[Euroscoutinfo-en] Euro.Scout.Info - Issue 64 - December 2008
Joy Morton
Introduction
Season's Greetings
Let us celebrate the successes of 2008 and look forward to a growing
Movement in 2009.
With warm regards,
Craig Turpie, Marios Christou, João Armando Gonçalves, Paolo Fiora, Zorica
Skakun, Henrik Söderman, Jørgen G. Rasmussen and Claudio Burkhard
David McKee, Annemarie Khetib, Radu Stinghe, Milutin Mil_öevi_, Katrin
Tauscher, Alix Masson, NicolÚ Pranzini, Jordan Bajraktarov, Mihajlo
Atanackovi_, Anne-Christine Vogelsang and Joy Morton
Educational Methods
Working together
3-7 December near Riga, Latvia
Working together, the participants attending the Training for new members
of National Boards managed to solve the problems of ëAn Association in
Crisisî! This was a team project in which the three teams were able to use
their newly acquired knowledge and shared experiences whilst at the same
time exchanging information about their work in Scouting and Guiding and
making new friends.
The Training was a joint event, organised by the European Scout Region and
the Europe Region WAGGGS, with 17 participants from 8 National
Associations. The aim of the event was to provide training for new members
of national boards on how to develop an understanding of how a National
Scout Association/Member Organisation operates and to present fundamental
management concepts necessary to be an effective board member.
Social activities included an evening walking tour of Riga and a closing
party at the bowling alley, where Portugal and Poland proved to be
enthusiastic players!
A clip with some photos from the Training is on YouTube web link:
[ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4Be0s3tTs0
]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4Be0s3tTs0
6th Forum on Youth Programme & Adult Resources
18-22 March 2009 in Portugal
Concentrating on the powerful effect Scouting can have in communities all
across Europe, the theme for the 6th Forum on Youth Programme and Adult
Resources is 'Impact'. This event is for National Commissioners and
members of their Teams, who together will share their experiences and seek
to improve their strategies and so increase the impact of their work in
supporting the actions and delivery of Scouting at local level. There
will be many interesting and innovative practices used to explore ways of
maximising the impact of NSOs through quality educational methods,
involving the participants and their NSOs. The venue will be Campo
Aventura, Olho Marinho in Portugal. All NSOs are invited to attend. More
information will be available in Europak.
Development and Support
3rd Growth Network Meeting tackled the challenges of growth
5-7 December in Helsinki, Finland
In the darkest time of the year, circa 40 people challenged themselves in
looking at three of the growth factors identified in the Action for Growth
resource. The topics were Adult Resources, External Factors and Research,
Evaluation & Analysis. Each of these themes was handled in three parallel
sessions. External speakers or guests were present in the Adult Resources
group and the Research group, giving input and a presentation to stimulate
the discussion. Best practices on different growth related topics were
also shared in a plenary session. Two short open space sessions gave the
participants the opportunity to identify topics they found interesting and
a chance to move freely between the ad-hoc discussion groups.
Besides the work done on growth, the participants had a chance to get to
know some Finnish customs. On Saturday evening there was a city tour where
the group walked around Helsinki. As a speciality, they could test Nordic
walking with walking sticks. After sightseeing, the group was welcomed at
a meeting place of a local Guide group, situated in the basement of a
chapel in the centre of Helsinki. Finns have little Christmas parties
before Christmas so we also had glögi (like mulled wine) with cookies and
little gifts.
It is good for the network to have new people with fresh new ideas as well
as those who have been around for longer. During this meeting
approximately half of the participants were newcomers. To effectively
bring back new ideas and best practices from the network meeting, it is
good to attend the network meeting with a friend from one's own
association. This allows the participants to be present in parallel
sessions.
For a network to stay alive it is crucial that the participants don't
forget the topics when returning back home. We already heard good news
about co-operation and networking of people from different countries that
had taken place between network meetings. The meetings offer a space to
share good practices and to discuss about future actions. What happens
after the meetings in each participant's own association is the most
important thing.
Are you working with growth? Would you like to join the Growth network?
The next meeting is from 8-10 May 2009 in Denmark. Mark this date already
now in your calendar! The main topics will be Communication, Recruitment
and Youth Programme.
Tailored Support Unit Meeting
14-16 November 2008 in Milano, Italy
The Tailored Support Unit (TSU) held its most recent meeting in Milan. The
main discussion topics were:
Follow-up (status, feedbacks and planning of the next steps) on all
Tailored Support projects;
Monitoring of implementation of Tailored Support;
Further promotion of Tailored Support.
Further steps for implementation of Tailored Support in Norway, Albania,
FYRO Macedonia, Montenegro, Croatia and Luxembourg were agreed. Members of
the TSU, supported by Regional European Staff, will implement these
projects throughout 2009.
