Press release

HELLENIC RESEARCH AND EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTE ‘PANOS MYLONAS’ FOR THE ROAD SAFETY AND THE PREVENTION/ REDUCTION OF TRAFFIC PRESS RELEASE

Major Road Safety Events during the 22nd World Scout Jamboree in
Sweden, with the support of the United Nations and the World
Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM)

40.000 young scouts from around the world attended the 22nd World Scout Jamboree
in Sweden’s Kristianstad from July 27th to August 7th. During the 10 days of the
Jamboree the Road Safety Workshop created by the Road Safety Institute “Panos
Mylonas” (RSI), the Scouts of Ireland, the Greek Scouts and the Road Safety
Authority of Ireland (RSA) welcomed more than 3.000 scouts to inform and educate
them on road safety issues. The number of scouts that attended the workshop made
it the most popular activity in the Jamboree’s Global Development Village.
Scouts from all over the world were educated in an active and interactive way about
road safety understanding in depth the need to be alert as road users. Young scouts
of 14 – 18 years of age learned why road fatalities is the number one cause of death
worldwide for the ages 15 – 29.
This initiative of the RSI “Panos Mylonas”, Scouts of Ireland and Greek Scouts (Soma
Hellinon Proskopon) has drawn the attention of the United Nations which has
decided to support the “Scouting and Road Safety” project making it a part of the UN
Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011 – 2020.
The Road Safety activities during the 22nd World Scout Jamboree came to an end
with the Joining Hands for Road Safety event attended by hundreds of scouts
from 160 countries, dressed with RSI “Panos Mylonas’s” reflective vests and hats, as
well as Fingal County Council (Dublin, Ireland) reflective vests. During this highly
prestigious event, children created a huge circle joining their hands, while some of
them were also holding letters to create the phrase: “Scouting for Global Road
Safety” both in English and French. Young scouts that attended the event sang a
new song “Together Make it Loud”, created by the RSI “Panos Mylonas” specifically
for the 22nd World Scout Jamboree. The Joining Hands Circle for Road Safety event
was complete when the Chief Scout of Scouting Ireland Mr. Michael John Shinnick
and the Chief Scout of Greek Scouts (Soma Hellinon Proskopon) Mr. Christos Lygeros
joined their hands. Between the two Chief Scouts was the Deputy Executive
Secretary of United Nations Economic Commission for Europe Mr. Andrey Vasilyef,
declaring the support of UN for the initiative of promoting Road Safety through
Scouting. In his speech, Mr. Vasilyef stated that “making roads safer is of vital
importance for the community and a high priority for the United Nations”. Mr.
Vasilyef asked the Scouts to spread the message of Road Safety and become role
models for the rest of the citizens in their countries so that traffic accidents no longer
occur. Repesentatives of the World Organisation of the Scout Movement, Therese
Birmingham and João Armando were also present as senior liaison to the Jamboree
Planning Team from the World Scout Committee making a clear statement about the
continuous support to this initiative. The event was also attended by the Irish
Ambassador in Sweden, Mr. Donal Hammil and the Chief of Transport Facilitation and
Economics Section of UNECE Mr. Michalis Adamantiadis.
The President of Board of the RSI “Panos Mylonas” Mrs. Vassiliki Danelli – Mylonas
stated during her speech that “Traffic accidents are a global problem and the 22nd
World Scouting Jamboree in Sweden is an excellent opportunity to launch this
promising programme for Scouting and Road Safety”
The Head of Irish Contingent Mr. John Lawlor said : “at a time when Ireland and
Greece are in the headlines for the wrong reasons, this initiative proves what can be
achieved through cooperation and good will”.
The World Scout Jamboree Road Safety project was coordinated by the Road Safety
Institute “Panos Mylonas”, with the support of Scouting Ireland, Scouts of Greece
(Soma Hellinon Proskopon), WOSM, UNECE and the National Bank of Greece.
PLACE: Kristianstad, Rinkaby region, South Sweden
TIME: Wednesday 27th of July 2011 – Sunday 7th of August 2011
About the Road Safety Institute “Panos Mylonas”
The «Hellenic Research and Educational Institute “Panos Mylonas” for the
Road Safety, Prevention and Reduction of Traffic Accidents» - (RSI Panos
Mylonas)was established on May 12, 2005.
The Institution is a non-profit Organization with the aim of preventing and reducing car accidents by undertaking, supporting and promoting activities on issues dealing with the study, research and dissemination, information and training related to road safety. The aim of the Greek Road Safety Institute Panos Mylonas is “not only to increase awareness and to raise the sensitivity of citizens, but also to mobilize all public and private bodies into action in order to alter the statistics which make Greece the leading country in Europe responsible for the highest number of car accidents resulting to the death of people from which most are victims of young age”. The catalyst for the establishment of the Road Safety Institute was the tragic death of Panos Mylonas in a car accident. Panos Mylonas, a 22-year-old University student in the Faculty of Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering and a journalist in car magazines at the same time, respected and appreciated the real values of life; he was a person of outstanding academic performance, with excellent moral values and very talented in car journalism and technology. For more informatio-8620150 Tel.: +30-210.86.20.150, Fax: +30-210.86.20.007 e-mail: [email protected], website: www.ioas.gr

Source: http://www.ioas.gr/uploads/docs/282.pdf