Marco Carvalho
The Lusophone Scouts Group of Macau (GELMac) launched a recruitment campaign earlier this week and witnessed a record response of two dozen candidates in barely two days. The restrictions, adopted to prevent COVID-19 from spreading, made outdoor activities more desirable than ever, and this trend explains the widespread positive response to the recruitment campaign.
In just two days, GELMac’s leadership received two dozen applications from families willing to enroll their children in the Catholic Scouts movement. The number, Lusophone Scouts Group Chief Scout Nélson António maintains, is good evidence that the project has managed to gain the trust of local families. It also means that the group will have to make tough choices. “By the end of the second day of registration, we already had over two dozen candidates for the Cubs alone. On the one hand, this is something good because it allows us to reach the conclusion that local families believe in our project. There are many people who think scouting is a good alternative to the integral education of children and youth. They are convinced that there’s value in what we have to offer,” António told O Clarim.
He admits, however, “The downside is that we will most certainly have to reject more than a dozen applicants again. We have to do the math for those who will stay in the Cubs, and then the remaining vacancies will be taken over by the new candidates.”
Registration will remain open until next Friday. The selection process of the new members will have to be completed before October 1st, the day on which the Lusophone Scouts Group of Macau will officially resume its activities.
“We will hold an event to meet our new recruits. The members of the group will all be together. We will sing and we will play. It will be an activity with a more playful nature, whose aim is to welcome our new members. Then, the different sections will organize different activities. Our recruits will be invited to form packs, patrols and troops,” António explains.
The October 1st activity will see the Catholic Scouts Group resume its activities after the summer break and kick-start a new year in which GELMac will seek to innovate while strengthening its connection to the community. The group is setting its sights on taking part in the Lusofonia Festival.
“In early November, we will gather the whole group once again and we will organize a mega-camp, our ACAGRU. However, we reached the conclusion that we should make an effort to reinforce our presence in the community, to participate in the activities promoted by the community and, therefore, we are trying to guarantee our participation in the Lusofonia Festival,” António told O Clarim.
“We are also collaborating with Caritas and, if there is such a possibility, we will try to give a helping hand in the Caritas Bazaar. As usual, we will once again organize our traditional food drive, which should take place at the end of November or early December,” the chief scout added.
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