Leader | Man attributes success to scouting

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By GLENNA HANLEY
For the Daily Gleaner

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Stephen Kent says he owes a lot of his success in life to his involvement with the Boy Scouts of Canada.

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Promoting program: Mayor Brad Woodside welcomed Stephen Kent, the chief commissioner of Scouts Canada, to the city recently. The national commissioner wants to double the size of the scouting movement in Canada.

Kent, 31, is the chief commissioner of Scouts Canada, and a member of the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly.

He was in Fredericton recently as part of a cross-country tour. He did a presentation for local Scouts, dignitaries and community leaders Friday.

On Saturday, he attended an awards ceremony for Scouts and Venturers.

"It was definitely scouting that introduced me to leadership, to team work, to community service, to volunteerism and it's very much a part of who I am. Scouting has impacted every aspect of my life," said Kent.

"Scouting is a strong organization with an amazing history, strong values and principles we'll never compromise," said the commissioner.

He was eight when he became a Scout. He moved up the ranks to Scout leader, assistant provincial commissioner, to youngest voting member of Scouts Canada's board of governors. Last November, at age 30, he became chief commissioner.

Kent has been involved in numerous volunteer organizations and businesses.

In 1999, Maclean's magazine named him one of the top 100 Canadians to watch in this century. In 2003, he became the youngest mayor of Mount Pearl, the city where he resides, and was elected to the legislature in 2007.

Scouts Canada is launching a strategy to make the century-old movement more relevant to today's youth, and to double the membership of 100,000.

"We are still a force to be reckoned with here in Canada," he said, adding one of the strongest provincial councils is in New Brunswick.

"I am really happy to be here to promote scouting in the community, to encourage our members to get excited for the possibilities for the future and to put a call out to people here to consider reconnecting with scouting."

He believes scouting can be one of the solutions to childhood obesity.

Scouting promotes healthy, active living, environmental stewardship, leadership development and community service, all things kids and their parents approve of, said the commissioner.

"There's no better place in Fredericton, in this province or this country than scouting and our doors are open."

Scouting was founded by Lord Baden-Powell in 1907. It has 28-million members, the largest youth movement in the world.