Good Afternoon.

According to my schedule, I should be in Kingston right now getting ready for the Annual Governor-General’s Independence Reception this evening.  However, as your Chief Scout, nothing could keep me away from being here this moment: The opening of the15th Caribbean Cuboree.

I offer a special welcome to all of you gathered for the opening ceremony and especially to our visiting Cub Scouts and their chaperons. I hope your time in Jamaica will be enlightening, engaging, inspirational and refreshing.

On January 24, 1908, the Scouts movement began in England with the publication of the first installment of Robert Baden-Powell’s Scouting for Boys. Prior to the publication of his book, he took a diverse group of 21 adolescents to Brownsea Island in Dorsetshire, where they set up camp for a fortnight. With the aid of other instructors, he taught the boys about camping, observation, deduction, woodcraft, boating, lifesaving, patriotism, and chivalry.

I want our Cub Scouts to know that Camp is a fun place to be in the summer.  Your Scout Leaders know this and that is why they chose the theme, ‘Cubbing – A Universe of Fun,’ for this 15th Cuboree.

I have no doubt that you will have a grand experience at this year’s Camp.  There will be a whole lot of fun!  In fact, it will be a universe of fun!

I am going to tell you what F U N stands for:

F is for fellowship        – Enjoy each other’s company and develop life-long friendships

U is for unity              – that means to combine or join together.

N is for nurture          – that is to encourage, grow, or train something or somebody.

That’s what FUN means. “Fellowship Unity and Nurture.”

I want you all to repeat it with me, “Fellowship Unity and Nurture”.

For the next five days, I want my Cub Scouts to have a world of FUN!

At this Cuboree, I want you to meet and fellowship with other Scouts from around the Caribbean, learn from each other, share stories, make new friends, learn new things and work toward earning more badges.

Let me tell you about an Eagle Scout who saved his teacher’s life.  She was choking on an M & M chocolate candy and because he had learned the Heimlich Maneuver as a Cub Scout, he was able to perform the procedure, which stopped her from choking .

This is used in an emergency to hold someone around the ribcage to dislodge an object that is causing the person to choke.  He quickly performed it on the teacher so she could spit out the candy that was choking her.

It is likely you will not forget the skills you learn now as Cub Scouts as well as the more advanced ones, as you get older.  You will use them in various areas of life and situations.   I hope you all will ultimately become Queen’s Scout like the six young men whom I presented with their medals at King’s House earlier this year.

This week you will discover that you can survive for a few days without your cell phones and tablets. You will be so busy doing new and exciting things, you will not even remember the cell phones!

I commend the organizers who are grooming our youth to become the best versions of themselves and make their contribution to nation-building.

Cub Scouts, you will be required to stay true to the values and morals which you are being taught. Remember the Scout Oath and the promises you made; the 10 points of your Scout Law, and your Motto to “Do Your Best” as only the best is good enough.

Most importantly remember that ‘You are a Promise.’ I want all the Cub Scouts here this afternoon to join me in singing, “I am a Promise.” Cub

 

I am a promise
I am a possibility
I am a promise
With a capital P
I am a great big bundle of potentiality
And I am learning to hear God’s voice
And I am trying to make the right choice
I’m a promise to be anything He wants me to be.

Never forget you are a promise! You can become anything you dream of because “With God all things are possible.”

I wish for everyone a successful week of activities.

It now gives me great pleasure to declare open the 15th Caribbean Cuboree.