Monthly Archives: October 2015

Regional Circular 19 2015 – Annual Report 2014-2015 European Scout Region

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We are pleased to share with you the Annual Report of the European Scout Region for the period July 2014 till August 2015.

It has been a busy year and we hope that you will find of interest the many activities, visits and support provided by the Committee, the core, priority and other groups of the Region and the staff of the Offices.

A French translation of the document will be available shortly.

Happy reading!

  • Annual Report 2014-2015 European Scout Region (English, French)

Regional Circular 18 2015 – European Scout Symposium: Discussion Document

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We are pleased to share with you the Discussion Document that has been prepared by the European Scout Committee to stimulate discussion particularly at the European Scout Symposium in Skopje in December.

However, we hope that the material will enable a wide range of people in your association to also consider what are the topics and ways of working that are important to you as we all consider the future Regional Scout Plan.

A French translation of the document will available shortly.

  • European Scout Symposium – Discussion Document (English, French)

No matter where you come from we will lend you a hand

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Scouts and Guides contributing to refugee support activities in their local communities in Europe (25): a story from ZSKSS – Slovenian Catholic Girl Guides and Boy Scouts Association

In the wake of the refugee crisis the Slovenian Catholic Girl Guides and Boy Scouts Association didn’t waste any time in forming a national entity to help the refugees. The entity was formed by Jan Šavly, Andreja Grkman and Nina Maležič. Ana Špes helped with public relations and Luka Novak was the line between the Guide and Scouts and the Civil protection.

The group organized more than 100 volunteers that helped in Brežice, Gornja Radgona, Gruškovje, Lendava, Vrhnika, Logatec, Ljubljana and other locations across the country. They worked together with the Civil protection, aiding them by erecting army tents, beds, tables and flagstones. They are also prepared to help the Red-cross and Caritas if needed. A programme is currently being developed for families and their children that arrive at some of the refugee centers especially to Debeli Rtič where young families would be relocated.

A spokesperson for ZSKSS – Slovenian Catholic Girl Guides and Boy Scouts Association reported that <Groups from all over the country participated and we are immensely proud of their effort to the cause. Most of the volunteers are of age and are setting an good example for their younger guide/scout brothers and sisters. We live by the oath we swear before we are handed our neckerchiefs. That is not something we take lightly and if someone needs our help we believe it’s our duty to help no matter where he or she comes from.>

Read the full story here .

If you are involved in a similar refugee support activity in your local community, let us know and we will share it, too: just complete this form!

 

Yes, it’s a goooooaaaaaaaal: both teams leave victorious!

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Scouts and Guides contributing to refugee support activities in their local communities in Europe (24): a story from Rohrbach-Berg, Austria

This is probably a familiar scene in many villages across Europe: 22 boys and girls engaged in a football match on a sunny Satruday afternoon. The local pitch in Rohrbach-Berg in Upper Austria is no exception in this, but if you look a little closer, this particular match is different! IIn fact, it is the weekly encounter between “Austria” and “Syria”, or more precisely between a team of Scouts and Guides from the local Scout and Guide Group (member of the Oberösterreichische Pfadfinder und Pfadffinderinnen, Pfadfinder und Pfadfinderinnen Österreichs) and a team with players recruited among the young Syrians who had found refuge in the village.

Lisa, a Leader with the Scout and Guide Group in Rohrbach-Berg is very pleased with the development of this initiative: “Our Groups was looking for a way to help our new neighbours to reach out to the local inhabitants. And quickly, we decided to organise weekly football games. Afterall, football is common all around the world. It is the same game with the same rules in our village and in the countries the refugees had to leave.”

So, a month ago, the first match took place: “Everybody involved was so enthousiastic about this, that we agreed to meet again the following Saturday, ” says Lisa, and the matches have continued every weekend since then. “Playing football together is a very good way to meet in ‘known territory’, to make new friends and to learn more about each other. There is always a good atmosphere on the field and around it: we have a growing crowd of cheering fans, both from the village and from the refugee centre.”

The Scout and Guide Group has already decided to book the football field for the next months. So, if you are around, why not join the crowd and cheer the players from Austria and Syria?

If you are involved in a similar refugee support activity in your local community, let us know and we will share it, too: just complete this form!

Refugees Welcome! The Lower Rhine Region is Colourful!

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Scouts and Guides contributing to refugee support activities in their local communities in Europe (23): a story from Xanten, Germany

Last month, an unused building the city of Xanten, in Northrhine-Westphalia, Germany, had decided to open for refugees was victim of an arson attack. This incident was at the origin of an event the local DPSG Niederrhein-Nord Scout District (member of DPSG – Deutsche Pfadfinderschaft Sankt Georg and the World Organization of the Scout Movement) organised this Sunday. Together with other civil society associations (including the Flüchtlingshilfe Xanten, the Jugendkulturwerkstatt eXit and neighbouring Scout Districts), the Scouts decided to show everybody that the Lower Rhine Region (Region Niederrhein) is colourful and open to welcoming people seeking refuge from atrocities in their countries.

And more than 600 people answered the call. Dressed in colourful cloths and equipped with flags and posters claiming “Refugees Welcome” and “The North Rhine Region is coulourful”, they assembled in Xanten’s market square on Sunday afternoon.

When looking at the colourful crowd in front of him, District Commissioner Christoph Fromont felt that this was an incredible picture, really showing that the Region was open and diverse: “Each bad news, like the recent arson attack of the future refugee centre in xanten, should be countered by plenty of positive, encouraging story. This is what we have achieved. And this is why we have called for this gathering!”

“The willingness to welcoming refugees to the Lower Rhine Region does not stop with the distribution of flyers and the wearing of ‘Refugees Welcome’ tee-shirts. No, that’s just the beginning!” he added, “Let us eliminate fear and encourage encounters.”

The gathering ended with the more than symbolic building of a colourful human cordon (measuring several hundreds of meters) around the partially destroyed building, which will soon be the new home for refugees in Xanten. And as a strong signal of the city’s colourfulness and hospitality many people decorated fences and railings with scarves, shawls and handkerchiefs of all shapes and colours.

(contributing to the text & (c) image: DPSG Bezirk Niederrhein-Nord)

Read a full story in the regional newspaper rp-online.

And if you are involved in a similar refugee support activity in your local community, let us know and we will share it, too: just complete this form!