The Scout Association of Guyana redefining what it means to be prepared

ADVENTUROUS hiking trails, pitching tents, and making meals from scratch are probably what most people think of when they think of the scouts. The Guyana Scout Association has been teaching young people the values of teamwork, discipline, and collaboration since 1909. Guyana’s scouts have changed with the times, however, with the introduction of new tech-based activities to its list of features.

Sitting down with Pepperpot Magazine, Yonnick David, Chief Commissioner of the Scout Association of Guyana, says that Guyana’s scouts do and learn more than most people would think. A lifelong scout himself, David says that being a scout is more than adventures. It’s about keeping Guyana’s children safe by instilling in them skills, both new and old, to help them find their footing in a fast-changing Guyana.

Since he was seven years old, Yonnick David has donned the uniform of the scouts. Born and raised in Georgetown, David shared that the scouts were a defining part of his childhood, and the lessons he learned there would later become defining characteristics that he carried throughout his life.

Reminiscing about his early years as a scout, David shared, “I joined the scouts at the age of seven. There’s tons of memories. It was super fun. I think it definitely instilled a lot of the values that I hold now. I learned a lot of independence, a lot of discipline.” He further added, “They get to do all the activities in a single organisation. At the basis of that, they can instil certain personal attributes.”

With groups in Regions 3, 4, 5, and 10, the Scouts try to teach children real-life skills in a vibrant and diverse setting, guided by Scout leaders. As David shared, “It’s a single place where a child can participate in a number of different types of activities, all sitting on the principle of discipline and development. If you send your kids to Scouts, they’ll swim, they’ll ride, they’ll camp, they’ll cook.”

Today, the scouts have more than six hundred members across several regions, with each group hosting weekly meetings.

The work of the scouts goes beyond practical skills. They also work with children who are facing a wide range of social challenges. As David explained, the scouts are more than fun, games, and skills. It’s a structured community working collectively to ensure Guyana’s children have a happy, safe, and well-rounded childhood.

“We try to focus on issues that children face today. We’ve spoken to kids who are seeing other kids do drugs in their school.” He further added, “We’ve heard about issues of bullyism. There are kids that are stressed about what they’re going to do as an adult and not even trying to enjoy their childhood,” he said.

Although the association cannot solve all the challenges faced by its scouts, it does try to teach them the skills needed to handle their issues while playing the role of a vital support system.

“We can’t solve those things, all of them, but what we can do at least is to try our best to help them try to enjoy their childhood, gain some skills that will help them in their adulthood.”

Sharing some of the advice he would impart to the young men under his leadership, David shared, “I would say for the men, we need to start holding ourselves accountable. Work very hard and always think about your future in everything that you do. Really try to build an ideal future in your mind and work towards that.”

Although one of the driving forces behind the Scouts is traditional know-how, recent years have seen some major changes within the association, with the most significant being collaboration in STEM.

Highlighting this addition, David stated, “We have done a lot of new changes recently. So we’ve now introduced STEM. We had our first STEM camp last year. And we are working to now this year create STEM clubs.” He further added, “It’s to involve more technology into scouting. We know that when we were scouts, we loved the outdoors. We wanted to camp, cut wood, jump in the mud.”

Explaining what motivated the shift to include STEM as part of their list of activities, David explained that although it stands as one of the oldest associations in Guyana, the Scouts aim to adapt to the changing interests of children.

While nature and the outdoors remain a big focus point for the scouts, approaching problems with STEM is what the association is working toward.

“But we realise that the interest of the children has changed. And there’s a lot of children that are still— that are very heavy tech-based. So we want to involve tech. And we can still do tech things.” David further added, “So we can still teach the lessons, but just using different mediums. So I think a big accomplishment of ours has been being able to embrace more tech into the association.”

However, the introduction of STEM is not the only significant change made to the Scouts. The association is now more inclusive than ever, hosting activities that teach skills for both young men and women.

As David explained, “A lot of our programmes, we don’t do separate programmes for boys and girls. It’s all co-ed now.”

However, STEM and inclusivity are just a few of the things that are just the tip of the iceberg. Moving forward, the Scout Association has big plans, particularly in the area of collaboration. With a national camp slated for November, the scouts are always welcoming new members and scout leaders to continue teaching new and vital skills in an ever-changing Guyana.

So whether you’re a well-informed adventurer with a passion for children or a parent with a child who loves the rough and tumble, you can make contact with the Scout Association of Guyana online and via their website.