The Asia-Pacific Regional (APR) Workshop on Innovative Leadership and Effective Communication, hosted by Sri Lanka Scout Association was inaugurated in the morning of 18th November 2011 at the Galadari Hotel, Colombo. The Chief Guest was Hon. Naveen Dissanayake MP, Minister of the Public Management Reforms. Joining him was Mr. Sunil Hettiarachchi, Director General of the Ministry of Economic Development, as a Special Guest.
Being a former Scout himself, Chief Guest Hon. Naveen Dissanayake said the Scout Movement is a strong movement and considers it a corporate body. He explained that Scouts must understand communication strategies and techniques, along with the latest innovations, as a response to a growing new forms of communication. The workshop will help the participants transition into these new communication patterns effectively and sustainably
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“We should be able to communicate effectively when the normal communication machinery is broken down. Differences of opinion exist in all organizations but people need to come together and possess a group mentality. If differences exist where you cannot be part of, then you should leave the class,” he said.
Sri Lanka Scout Association (SLSA) Chief Commissioner Mr. Chandrasena Batuwangala, in his welcome address, said that the first regional communication workshop in Sri Lanka was in 1998, and since then SLSA underwent many significant changes including developing good relationships with other National Scout Organizations (NSOs) in the region.
In welcoming the foreign delegates, he mentioned that at this time, Sri Lanka, as a country, is making a progress towards social stability and infrastructure developments. He explained leadership for communication must reach out to Scouts at the grass root level. He also said that many important developments have taken place in SLSA, which will be celebrating its 100 years next year and will be hosting the 29th APR Scout Jamboree, coinciding with the Sri Lanka Centenary Scout Jamboree.
On the other hand, Regional Director Mr. Abdullah Rasheed said that there are more than 30 million Scouts all over the world and 80% of them are in the Asia Pacific Region. He said that the NSOs in the region are facing three main challenges: First, NSOs are unable to retain young people in the movement; Second, how to maintain and retain volunteers; and lastly, not being able to seek greater partnerships with external organizations. Seeing the situation, NSOs needed to find innovative ways to meet these challenges. He believed that this workshop is the right channel to discuss the issues, where new ideas for leadership and the creative ways on how to communicate them effectively can be learned.
APR Scouting Profile Sub Committee Chairman Mr. Shinya Mizuta explained the topic of the workshop and encouraged that there should always be a feedback on what you communicate.
Vote of thanks was proposed by APR Management Sub Committee Chairman Mr. Janaprith Fernando who is also the Special Commissioner of SLSA. He thanked all the special guests, key leaders from the region, resource persons, sponsors and all the participants for their support and cooperation that made this workshop a reality.
Overseas participants are from Bangladesh, India, Japan, Maldives, Indonesia, Nepal, Singapore, Thailand along with the local participants. Resource persons are from Bangladesh and Italy. The workshop will conclude on 21st November with their final recommendations.
– M F S Muheed, APR Honorary Correspondents, Sri Lanka
