Keynote speech, Aksel V. Johannesen, Prime Minister of the Faroe Islands

[This speech was delivered in Nordic but has passed through an AI translator and subsequently edited by humans. The original AI translation had mostly translated the Nordic word for “scout”, which is “spejder”, as “spy”. The original speech in nordic is below.]

Kaere Nordic scouts,

It is an honour to stand before you today at this great Nordic Scout conference. From every corner of the Nordic region, we are gathered on the Faroe Islands – the heart of the North Atlantic.

Welcome everybody!

On 1 August 1907, 22 enthusiastic young boys gathered on a small island outside of southern England. They were supposed to be together on the island for a week. Although they did not know exactly what awaited them, it was exciting and challenging to be part of something entirely new. Their task was clear: they had to compete in groups and cooperate to win. Through different classes and backgrounds, they had to stand together as one to exploit all their abilities. This was the first scout camp in history, and the leader was Robert Baden-Powell.

You have undoubtedly heard the story of Robert Baden-Powell often and often throughout your scout life. But the story is just as strong every time it is told.
Because – it became the beginning of some important core values: cooperation, respect for nature and a commitment to helping others. These values are in the DNA of any scout. And I have great respect for that.

My own scout history is neither long nor exciting, as I have only been a scout for a short period as a child. But my father was a scout for many years.
He taught me that the scout movement is about more than just lighting campfires and tying knots.
It is about equipping young people, like you, with the necessary skills not only to survive, but also to shape a better world.
Robert Baden-Powell wanted the scout movement to raise good citizens.

Every time you as scouts take responsibility for directing and guiding the younger scouts, you advance your leadership and responsibility; and every time you strengthen your ability to handle responsibility, to show care, and to lead. These are irreplaceable qualities that you acquire and pass on to the next generation of scouts.

And you will need these qualities in many aspects of life.

We live in a time of rapid change and new realities. Environmental challenges, conflicts between countries and technological progress.

One of the new realities is artificial intelligence. It’s impressive and scary at the same time. Technology surprises us almost every day and in some areas it has surpassed us before we fully understood it.
Yes, artificial intelligence can replace many skills and streamline many tasks. But it is important to remember that it cannot replace human values.

The qualities that characterize the scout spirit are deeply human qualities. They cannot be digitized, encoded or incorporated into systems or algorithms.
Creativity, courage, motivation, self-awareness, curiosity, empathy – all of this is at the heart of what it means to be a scout. And these qualities will be strengthened and passed on in your scout work.

Of course, we must constantly develop new skills and adapt to change. Times of change naturally require transformation, innovation and the courage to take new paths.
But above all, it is precisely in these times that the skills that the scout movement gives you are becoming even more valuable.
The important task will therefore be to remember the balance between basic values and new realities.

“Make the world a little better when you leave it than when you entered it.”
This is one of the most famous quotes by Robert Baden-Powell. This is a good measure, and an inner compass for every scout – and all of us.
Although my scout career was short and I did not learn how to tie knots or light campfires, I have taken Robert Baden-Powell’s quotation with me throughout my political life.
We all have a collective responsibility to leave the world in a better condition than the one we inherited.
This responsibility extends beyond our local communities and extends into the Nordic and global landscape.

This scout conference reflects this spirit. It reminds us that in a constantly changing world, it is our community and the core values of the scout movement that make up our greatest strength: cooperation, respect for nature and a commitment to helping others.

I urge you to stick to these values, because they are at the heart of your strength as scouts and as humans. They are valuable tools to navigate in an uncertain future. And they are valuable tools for creating a better future.

I wish you all inspiring and rewarding days together here in the Faroe Islands.

Thank you for your commitment and for your efforts!

 

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Røða løgmans til Norðurlendsku Skótaráðstevnuna 9. mai 2024 

Kære nordiske spejdere,

 

Det er en ære at stå foran jer i dag til denne store nordiske spejderkonference. Fra alle hjørner af Norden er vi samlet på Færøerne – hjertet af Nordatlanten.

 

Velkommen alle sammen!

 

Den 1. august 1907 samledes 22 spændte, unge drenge på en lille ø uden for det sydlige England. I en uge skulle de være sammen på øen. Selvom de ikke præcist vidste, hvad der ventede dem, var det spændende og udfordrende at være med til noget helt nyt. Deres opgave var klar: De skulle konkurrere i grupper og samarbejde for at vinde. På tværs af forskellige klasser og baggrunde måtte de stå sammen som én for at udnytte alle deres evner. Dette var den første spejderlejr i historien, og lederen var Robert Baden-Powell.

