- What's the Purpose of being a Scout? Scouting or the Scout Movement is a movement that aims to support young people in their physical, mental and spiritual development, that they may play constructive roles in society, with a strong focus on the outdoors and survival skills. - Why do you all feel it’s important to be a scout ? The mission of the Scouts of Azerbaijan is to prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetimes by instilling in them the values of the Scout Oath and Law. If the organization hopes to teach its young people this, it needs to live by those values as well. In Scouts, we talk a lot about helping other people and being “a friend to all.” It’s impossible to be a friend to all while simultaneously telling a family they aren’t good enough to be a part of Scouting. Furthermore, the ASA ( Association of Scouts of Azerbaijan ) prides itself on developing the youth of today into the leaders of tomorrow. It’s incredibly important for our society to have leaders who will be unbiased, unprejudiced, and unafraid of standing up for minorities. If we hope to achieve this, we need to instill those values at a young age. - What are things we can learn from youth in the present that might help the wider public be open to new ways going forward? People often make the mistake of assuming that a child’s or adolescent’s point of view is somehow less valuable than an adult’s. The truth is, many adults will spend their time telling you why something can’t be done, while a youth will spend their time dreaming up possibilities. The only obstacle to progress is our own reluctance to allow it to happen. In our scouting , we are confident that we learn just as much from our Scouts as they do from us. We have to keep our minds open and have the humility to be willing to learn...