JEDDAH, 16 February 2007 — More than 40 boy scouts from around the Kingdom concluded yesterday in Jeddah a weeklong pre-operational course to become scout leaders.

Abdullah Al-Dabbasi, head of youth activities at the Presidency of Youth Welfare, said that the course was formulated as part of a plan to further activate and develop the role of boy scouts across the Kingdom.

The course was carried out under the supervision of 17 instructors and lecturers who talked about various scouting skills and ethics including management, planning, leadership and development skills, said Al-Dabbasi.

Adnan Hamzah, an official at the Saudi Arabian Boy Scouts Association (SABSA), said the scouts learned ways of formulating scouting units, drawing maps, scout culture, meeting management and learning about the roles of a scout leader. He added that the course also highlighted how boy scouts are organized and taught participants about sea and land navigation methods and ropes.

Hamzah added that such courses are essential for the development of teamwork between boy scouts and are also important for building members’ personalities to enable them to deliver the highest quality of public services for the whole nation.

SABSA officials spoke during the course about new ideas and plans to develop the scouts movement in the Kingdom.

The boy scouts in the Kingdom play an essential role especially during the Haj season, when thousands of units are deployed in Makkah and the holy sites to serve pilgrims. There are more than 50,000 active young Saudi members of SABSA, according to SABSA’s website www.scoutt.org.

In the early 1950s, a few groups of scouts were loosely organized through some local schools under the direction of adult volunteers. With the establishment of the Education Ministry under the direction of the then Prince Fahd in 1954, the educational system in the Kingdom grew rapidly, and participation in scouts increased as more schools were created. Over the next few years, the number of boys involved with the grassroots organization steadily grew and in 1961 a royal decree was issued formally establishing the Saudi Arabian Scouts Association.