 

I har uden tvivl hørt fortællingen om Robert Baden-Powell tit og ofte igennem jeres spejderliv. Men fortællingen står lige så stærk hver gang, den bliver fortalt.

Fordi – den blev begyndelsen på nogle vigtige grundværdier: samarbejde, respekt for naturen og en forpligtelse til at hjælpe andre. Disse værdier ligger i DNA’et hos enhver spejder. Og det har jeg stor respekt for.

 

Min egen spejderhistorie er hverken lang eller spændende, da jeg kun har været spejder en kort periode som barn. Men min far var spejderleder i mange år.

Han lærte mig, at spejderbevægelsen handler om mere end at tænde bål og binde knob.

Den handler om at udstyre unge, som jer, med de nødvendige færdigheder til ikke kun at overleve, men også at forme en bedre verden.

Robert Baden-Powell ønskede, at spejderbevægelsen skulle opfostre gode samfundsborgere.

 

Hver gang I som spejdere tager ansvar for at lede og vejlede de yngre spejdere, træner I jeres lederskab og ansvarlighed. Og hver gang styrker I jeres evne til at håndtere ansvar, udvise omsorg og at føre an. Disse er uerstattelige egenskaber, som I tilegner jer og giver videre til næste generation af spejdere.

Og I får brug for disse egenskaber i mange aspekter af livet.

 

Vi lever i en tid præget af hastige forandringer og nye virkeligheder. Miljømæssige udfordringer, konflikter mellem lande og teknologiske fremskridt.

 

En af de nye virkeligheder er kunstig intelligens. Det er imponerende og skræmmende samtidigt. Teknologien overrasker os nærmest hver dag og på nogle områder har den overhalet os, inden vi helt nåede at forstå den.

Jo, kunstig intelligens kan erstatte mange færdigheder og effektivisere mange arbejdsopgaver. Men det er vigtigt at huske på, at den ikke kan erstatte menneskelige værdier.

 

De egenskaber, som kendetegner spejderånden, er dybt menneskelige egenskaber. De kan ikke digitaliseres, kodes eller indarbejdes i systemer eller algoritmer.

Kreativitet, mod, motivation, selvindsigt, nysgerrighed, empati– alt dette er kernen i hvad det vil sige at være spejder. Og disse egenskaber får I styrket og givet videre i jeres spejderarbejde.

 

Selvfølgelig skal vi hele tiden udvikle nye færdigheder og tilpasse os ændringer. Forandringstider sætter af natur krav til omstilling, innovation og at turde gå nye veje.

Men fremfor alt, er det netop i disse tider, at de færdigheder, som spejderbevægelsen giver jer, bliver endnu mere værdifulde.

Den vigtige opgave bliver derfor at huske på balancen mellem grundværdier og nye virkeligheder.

 

“Sørg for, at verden bliver en smule bedre, når du forlader den, end da du trådte ind i den”.

Det er et af de mest kendte citater fra Robert Baden-Powell. Dette er et godt mål, og et indre kompas for hver spejder – og alle os andre.

Selv om min spejderkarriere var kort, og jeg ikke lærte at binde knob eller tænde bål, har jeg igennem mit politiske liv taget Robert Baden-Powells citat med mig.

Vi bærer alle et kollektivt ansvar for at efterlade en verden i bedre stand end den, vi arvede.

Dette ansvar rækker ud over vores lokale fællesskaber og strækker sig ind i det nordiske og globale landskab.

 

Denne spejderkonference afspejler denne ånd. Den minder os om, at i en verden i konstant forandring, er det vores fællesskab og grundværdierne i spejderbevægelsen, der udgør vores største styrke: Samarbejde, respekt for naturen og en forpligtelse til at hjælpe andre.

 

Jeg opfordrer jer til at holde fast i disse værdier, for de udgør kernen i jeres styrke som spejdere og som mennesker. De er værdifulde redskaber til at navigere i en usikker fremtid. Og de er værdifulde redskaber til at skabe en bedre fremtid.

 

Jeg ønsker jer alle nogle inspirerende og givende dage sammen her på Færøerne.

 

Tak for jeres engagement og for jeres indsats!