[Euroscoutinfo-en] Euro.Scout.Info - Issue 75 - November 2009
Cara Shields
Euro.Scout.Info - Issue 75 - November 2009
Sent by:
World Scout Bureau
European Regional Office
Rue Henri-Christiné 5, P.O. Box 327, 1211 Geneva - 04 Switzerland
Tel: +41 22 705 11 00 / Fax: +41 22 705 11 09
Email: cshields @scout.org
Website: http://www.scout.org/europe
Areas of Work
Successful Scout Academy ’09 held in Prague
>From 27 October – 1 November, 131 students and professors met at the ‘Sports College’ in Kralupy, just outside Prague, Czech Republic, to take part in The Scout Academy ‘09.
The symbolic framework was ‘American College’ and groups were split into fraternities. Individuals had the opportunity to choose from a large variety of workshops. The topics of the workshops were based on the strategic priority areas and also included sessions on the World Scout Environment Programme. This meant there was a wide range of topics to choose from, ensuring every participant could take part in sessions that interested them and their NSA.
Apart from the working sessions, Junak, the Czech hosts, offered ‘extra curricular’ activities, including trips to Prague and hiking tours in the nearby area. A Halloween/International Night proved to be lots of fun for everyone and the Prom on the final evening was a highlight for many. A Prom Queen from Croatia and a Prom King from Finland were even elected!
More information can be found on www.academy.scouthub.org. If you did not take part in The Scout Academy ’09, make sure you don’t miss next year’s event: Academy 2010!
Educational Methods
Empowering Young People - A Tool-Kit for NSOs
For youth empowerment to become a stronger force within our National Scout Organisations, we need to focus on two different priorities. These are: helping young people to become empowered and helping adults to understand the importance of, and the process for, achieving this. For this reason, the Youth Programme Core Group are currently working on producing a National Agora Tool-Kit.
Running a National Agora in your NSO may be a way of empowering Rovers to be more active in your association and their society. It can be training in active citizenship, a way of adding quality to your national Rover programme or simply a way to 'kick start' a Rover programme.
It should be an event run by Rovers, for Rovers, that actively uses all elements of the Scout Method throughout the event. This should include a strong symbolic framework, allowing creativity and fun within the sessions.
The tool-kit is just one of the tools that this year’s Wild Working Weekend, in Antwerp in early December, will focus on. We look forward to its publication in the early part of 2010.
Development and Support
Growth Network meeting goes deeper into topics
The fifth Growth Network Meeting was held in Florence from 6-8 November. Over 30 people, who are concerned with different aspects of membership growth, attended the meeting. The network gained some new members, who will benefit from the experience of the other members.
Based on feedback from previous meetings, in depth sessions were held on topics such as corporate social responsibility, adult resources, geographical information systems and growth factor registration, evaluation and analysis.
One session that participants particularly enjoyed was on creative thinking skills. In the following session, membership benefits, it helped them to be aware of typical patterns of thought and use creative thinking techniques. These gave the participants lots of fresh ideas and a tool to bring back to their associations.
You can have a look at the material used in the Growth Network, as well as best practices presented by the participants, on the website http://growth.europak-online.net/ . If you would like to have further information on the network, contact Katrin Kelly at kke...@scout.org .
Life of the Movement
FOSE gathering at Asia Pacific Regional Conference
During the Asia Pacific Regional Conference in Kuala Lumpur last month, over 30 Friends of Scouting in Europe met to welcome new Friends to the group. At the meeting, they learned about the different activities undertaken by the European Scout Foundation and promotion was done for next years main FOSE gathering in Skopje from 14-17 October.
In 2010 there will be many other FOSE national gatherings. Details of these events will be published as soon as they are announced.
JOTA/JOTI Station in L’Aquila earthquake site
After the devastating affects of the earthquake in L’Aquila, Italy, last spring, many residents are still living in tents in the area. Among these residents are Scouts and Guides that also helped with relief work after the earthquake. Last month, a special JOTA/JOTI station was set up in the tent city of San Vittorino for these Scouts.
Groups from L’Aquila, from both AGESCI (Associazione Guide e Scouts Cattolici Italiani - Italian Catholic Scouts and Guides Association) and CNGEI (Corpo Nazionale Giovani Esploratori ed Esploratrici Italiani – National Boy and Girl Scouts Corps) participated in the event. Although not many contacts were made, it provided another Scout activity for those who were affected by the earthquake.
It was the first time a JOTA-JOTI station was in L'Aquila and it was very special for all those involved. More information and photos can be found here: http://www.jotajoti.org/weblog/view.php?group=436
Reminders and Deadlines
World Scout Winter Games 2010
3-8 March 2010 – Kandersteg, Switzerland
Deadline: 30 November 2009
The European Scout Symposium 2010
4-7 March 2010 – Budapest, Hungary
Deadline: 15 January 2010
Useful Information
Web: www.scout.org/europe
Europak: www.europak-online.net
Stay in contact
World Scout Bureau
European Regional Office
Switzerland
P.O. Box 327
Rue Henri Christiné 5
CH-1211 Geneva 4
Tel: (+41 22) 705 11 00
Fax: (+41 22) 705 11 09
Belgium
Avenue de la Porte de Hal 38
BE-1060 Brussels
Tel: (+32 2) 534 33 15
Fax: (+32 2) 534 16 54
Email: eur...@scout.org