Ban Ki Moon Congratulates Scouts Bringing Peace in Greece
(PRWEB UK) 21 June 2016 -- During his visit to Lesbos Sunday Ban Ki Moon took the time to meet Scouts and volunteers following their dedication of their skills, time and energies over the last three years, characteristics that highlight the Scouts’ promise to create a better world through service and peace in local communities across the world.
The UN Secretary General’s visit came as Scouts gathered this weekend in Oslo, Norway as part of their triennial European Scout Conference. Preparedness, community impact and leadership - qualities that underpin the commitment of the 40 million Scouts working as Messengers of Peace around the world – were a key item at the conference, and such strategy will result in Scouts’ taking actions for peace at a local level all over Europe. At the moment this local level action is to work with refugees.
On Lesbos, the UN Secretary General – himself a Scout – was happy to wear the Scout scarf again and listen to the Scouts and hear about their actions. These actions have inspired thousands of other Scouts across Europe in countries such as Sweden, Germany, Turkey and Denmark to shape their community action so that it matches the needs of new comers.
This inspiration, to volunteer time and compassion to help complete strangers, is a prime example of the peace Scouts are bringing action by action, around the world from peace dialogue in the DRC to disaster relief in Nepal. When you combine each of the 675 million hours of community service Scouts have delivered, the impact is unchallengeable. And these are not professional agencies, they are young people, they are Messengers of Peace, they are Scouts.
When Ban Ki Moon met the Scouts on Lesbos, he was not just thanking the 50,000 Scouts working with Syrian refugees along the migrant route in Europe, but also the 22 million Messengers of Peace - Scouts - around the world working on 6 million projects bringing peace. A Scout will not stand and watch, he or she will act and do, and in Europe this leadership is making a difference to thousands of lives.
Tom Marsden, World Scout Foundation, http://www.worldscoutfoundation.org, +41 799540939, [email protected]
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