Scouts – Bear necessities.

18. September 202218. September 2022

Of discarding masks, madness and hot discussions

It feels like the summer is over, kids are back in school. Best time to revisit one of the highlights of my summer: Scoutcamp!

Hier geht’s zur deutschsprachigen Version!

A new cycle begins. The school year in Austria has started again. And traditionally with that, the new scout year starts again as well. More than overdue to write a few paragraphs on the big highlight of every scout year: The summercamp. If there are actually some among you, that have never had anything to do with scouting (Where are the rotten tomatoes? Into the pillory with them!), the following video might give you a glimpse of what Scoutcamps are all about.

Vom Masken ablegen, Wahnsinn und heißen Diskussionen

Der Sommer ist gefühlt vorbei, Kinder und Jugendliche gehen wieder zur Schule. Bester Zeitpunkt, um einen Blick zurück auf eines der Highlights meines Sommers zu werfen: das Pfadilager!

Find the English version here!

Ein neuer Zyklus beginnt. Das Schuljahr hat wieder begonnen. Damit beginnt traditionellerweise auch ein neues Jahr für Pfadfinder:innen. Längste Zeit, noch ein paar Absätze zum großen Highlight eines jeden Pfadijahres zu schreiben: dem Sommerlager. Falls jemand unter euch ist, der noch überhaupt gar keine Berührungspunkte mit den Pfadis hatte (Her mit den faulen Tomaten, an den Pranger mit ihnen!), gibt euch vielleicht folgendes Video einen kleinen Einblick.

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11. August 202218. September 2022

Of cabbage salad, 7/11 and WA!

Notice that this blog post was first published in German roughly seven years ago. You can find the original version here. I slightly adapted some parts.

Showering, doing the laundry and sleeping in a bed. Things that might seem normal to most. If you are a Scout during July and August, these things are not a given at all. Because these months make up summer camp season – at least in the Northern Hemisphere. For instance I just came back from Croatia where I had a blast with my group of 16- to 20 year old Ranger and Rover scouts.

But every 4 years, the World Organization of the Scout Movement holds a very special event. A World Scout Jamboree (WSJ). 2015 I had the privilege to attend the 23rd WSJ in Kirara-Hama in the Yamaguchi prefecture in the South of Japan. Roughly 34.000 Scouts from 153 countries and regions all across the globe made their way to Japan. I was one of about 8000 so called ISTs. The International Service Team is in charge that 26.000 scouts may experience a smooth 10 days at the WSJ.