In every battle or competition, fundamental knowledge is a must to win or survive. Imagine being attacked by a group of zombies—I mean parliamentarians—without any basic knowledge of parliamentary procedures; that would surely be a big problem.
Let that instance guide your perspective towards the present talk of the town in Scouting, the Scout Youth Forums (SYF). In every SYF, parliamentarians or the Forum Officials are like zombies who can devour or quash your resolutions, anytime. They are there to criticize your SPEARs, and just like any apocalyptic episode, you might find yourself confused. There are lots of motions being raised here, back-to-back questions over there, and of course debates are EVERYWHERE! Consider yourself lucky if you manage to pass a session without a single bite or wound from all of those deliberations. Seems creepy right? But worry not, because here is your guide to surviving a parliamentarian attack during SYFs.
As a forumer, the first thing you need to do is to identify and assess the situation—the main point springs from the SYF itself. An SYF or a Scout Youth Forum is organized to fill the need and clamor for youth participation in the decision-making processes in the Scouting Movement, especially in matters and issues directly affecting Scouts. Also, it is to provide a laboratory for the development of leadership in young Scouts. By knowing these facts, you already equipped yourself with a level one weapon upon entering the youth forum.
Just like how useless it is to stack garlic and salt if you’re not facing an “Aswang”, or even a Bible book that will not come in handy when you’re facing a zombie (from one of the episodes of one of the famous Netflix series, “All of Us Are Dead”, where the father tried to beat his infected son with a Bible book). In other words, you need to identify the situation first, so that you will know the appropriate actions or approaches.
The second thing to know is your companions and the roles you will play. Surely, anyone will be glad to have a survivalist and tactician as your leader in a zombie apocalypse, and it is logical to join a group, rather than be alone. A group with organized members and equal distribution of labor is much better than a group who only knew to run and to hide—run away and hide from tasks, then let every opportunity slip past their hands. The same goes with Youth Forums, as the saying says, “No Man is an Island,” which signifies that this is not an individual activity. To implement order and peace, a group must have a committee or set of officials. In SYFs we have the Organizing Committee which has the role to assist the forum officials (Steering Committee), particularly in the administrative and physical requirements of the Forum. We also have the Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson, Secretary, and the members of the Board. The main goal of the committee is to maintain the forum clean and to ensure that the body will formulate good resolutions.
The third important thing as a forumer is to identify the tools and weapons to be used (I strongly recommend a box of tissues and a bag of blood, because this is going to be a “bloody session”). During plenary sessions, there are parliamentary procedures that you must strictly follow. According to Robert’s Rule of Order, the parliamentary procedure provides the process for proposing, amending, approving, and defeating legislative motions. So, equip yourself with the necessary tools like confidence, and conviction in speaking the right words to say and knowing when to say them—since SYFs are full of motions and resolutions. Most of the time, forumers need to speak in English or are sometimes asked to speak in vernacular, to better express or supplement their stand. Here, you need to familiarise yourself with the common terms used in parliamentary procedures like asking the Chairperson for permission to talk, by saying “Mr./Ms. Chair may I be recognized?,” or if you want to adopt a resolution just say “I move a motion to adopt the resolution.”
The fourth and final tip that you need to survive a parliamentarian attack, is to create a strong resolution and manage to defend it. Consider your resolution as the potential cure for the disease—a zombie antidote. In SYFs, having a good and sound resolution that will surely benefit the majority in your school, community, or council, is surely the key to ending the surge.
For you to create a strong resolution, you need to ask yourself the following questions. Does my resolution solve any problem? Is it really necessary? Or are there any other problems that require more attention or should be addressed first?
It is also important to note that mastering these four tips is only on the fundamental level of SYFs. And unlike an actual zombie apocalypse, you will always have the chance to become better and improve for the next few years. Always remember that the true essence of an SYF is not all about the election—or who will be elected as the representatives. Perhaps, what is the point of surviving when you failed to protect or even create a cure—when a resolution is only for personal or selected gain, and not for the community? The problem will never stop if you focus on who needs to survive, rather than providing a solution itself. Scout Youth Forums are made to formulate resolutions to the problems present in your community. It serves as an avenue that enables the youth to effectively communicate their needs and stand on present issues; Then initiate ways to get involved in community service and nation-building.
So, what are you waiting for? Join and prepare for your council Scout Youth Forums now! Be part of the fun and solution for a #SustainableWorld. Perhaps, who knows when this zombie apocalypse occurs? And if that happens, hmm… I will just write another guide for you.
