DAMMAM — The six-day Scout camp organized by Peevees Group, which owns Khozama International School in Dammam, Al-Yasmin International School in Riyadh and Al-Wurood International School in Jeddah, for their students at the Kannan Devan Tea Estates in the misty Munnar in association with Bharat Scouts and Guides recently was a great success.
Munnar is situated 1,600 meters above sea level, and this hill station was once the summer resort of the erstwhile British government in south India.
According to Peevees Group officials, the camp had three vital sessions. The first session was mainly on academics, practical orientations and life skills. Second was an outbound session, which included the adventurous episodes of monsoon trekking, archery, shooting and river valley crossing. It is through adventure in the wild spaces that people, especially children, really learn and grow as it is the world’s biggest classroom.
The outdoor expeditions liberated the minds and spirits of the students and convinced them of what they are truly capable of achieving. The grit and resilience shown was absolutely commendable. The third session focused on the exploration and the appreciation of the flora and fauna of Munnar. It was specially designed to promote social communication and environmental awareness among students.
In-house resources support Scouts and Guides Movements in the group that ensures extensive training sessions for the Scoutmasters and Guide captains in India and the KSA. Teachers from Schools in Jeddah, Dammam and Riyadh participated in the six-day training conducted by trainers from Bharat Scouts and Guides, Kerala. The course included sessions on the principles of scouting and guiding, multifarious activities, and games that enhanced the knowledge of the trainees.
The highlights of the camp were the fun-filled campfire session during which trainees participated with overwhelming enthusiasm. The euphonious songs, foot tapping dance numbers captivated the audience. The commitment and involvement of the trainers and the trainees made the camp a distinct experience. Vasanth, one of the in-house trainers was eloquent on how he felt: “I personally had taken initiatives to organize camps at Taif, in KSA. On those couple of occasions I was able to conduct activities with the assistance of my colleagues. But most of the time I struggled to keep up the spirit of the participants, momentum of the activities and the signals for participants. But here I learned many techniques and fun filled activities. It would certainly help me in organizing any such camps in future.”
What was even more exciting is seven students and two teachers of Peevees Schools had the privilege of attending 23rd World Scouts & Guides Jamboree in Japan this year. This was an unprecedented honor in the history of Bharatiya Scouts & Guides in the KSA. The theme of the Jamboree was “WA: a Spirit of Unity.” With active participation of Scouts from all around the world, the World Scout Jamboree was a miniature of the world where participants could discover the integration of tradition, cutting edge technology, peace building, environment and disaster prevention through experience.
Friendships that the participants fostered at the 23rd World Scout Jamboree would definitely flourish far into the future. The team coordinator Bino Mathew who led the team said: “It was a great feeling to see about 35,000 participants from 152 countries pitching thousands of tents side by side and living in one place. Children had different activities like nature study, culture exchange, visit to global village, participation in adventure day, water module, stage shows, food festival and Hiroshima Peace Program. It was indeed a great opportunity for them to learn different cultures, varieties in their food, life styles, languages and dress codes.’’
Jeevanadam, a student who was part of team to Japan said, “It was a unique opportunity for me to visit the children’s peace monument in Hiroshima and pray for world peace. Being a participant in World Jamboree, I was enthralled to interact with the delegates of 155 countries.”
Another participant, Ancy Vijayan said, “being in World Jamboree, was a life-changing and phenomenal experience for me. Learning about global issues from 5 different perspectives ‘Peace’ ‘Environment’ ‘Sustainability to human rights’ ‘Health and Poverty’
A.M. Ashraf, GM of the Peevees Schools, congratulated the students and lauded the efforts of the principals of the schools and other staff members for guiding students to reach the milestone. He said students cannot rely solely on pieces of paper to get them where they want. Teamwork, leadership, perseverance and good communication are the skills that will help them succeed. He exhorted the world to recognize the positive contributions of young people and support them in achieving their potential.