More information on the process of Tailored Support as well as
possibilities for applying can be found at this link,
[ http://www.scout.org/en/spotlight/europe/tailored_support
]http://www.scout.org/en/spotlight/europe/tailored_support or by
contacting Jordan Bajraktarov [ mailto:jbajra...@scout.org
]jbajra...@scout.org or Katrin Tauscher
[ mailto:ktau...@scout.org ]ktau...@scout.org).
Relationships and Funding
Scouting continues its commitment towards children's Rights
Following its commitment on children rights demomstrated by the memorandum
with the ILO on Child labour and with UNICEF, WOSM is committed to
advocate for Children's rights in the European Union. WOSM has been
selected as a Permanent NGO Member of the EU Forum on Children's Rights.
This is a permanent group for the promotion of children's rights, both
within and outside the EU and
WOSM has been selected as being representative of child and youth-led
organisations. Its main task within the Forum will be to promote and
ensure child participation as well as to promote more generally the
empowerment of children and young people. The main challenge is to ensure
that the right to participate is actually taken seriously and fully
implemented. The definition used for children in the context of the Forum
is the one established in the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child, up
to 18 years old. It is therefore essential to show what a movement like
Scouting has managed to achieve to empower children and adolescents.
In order to enhance the work of the Forum and help the volunteers to
better represent our Movement, any practice or example of working on
children's rights, the UN convention of the Rights of the Child or child
participation will be extremely welcomed. Don't hesitate to share with us:
[ mailto:eur...@scout.org ]eur...@scout.org or contact directly [
mailto:ama...@scout.org ]ama...@scout.org.
The Forum was launched following the adoption by the European Commission
on 4 July 2006 of the Communication entitled "Towards an EU strategy on
the Rights of the Child [
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=CELEX:52006DC0367:EN:NOT
]http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=CELEX:52006DC0367:EN:NOT".
The role of the Forum is to advise and assist the Commission and other
European Institutions, in particular regarding the mainstreaming of
children's rights, and exchanging information and good practice. The Forum
aims to be a place for children's opinions to be heard and taken into
account.
Members of the Forum are Member States representatives, Ombudspersons for
children, representatives of the European Parliament, the European
Economic and Social Committee, the Council of Europe, UNICEF and NGOs. The
European Commission chairs the Forum. Its Members will meet twice a year.
Scouting and European Parliament: EU to empower volunteering!
8 December 2008 at the EU
European Scouting raised the issue of restrictive practices and policies
with the European Parliament, meeting with the Members of European
Parliament to discuss restrictive practices and policies that hinder Scout
activities. This meeting was a direct response to the Resolution 9/2007
passed by the European Scout Conference, in which the NSOs required the
Region to take action in order to ensure the recognition of Scout
practices and possibility to provide exciting programme to young people
without unnecessary bureaucratic burden because of certain regulations.
The meeting, chaired by Mr. Ville Itälä MEP, provided an opportunity for
European Scouting to bring this issue to the attention of the MEPs
(Members of European Parliament) and key people responsible at the
European Commission. The MEPs and Commission representatives were
presented with challenges faced by European NSOs in the areas of health
and safety regulations as well as audit and financial rules.
As a follow-up to the meeting, WOSM - European Region issued a joint
statement with MEPs demanding EU institutions and European Parliament in
particular in paying more attention the the role of EU regulations and
policies in empowering volunteering. The statement demands that:
Legislation should be drawn-up giving careful consideration to the impact
it could have on volunteering and the development of volunteering;
The EU regulatory framework should take into account the specific nature
of volunteering and voluntary organisations, not only commercial actors;
EU legislation overall should allow the continuation of Scouting and other
voluntary activities in Europe;
The European Parliament Committees should pay attention to the impact of
European policies and legislation on volunteering;
The European Parliament Committees should actively involve volunteering
organisations in the legislative process in order to ensure that
stakeholders are systematically consulted, including "unusual suspects"
such as voluntary organizations.
The European Parliament will recommend to Member States that they should
give greater attention to the impact of national legislation on
volunteering and the development of volunteering, especially when
transposing European legislation into national system
Is your NSO facing problems with restrictive legislation? Do not hesitate
to contact the European Scout Office in Brussels for help and advice or to
share your experiences at [ mailto:ama...@scout.org ]ama...@scout.org.
Committee Contacts
Visit to FNEL and LGS, Luxembourg
28-30 November 2008
Both associations from Luxembourg, Lëtzenbuerger Guiden a Scouten and
Fédération Nationale des Eclaireurs et Eclaireuses du Luxembourg have been
visited by João Armando Gonçalves, contact person from the European Scout
Committee. During the visit there was the opportunity to visit the 2 main
Scout centres, meet the national teams and discuss issues such as adult
leader training, integration of immigrants, recruitment and external
communication. A workshop on managing time and commitments will be held in
Luxembourg under the framework of Tailored Support provided by the Region.
