Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH — Alwaleed Philanthropies, the global foundation that empowers women and youth and invests in programs to support cross-cultural understanding, is participating in the 2019 World Scout Jamboree by supporting the first five young female Saudi Scouts to attend the event. The scouts will participate in activities aligned with the World Scouting’s flagship “Scouts for SDGs” initiative, which has pledged to make the world’s largest coordinated youth contribution to the SDGs by 2030.

More than 45,000 scouts and scouting leaders from over 150 countries have come together at the Summit Bechtel Reserve in West Virginia, USA, to “Unlock a New World,” the theme of the 24th World Scout Jamboree.

The aim is to inspire scouts to become active citizens and create a more sustainable world by learning about global issues such as climate change and gender inequality. Through activities that range from zip-lining and hiking to public speaking and leadership workshops, young people will develop skills to help them thrive in and contribute to a rapidly changing world.

Commenting on the participation of the Saudi scouts, Princess Lamia Bint Majed Saud Al-Saud, secretary seneral of Alwaleed Philanthropies, said: “We are proud to support the first young female Saudi scouts to attend the jamboree as part of our six-year commitment to World Scouting to increase the participation of girls and boys in community service in Saudi Arabia and across the Middle East. Their involvement in the Jamboree’s ‘Scouts for SDGs’ program will help empower girls and young women to drive social, environmental and economic progress in the Kingdom and contribute to Saudi Vision 2030.”

The 24th World Scout Jamboree, jointly hosted by the USA, Canada, and Mexico, is the largest outdoor educational event organized by the World Organization of the Scout Movement, gathering scouts aged 14 to 17 and leaders every four years. A staff of 10,500 volunteers will deliver a life-changing experience to scouts from around the globe at the world’s most sustainable campsite, the 10,000-acre Summit Bechtel Reserve in West Virginia, for this once-in-a-lifetime event which is running from July 22 to Aug. 2, 2019. This year, as well as the first female Saudi scouts attending, almost one hundred young scouts total will travel from the region, including Saudi Arabia, Oman, the UAE and Qatar.

The World Scout Jamboree offers an inviting atmosphere of mutual respect and understanding and fosters social interaction and engagement among Scouts from different cultures. This is a hallmark of the Jamboree experience. Through educational activities, the 2019 World Scout Jamboree supports young people to develop leadership skills and engage in dialogue about peace and sustainability, enabling them to become active global citizens who are creating positive change in communities around the world.