Written by Robert Hill, Regional Young Leaders Representative Eastern Cape South 

Nationwide we have a number of young people who have been appointed to represent the youth within their Scout Region at regional and national Scouting platforms, and sometimes also at international forums and conferences.  Earlier this month we heard from Sharmaine Zitha from Limpopo on her experience at the World Scout Youth Forum and Conference in 2021.  Today we hear from Robert Hill, the Regional Young Leaders Representative for the Eastern Cape South Scout Region who attended as an observer.

“Being able to take part in the World Scout Youth Forum and the World Scout Conference as an observer was an eye-opening experience.  I was also asked to be a Teller for the Youth Forum, which allowed me to work with the Tellers team made up of Scouts from all over the world. The Tellers’ job is to make sure that the votes are tallied up correctly and that there are no inconsistencies. This was made easier in many ways with all the voting being done online, but the votes still needed to be checked and verified. I learnt so much about how Scouting is run at the World Level by taking part in the Forum and Conference. It was interesting to see that many of the challenges we have here in South Africa are also experienced by Scouts around the world, and so we were able to work together to come up with solutions.

For the Youth Forum, we were allocated to international Patrols made up of Scouts from all over the world. In our teams we proposed amendments to be considered by the Forum and voted on. I learnt a lot about the democratic decision-making processes that allow everyone’s voice to be heard and considered in World Scouting.

Even though the Forum and Conference were virtual events, and so we weren’t able to meet people in person, the most rewarding aspect of attending the Forum and the Conference for me was meeting new people from such diverse backgrounds across the globe. There were many opportunities between the main business of the Forum and Conference to connect with people and make new friends all over the world. This was the highlight of being able to attend these events – being reminded of the global impact of Scouting and how we can make a difference in the world.

While it was a very tiring two weeks, with packed schedules and lots of screen time, it was such a great experience. I’m very thankful that I was able to attend and learn so much. It makes me very happy to think that the people I met at the Forum and Conference were just “the tip of the iceberg” – each person at these events represents so many people passionate about Scouting around the world, each one of us making the world a better place by putting the Promise and Law into action.”