The 10th World Scout Youth Forum (WSYF)was held in Iksan, Korea from the 7th to 10th July 2008. The 38th World Scout Conference (WSC) was subsequently held in Jeju Island, Korea from the 14th to 18th July 2008.
Our Scout Leader, Tan Sijie was one of the five selected to attend the WSYF and was one of the two delegates representing Singapore. During the forum, he ran for the position of the World Youth Advisors, of which only 6 Scouts were selected for a term of three years to support the World Scout Committee. Although he did not secure a position for the Advisor, he proposed an initiative that soon proved to be of much significant and the start of a partnership.
Earth Hour - One Hour, No Power (http://www.earthhour.org). The WSYF delegation from Singapore proposed and brought Earth Hour to Korea, with the start of a candlelight opening dinner. With 141 support signatures from all over the world, the intiative was eventually put up as a recommendation to the World Scout Committee, suggesting that all NSOs are encouraged to incorporate an Earth Hour event in their national, regional or world events.
During the World Scout Conference, Sijie was the youth delegate representing Singapore in the delegation along with 5 other senior commissioners. Sijie had the honour of being invited by Anne Whiteford from the Education Unit of the World Scout Bureau to address to the plenary of the conference about the SWA Base in Singapore.
With the conference aside, Sijie was also a part of the bigger picture - Singapore was bidding for the World Scout Jamboree in 2015. Pitted against Japan, Singapore put up a show and create a buzz. A small island country was then introduced to the whole world. Although Japan won the bid in the showdown, the Singapore contingent's spirit was nonetheless still high for we had created awareness of our small island country.
The WSYF and WSC experience was indeed an eye-opener and will be etched in Sijie's mind for many years to come. Brazil will welcome the next WSYF and WSC in 2011, and we will all be waiting.
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