Our choice as Scouts is to make a difference

Message from Chief Commissioner Gary Pienaar

Best wishes to all our members on this Freedom Day.  Today we reflect on the individual freedoms and civil liberties that we all enjoy.  The freedom of personal choice, the freedom of expression, the freedom of association, to list but a few.  Our ability to choose who we want to be and to strive to become that best version of ourselves, through our own effort, hard work and perseverance.

Recent events in the world, from the Covid-19 pandemic, the ongoing conflict in the Ukraine, to the recent flooding in Kwazulu-Natal, highlights just how fragile our freedoms and civil rights can be.  Those freedoms which we sometimes take for granted can easily be limited or taken away, by events which are largely outside of our individual control.  Perhaps it is in the absence of our individual freedoms, that we truly appreciate how important and valuable they are.

However, the one thing that we can always count on, is having the personal choice of how to respond to any circumstance or challenge.  Despite the events that we see playing out on television and social media, I am deeply encouraged to see how Scouting has responded to these challenges.  From Polish Scouts helping out at border crossings and assisting Ukrainian refugees, to our very own Rovers collecting and providing vital supplies to local communities impacted by the flooding.  Scout leaders out there, being the example and making a difference in their wider communities.

Scouting, with its focus on citizenship and service to others, always seems to find a way of surpassing life’s challenges.  So, on this public holiday, let us remember that ‘with freedom comes great responsibility’ and that we all have a role to play in protecting and contributing to the maintenance of our civil rights and the rights of others.  The values contained in our Scout Promise and Law, provide us with the confidence to do just that, and as ‘Messengers of Peace’ Scouts all over the world are helping to make a difference!

#scoutssouthafrica #messengersofpeace #scouts4sdgs #goodcitizenship #leadershipgoals #buildingcommunities #service #skills4life