SPEECH BY MR PETER CHEN, SENIOR MINISTER OF STATE FOR EDUCATION ON THE OCCASION OF THE OPENING CEREMONY OF THE INTERNATIONAL CAMP TO CELEBRATE THE 8OTH ANNIVERSARY OF GIRL GUIDING IN SINGAPORE ON FRIDAY, 6TH JUNE 1997, 9.30 AM AT CAMP CHRISTINE

Mrs Ruth Wong Kan Seng

President, Singapore Girl Guides Association

Mrs Ngiam Geak Kim

Chief Commissioner

Miss Tan Ngee Tiang

Camp Commandant

Miss Lim Hsiu Mei

Chairman, 80th Anniversary Organising Committee

Guiders, Brownies, Guides

Ladies and Gentlemen

Good morning.

I am very pleased to be here with you this morning to celebrate the 80th anniversary of Girl Guiding in Singapore. I wish to extend a special welcome to the Brownies and Guides form Australia, Brunei, Canada, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Thailand, United Kingdom and the United States of America. This international camp brings together more than 500 girls and leaders, both local and overseas. I am happy to see that a group of "Golden Girls" are also participating in this camp. These "Golden Girls" have remained young and fit and are an inspiration to the younger members. (I think that the secret of staying young is to be an active member of the Guide Movement).

I have something in common with your "Golden Girls". No, I wasn't a girl guide, but I was a Boy Scout throughout my school days finishing as a Troop Leader. I attended my first camp when I was 11.

The principles of Girl Guiding in Singapore, as in Scouting, hold true today as it did 80 years ago. You have kept to the basic fundamentals of your movement, that is , you still have the Guide Laws, the Patrol System and the "Good Turn". The ten Guide Laws inculcate in the girls desirable values as a person, a member of the family and a contributing citizen. The Patrol System nurtures the girls and prepares them to be leaders. The "Good Turn" develops the girls to be spontaneous in performing acts of kindness, very much like the direction taken by the Singapore Kindness Movement, which was launched early this year.

I am pleased to note that the Guide Movement is very supportive of the various national programmes and projects and have introduced Interest and Proficiency Badges for their members. Just to name a few, I know that you have the Drug Abuse Badge, Crime Prevention Badge, Energy Conservation Badge, Total Defence Badge and the Singapore Kindness Movement Badge. The knowledge and experiences gained by the girls in preparing for these badges are very much in line with National Education.

Over the years, the leaders in the Guide Movement have made many changes to your Policy, Organisation, Rules and Training Programmes to make the Movement more relevant to the changing needs of its members, more relevant to national policies and in turn contribute to the growth of Singapore.

The theme of this international camp is "Foundation For Life". This is very significant because camping is a challenging and meaningful activity which can become a life-long pursuit. Camping and other outdoor activities which you have in the Brownies' and Guides' training programmes play a great part in leadership and character building and will develop in you the qualities of perseverance, resilience, self-confidence and courage. Working and camping together means you have to be a part of a team and learn to be understanding, patient and tolerant. Learning to survive out in the open, in many of your adventure-type activities, means that you have to learn survival skills. These qualities are necessary for you in life, to be able to survive, do well and contribute as useful citizens.

This five-day camp will provide you with many challenging and meaningful activities. As Brownies and Guides, you must have camped under tents many times. After every camp, I am sure you appreciate more, the comforts of home and the modern amenities that many of us take for granted. Treat this camp and other camps as new learning experiences. Your experiential learning in camp complements what you learn in the classroom and will provide you with a more balance and rounded education.

Make the most of your five-day stay together. Take this opportunity to get to know as many campers as you can from the different countries. Be sensitive and appreciate the racial, cultural and religious differences of fellow-campers. I am confident that you will make many new friends, form long-lasting friendships and make links to contribute towards world understanding and peace.

For the past 80 years, the Singapore Guide Movement has played a key role in nurturing the girls and imbuing them with good values and attitudes. We should pay tribute to the countless volunteers who have stayed on in Guiding, sacrificing so much of their time for a very worthwhile cause of nurturing the young girls. I am sure that all of you who have been so much a part of the Guide Movement will continue to help provide challenging and purposeful activities as a foundation to prepare the girls for life. Your very own example will be an inspiration to the young Guides to want to continue serving in the Guide Movement long after they have left school.

I congratulate the Singapore Girl Guides Association for the hard work they have put in to organise this camp and I wish all campers a very enjoyable and enriching experience.

It gives me great pleasure now to declare open the SGGA International Camp 1997.

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