lanka Scout and Guide Fellowship President Dushyanthi Perera said: “The former Guide and Scout Fellowship was started in 1957 in Sri Lanka and recognised as a full member of the ISGF in the year 1961. Hence, we are proud to say that we are one of the very old fellowships.”

The welcome dinner, opening ceremony and cultural night will be prominent among the events planned as part of the gathering as they will showcase Sri Lankan culture, tradition and history. 

The Bazaar will showcase not only items from countries across the region but also the local entrepreneurship of tsunami survivors and war widows. The delegates will travel to the venue of the camp fire in the country’s first ever tourist-friendly three wheeler service, a recently launched Government initiative to promote tourism. 

Elaborating on the program of the Gathering, Sri Lanka Scout and Guide Fellowship Vice President Kamalnath Jinadasa said: “This will be a memorable opportunity for all former Scouts and Guides from all corners of the island to gather around the AsPac SGF Gathering to share friendship, fellowship with fun.”  The participants will plan and deliberate ‘Vision 2024 – A Strategic Discussion on Growth’, which will concentrate on supporting the education of girls and boys across the region and a membership drive for the organisation. The Gathering will also elect new office-bearers to the AsPac SGF Committee for the triennium of 2019-2021. 

The proceedings from the Gathering will be used mainly for a project to look after senior leaders who have given their time, energy and funds voluntarily to impart non-formal education through scouting and guiding to young girls and boys. They will also be utilised to help scout troops and guide companies in remote areas of Sri Lanka.