BY: RODNEY CLOETE, 19 September 2024 | The Bronze Wolf Award, World Scouting’s highest honour, was bestowed on Tsumeb Scout leader James “Jim” Kastelic during the recently held 43rd World Scout Conference in Cairo, Egypt.The Bronze Wolf Award, World Scouting’s highest honour, was bestowed on Tsumeb Scout leader James “Jim” Kastelic during the recently held 43rd World Scout Conference in Cairo, Egypt.
The prestigious award recognises the outstanding service, commitment and contributions of volunteers to the worldwide Scout Movement. It is the only award presented by the World Scout Committee. Since its establishment in 1935, fewer than 400 people have received the Bronze Wolf Award (eight awards were conferred at the conference).
Kastelic, who joined Scouting in 1961 as a Cub Scout in the USA, was cited for his Scouting work at the national level, Africa regional and zonal levels, and the global level since becoming an adult volunteer in Namibia in 1989.
Among other roles, Kastelic been the Chief Scout and Deputy Chief Scout of Scouts of Namibia, and from 2008-2010 served as the Youth Programme Director for the World Scout Bureau’s Africa Region Office located in Nairobi, Kenya. He currently holds the position of National Commissioner: Youth Programme for Scouts of Namibia. In addition, Kastelic serves as a board member for the continental Africa Scout Foundation and is also a volunteer consultant for the World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM) in the areas of communications and partnerships. He remains active in Scouting at in Tsumeb as well.
Kastelic has been honoured previously with the Africa Elephant Award, the premier Scouting honour in sub-Saharan Africa, and Scouts of Namibia’s highest award, the Order of the Silver Oryx.
Scouting is a global youth Movement that builds friendships, experiences, and skills for life, shaping young people's futures as active citizens. The World Scout Conference is the governing body or general assembly of WOSM. It takes place every three years and provides an opportunity for Member Organizations to play an active role in shaping the standards, policies and shared goals of the Scout Movement worldwide. The 43rd World Conference took place in Cairo from Aug. 17-23. It featured more than 1,600 delegates and guests, with an additional 400 participants joining online.
*Rodney Cloete (scoutnam@mweb.com.na) is the National Executive Officer of the Scouts of Namibia. This article was submitted for the CIVIC BEAT Newsletter (September Edition) call for submissions.