steps forward,,

below is my speech in the second senior rover scout creativity @ UNNES, Semarang (06-10th nOvember, 2008)..

hope U enjoy it and we can take tha step together,,

especially for all my fellow scout friends,,

Assalamu’alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh,,

Salam Pramuka!

Singing,,

Clapping,,

Camp fire,,

Those words have close meaning to Indonesian Scout Movement, even many people nowadays thought those words at the first time when they hear about Indonesian Scout Movement, moreover many people think that those words are the meaning of being boy or girl scout in Indonesia.

We, as the member of Indonesian Scout Movement, know clearly that being a Scout member is not only about singing, clapping, and campfire. We know Scout has vary activities and values that taught the member how to deal with life, but how they will (people from non-scout society) know about us?? About Indonesian Scout Movement, so they will not use their close-minded view when they interact with us., and this is what this speech is all about. About How we, as senior rover, take part in gaining Scout reputation and return the Great name of Indonesian Scout Movement.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Couple of months ago, I got an opportunity to take part in an international forum for youth, where I could make many friends from many different countries. In that forum, when I introduced my self as a member of Indonesian Scout Movement there were two kinds of response came from my fellows. First, came from my foreign friends, mostly they said to me that Scout in their country had done many good deeds and always reviewed positively in their countries.

Ladies and Gentleman, I think each and everyone of u ever watched Hollywood or other western movies, but maybe only a few people of us here that ever realize that sometimes in some movies, when they want to call a “straight” boy, they call it with a phrase “he’s a boy scout”. Have you ever heard that?? I think u should find it,, haha,,

Yuph,,

Back to my introduction in the forum, then come responses from my fellow Indonesian participants. They said “you are girl scout ?? Are there a Scout Movement in university ?? Are you kidding me ?? What things are you people doing then ?? Still doing those singing and clapping stuffs ?? I can’t believe you, why do you still in that KIND organization in an era like this ?? Isn’t that scout things rather old fashioned these days ??”

Hm.. what an ironic, but we ourselves cannot pretend like we’re blind that we don’t see things like my experience following our steps wherever we go. Our beloved Indonesian Scout Movement now isn’t as popular as it was years ago. Scout Movement mostly reviewed negatively by the non-scout society, especially from our fellow university or college students, or universally known as YOUNG PEOPLE or YOUTH, an agent of change.

Ladies and gentleman, I thinks it is a crucial problem to consider right now.

And for all my beloved friends,, don’t you hear that this problem is knocking our heart?? Knock knock,, hello rover,, do you have solutions?? Knok knock.. don’t you hear that??

Yah.. being in a senior rover phase, means that we’re getting ourselves into a crucial position of the Scout Movement. As youth, it’s our time to think out of the box and initiating ways to help Indonesian Scout Movement recover its good name and once again consider as a great organization in this digital era.

Hereby I suggest some ways to begin an act.

But of course, ladies and gentleman, these things I will explain only comes from my own mind, and I do sure that each and everyone of you has many thoughts pops up in your mind now regarding to these issues, so maybe we can compile it after this event and I know for sure that It will be great.

Back to my mind,, hehe

What I want to suggest are first, making a social work that worth for our society. I think this one isn’t unfamiliar for us, since scout always done such things, but what I want to bold here is about publication. We, as a Scout movement’s member, especially as senior rover, continually making an activity like “free of charge health care, build a mosques or churches, making trainings, and so on, but, although what we’ve done make a great impact to society, only those who involved knows that those things are done by Indonesian Scout Movement. We need publication so world will know we’ve done great things and they begin to review their bad thoughts about us.

The second is about how to attract the non-scout people into our activity. In could be something like organizing an event together, or inviting them to our event, of course in an open event that can be followed by everyone, not only the scout members. In organizing that event, we show to the world that we also can organize an open event, non only Scout event as great as other organization have done, or even better than them. The activities I mean in this second idea are not a social work anymore, but other profit-oriented activities, professional, that possibly us funding our own agenda later. We address our event into more educated people, held a prestigious event, shows that we, as a rover, is also following the thus kind of future living.

And the last, ladies and gentleman, but for me, it is the most important step to encounter this issues is behaved. People judges something by its look, and sometime over generalized something. Like what they will do toward Scout Movement, if they see someone wearing Scout Uniform doing bad things, they will perceived it as if all of the member will doing the same bad things. This perception will become a prejudice in their mind and if they share to others, it will be a prejudice among them. Prejudice helps people to judge something or someone. So, only because one man doing bad things wearing scout uniform, many people, even without their or our awareness will form a prejudice that all Scout members are like that man. It is too bad for the reputation.

The key is, ladies and gentleman, especially for all my beloved rover friends here, begin good things from ourselves, reflect the values that Scout has taught us everywhere, then people will see us as a good man, and they will consider our Scout Movement as a Great Organization, as great as ever.

One message from my heart to each and every one of you, especially my fellows senior rover friends, remember that change begins with us, be the change that you want to see.

Good day for everyone,,

Assalamu’alaikum warahmatullahi wa barakatuh,,

Salam Pramuka!