- 1,500 scouts representing multiple associations are expected to participate in the 72nd annual Scout Jamboree
- There are over 50 million Scouts in the world and 28 million of them are Muslim
JEDDAH: The Saudi Arabian Scouts Association (SASA) on Saturday joined the 72nd annual Scout Jamboree in Kabbad, Kuwait. Hosted by the Kuwaiti Scouts Association, 1,500 scouts, representing multiple associations, have been invited to participate.
The Jamboree was opened by the undersecretary of Kuwait’s Ministry of Education Dr. Saud Al-Harbi, who emphasized the importance of supporting Arab participation in international forums like the Scout Jamboree.
The head of the Saudi scout delegation, Khaled bin Abdul Aziz Al-Issa, said the program would include a variety of scouting activities, in addition to cultural, religious, athletic and intellectual competitions and workshops. It will also feature visits to private and governmental institutions.
Prior to the Scout Jamboree, in November 2018, SASA, in partnership with the Omani General Directorate of Scouts and the Arab Scout Organization, began training scout chiefs and administrators to manage field camps and scout troupes at their headquarters in Al-Ghubrah.
The assistant director-general of the General Directorate of Scouts and Female Guides of Oman, Mohammed bin Abdullah Al-Hinai, said that “the aim of this session was to showcase the experiences of organizations in the field of camps, training centers and camps’ financial and administrative systems management.”
The Saudi association joined the World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM) in 1963 and hosted the Arab Jamboree in Taif in 2000. There are over 50 million Scouts in the world and 28 million of them are Muslim.
SASA has been helping Hajj pilgrims for 47 years, adapting along the way to keep up with changing times and making use of new technologies.
Also in November, SASA took part in the World Scout Jamboree Jota 61 (on the air) and Joti 22 (on the internet).
The association prepared for the jamboree by setting up a radio station in Riyadh.