|
The Kindred Lodges Association (KLA)
comprises Lodges that have an interest in
youth work. Individual Freemasons can
join as associate members. Thirty-two of
the member Lodges exist primarily for those
with Scouting affinities. Many have excellent
contacts with local Scouting and provide
very real and practical support, from donating
money to offering their facilities and skills.
On a national level, the KLA recently raised
over £7,000 to refurbish B-P’s caravan, an
item of Scouting history presented to the
Founder by a grateful Movement on its 21st
anniversary and now preserved at Gilwell
Park, the home of Scouting.
There are many things that other Lodges
and individual Freemasons can do. And
these will make a real difference. Here
are some ideas :
- Contact the local District Commissioner
to offer a professional (such as
accountancy, engineering or public
relations) or practical skill, for a defined
period of time such as one day a year
or two hours every couple of months.
- Volunteer for a more formal role in
Scouting (see www.scouts.org.uk/
join/adulthelp.html)
- Offer the use of Masonic premises and
catering facilities for Scout meetings,
committees, conferences, etc.
- Adopt a Scout Group and support it with
time, skill, resources and facilities.
- Invite Scouting units to approach, and
perhaps involve, your Lodge when
they organise fund-raising projects.
- Become an associate member of the
KLA and support its projects.
- Join a local Scout Fellowship. Scout
Fellowships combine occasional service
to local Scouting with social events.
And they provide membership of
The Scout Association.
- Donate money through one of the
available schemes (www.scouts.org.uk/
waystohelp/index.html).
- Support the World Scout Foundation,
an endowment that finances the
growth and development of Scouting
around the world, by joining the
Baden-Powell World Fellowship
(http://world.scout.org/wsf ).
- Ask local Scouting how you can become
involved in the Centenary celebrations.
- Renew your Scout promise on 1st
August 2007, one hundred years to
the day since B-P opened that first
experimental camp, at one of the many
sunrise events around the UK.
The Kindred Lodges will be very active
in 2007. A team from the KLA will help
to construct the site for the 21st World
Jamboree, the world’s largest gathering
of young people, when 40,000 people
from around the world will camp together
at Hylands Park in Chelmsford. Other
Freemasons will be involved in the
Jamboree itself.
The KLA will hold two Masonic Festivals
in 2007. The first in West Lancashire on 14th
April. The second on Brownsea Island on
8th September. In addition, there will be
a special Jamboree Lodge meeting at
Chelmsford Masonic Hall on 4th August.
Many Lodges are holding special events
open to Scouts who are not Freemasons.
For example, at least two Lodges will host
a talk given by W.Bro. Michael Baden-Powell, grandson of B-P. Further details
of all of these meetings can be found on
the KLA website (details below).
Both Scouting and Freemasonry face the
challenge of promoting a consistent valuesbased
life-style in a fast changing, largely selfcentred
and materialistic world. Scouting and
Freemasonry have so much in common. Lets
talk to each other, locally as well as nationally,
and see if we can create benefits for both
Movements and their respective causes.
References
Harvey, T. (2006), “Scouting and Freemasonry: two parallel Movements?”
Acknowledgements
Derek Twine, Chief Executive of The Scout Association
Steve Gough, Chairman of the Kindred Lodges Association
Further information
www.scouts.org.uk
www.scouts.org.uk/2007/
www.KindredLodges.org.uk
About the author
Tony Harvey has been a Scout since the age of eight.
He is actively involved locally and nationally and
acts as the liaison between the Kindred Lodges
Association and The Scout Association. He has been
a Freemason for fifteen years, is a Past Master of one
Scout Lodge and the current Master of another. He
can be contacted on liaison@KindredLodges.org.uk.
Adventure is a major
attraction of Scouting
|
Copyright 2002-2007
MQ Magazine
Web site created by Mark Griffin
|
|
Next Page
