When I write this article we are all sitting in our houses, under a 3 week lockdown. The world faces its greatest upheaval since the Second World War and potentially the greatest upheaval of modern times. The social and economic dislocation of Covid 19 is likely to change the world as we know it. As part of the social fabric scouts will not be exempt from whatever changes affect society.
In a rapidly changing world the timeless values that scouts offers are of key importance to the world and to our youth. When Lord Baden-Powell devised the scout laws he said that he had devised 10 laws that, if followed, would bring peace to the world. When we look at the scout laws they have lasted over 100 years. Although the wording has changed over the years and differs between countries, the principles embodied in the scout laws remain constant. And in changing times, the underlying principles as embodied in the scouts laws, represent not only guidance for life but a stable point of reference.
And so, however the world changes and however scouts may change, the guidance that both scouting gives to our youth, and the example that the scouters give to the scouts of the laws in practice, will remain constant.
