15 World Scout Moot

15th World Scout Moot was held in Iceland from 25 July to 2 August 2017. It was an official event of the World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM), hosted and organized by the Icelandic Boy and Girl Scout Association, designed for young people aged between 18 and 25. This year, there were a total of 66 Scout members representing Hong Kong to participate in this event, including 47 participants, 16 International Service Team members and 3 Contingent Management Team members.

The theme of the 15th World Scout Moot was “Change”. This theme signified the effect that participation in a large international Scouting event had on the participants’ views and beliefs. It also signified the impact that each individual could have on society and World Scouting.

In fact, how did the World Scout Moot operate?

The moot was separated into two sessions. At the first session, all of us were grouped into different teams to visit 11 expedition centres. At each centre, people were assigned to a patrol so they could enjoy the activities with people from other contingents. At the second session, we gathered at Úlfljótsvatn Scout Centre for Alpingi (an Icelandic word that means a general assembly). During the daytime, participants visited 5 villages there. Activities at each village carried their own themes so we could learn, and at the same time reflect on how we could change the world into a better place.

International Day

Another highlight at Úlfljótsvatn was the International Day. International Day was a platform to explore and demonstrate the national traditions. The performance team prepared a series of programmes for participants to experience Hong Kong culture, including using chopsticks to pick up marbles, writing Chinese calligraphy, making goldfish decorations with red packets, and other Hong Kong style childhood tricks. In the evening, we gathered at the arena to watch performances prepared by different contingents. We performed a dance which merged traditional Chinese fan dance and Western jazz. It was a great success as everyone was cheering and clapping for us.

We had a team who prepared a set of souvenirs for us to exchange with other contingents. The souvenir set included hooded sweatshirts, towels, luggage tags, watermark tattoos, souvenir scarfs and badges. The designs of souvenirs were highly welcomed and appreciated by the host organization and other contingents. 

One thing we could not forget was that there were numbers of dedicated International Service Teams (ISTs) who undertook all the preparation work and supporting tasks all day long. Their efforts ensured the moot going smoothly, and we would like to take this chance to express our gratitude to the ISTs. Also, special thanks should be given to the performance team, souvenir team and the 3 CMTs for their effort and time to make this Hong Kong Contingent special.