Malta celebrates its centenary year!
7-10 November 2008 in Valetta
The Scout Association of Malta celebrates its centenary in 2008, which
brought many activities organized in different areas, targeting different
age sections, as well as the general public. The centenary celebration
motto is 'Make a difference ... we do'. It has proved to be a good
opportunity to raise the profile of Scouting in the country and for the
Association's development and growth.
On the behalf of the Region, the Committee Contact for Malta, Zorica
Skakun was present at the Centenary Reception, the closing ceremony of the
centenary celebrations in Valetta on 8 November. The event gathered more
than 50 leaders to reflect and recognise significant practices and the
individuals for the development of Scouting in Malta.
Life of the Movement
The Eclaireuses Eclaireurs de France will set up three Scouts of the World
Discovery trainings in 2009
There will be six days of activities on two topics, the Environment and
Sustainable Development to allow participants to achieve the following
educational objectives:
Ability to explain the main challenges today's world is facing
Ability to live in and take action in an intercultural context
Sense of solidarity and community spirit
Aptitude to find and analyse information
Autonomy, leadership skills, aptitude for co-operation
Aptitude to use negotiation, mediation, problem-solving and
decision-making skills
Aptitude for initiating, carrying out and completing innovative projects
The dates of the Scouts of the World Discovery trainings:
>From 23 to 29 February in Chardonnay
>From 12 to 18 April in Bécours
>From 6 to 11 July in Bécours
Participants can do a full time Scouts of the World Voluntary Service
right after the Scouts of the World Discovery training (two weeks minimum)
on these different topics:
Running heritage or environment workshops
Caring for injured birds
Sorting and recovering waste
Local organic farming
Bécours proposes participants to perform a Scouts of the World Voluntary
Service on the EEDF's project regarding monitoring forest fires in Allauch
near Marseille.
For further information, you can contact Nizar Yaiche at [
mailto:eur...@eedf.asso.fr ]eur...@eedf.asso.fr or at this GSM number +33
6 88 52 89 65.
KISC awarded with the EU-Eco Label
Kandersteg International Scout Centre works hard on being a leading Scout
Centre in environmental issues since its beginnings. Our Environmental
Policy sets our mission and methods regarding reaching this goal. A
completely revised Environmental Policy and a 5-year action plan will be
published in January 2009. The Environmental Improvement Team within the
Centre is working along strict ecological and performance criteria to
follow our procedures in this topic.
Over the past 1.5 years, KISC has been working to fulfil all the
requirements of the EU-Eco Label scheme; being finally certified as a
Centre that actively help to protect the environment.
The EU Eco-Label is administered by the European Eco-labelling Board
(EUEB) and receives the support of the European Commission, all Member
States of the European Union and the European Economic Area (EEA). The
Eco-labelling Board includes representatives such as industry, environment
protection groups and consumer organisations.
Kandersteg kicks off the Winter Season
The Kandersteg International Scout Centre has officially started the
Winter Season last weekend with the arrival of 11 new Short Term Staff
from countries such as Hong Kong, Serbia, Denmark and Indonesia. Straight
after training, our new "pinkies" will be ready to help with the Christmas
and New Years celebrations at the Centre, where we expect more than 300
guests to welcome 2009 with us.
Have you been thinking about becoming a pinkie too? It is an experience of
a lifetime! We guarantee three amazing months in the Swiss Alps to any
Scout or Guide who can communicate in English, minimum age 18, and willing
to be a part of an international team that works running BP's dream of a
Permanent Mini Jamboree! Visit the Staff pages at [ http://www.kisc.ch
]www.kisc.ch to know more about job vacancies at KISC, both as Short Term
Staff (3 months) and Long Term Staff (more than 3 months).
The deadline for Long Term Staff applications is 15th January 2009.
Reminders and Deadlines
Training Systems Renewal Workshop
6-8 February 2009 in Salzburg, Austria
Deadline: 8 January 2009
Roverway 2009 - cheaper Registration costs
20-26 July 2009 in Iceland
Deadline: 1 February 2009
6th Forum on Youth Programme and Adult Resources
18-22 March 2009 in ”bidos, Portugal
Deadline: 22 February 2009
North-South Network Meeting,
20 - 22 March 2009 in Athens, Greece
Deadline: 14 February 2009
Useful Information
Europak
[ http://www.europak-online.net ]www.europak-online.net
Stay in contact
World Scout Bureau
European Regional Office
P.O. Box 327
Rue Henri Christiné 5
CH-1211 Geneva 4
Switzerland
Tel: (+41 22) 705 11 00
Fax: (+41 22) 705 11 09
Email: [ mailto:eur...@scout.org ]eur...@scout.org
Web: [ http://www.scout.org/europe ]www.scout.org/europe