CHARLESTOWN, Nevis – MEMBERS of the Ivor Walters Boy Scouts movement on Sunday (June 21) worshipped at the Shiloh Baptist Church in Charlestown amidst calls by their leaders for adult male volunteers to lead troops in primary schools on the island.
Troop Leader Laurel Arthurton said there was an urgent need for adult males to support the movement so that it could be well established on Nevis, noting that scouting was a non-political and non-denominational movement.
“The majority of movements around the world follow a programme to guide the discipline and development of all boys, and the universal law and promise are to be obeyed with strictness,” Arthurton said.
Arthurton noted that scouting was reintroduced in Nevis in January 2008 when she and another troop leader, Errol Somersall, started a 16-member cub pack, now called the First Prospect Boys Scout, at the Ivor Walters Primary School. The membership is now 26.
She said the troop would be fully segmented according to universal age categories which are as follows – Beavers are ages six-eight, Cubs eight-11, Scouts 12-14, while Explorers are ages 14 to 18. Categories that have been introduced are Beavers, Cubs and Scouts.
Arthurton explained that after the formation of the troop, the Nevis Scouts Association was established and duly registered with the Ministry of Youth and Sports. She said there is an interim council to govern the affairs of the movement and it has been working to comply with the structure that is in keeping with the recently adopted Scout Constitution.
“We have been registered with the Ministry of Youth and Sports. We have established a savings account with the Bank of Nevis and will seek worldwide membership with the Scout Headquarters in the UK,” she said.
The Nevis Association has since its formation conducted the first trainers/leaders workshop to prepare potential leaders for the expansion of the movement on the island. The association has also assisted with the hosting of a camp for Antigua and Barbuda Scouts last Easter.
The Boys Scouts worship as a team once a month in various churches on the island.
