| EUROFAX 73 | |
| October 1998 | |
"Eurofax is the monthly newsletter of the European Scout Region. It is produced by the European Scout Office and is distributed to all member associations in the European Region, and others. Reproduction of articles without alteration is encouraged but Eurofax should be acknowledged as the source of the information."
"Dear friends
I am pleased to report that the final decisions have now been taken on the future
locations of the new European Scout Office in Brussels and Geneva. Full information
on telephone numbers, postal addresses and so on will be sent to all international
commissioners when these have been finalised. Our intention is that faxes and
mail need only be sent to one of our offices. Our internal arrangements will
ensure that communications are passed to the right member of the committee or
staff, wherever they may be located."
"The Brussels office will be in avenue de la Porte de Hal, in the same building as the new Europe Office WAGGGS, where the landlord will be the Scouts et Guides Pluralistes de Belgique. The European Scout Committee is particularly pleased that its expressed wish to see the two new regional offices in Brussels under the same roof has been realised."
"The Geneva office will be in a new development in rue Henri-Christiné, which is a few streets away but within walking distance of the World Scout Bureau."
"The intention is that the new European Scout Office will be operational in both cities from 1 December."
"Money raised from the sale of 299 Avenue Molière in Brussels will be invested by the European Scout Foundation for the benefit of the Region."
David Bull
Chairman
European Scout Committee
Many thanks to everybody who has sent in feedback from participants in the Europe For You ! programme, as well as to all those who have sent in applications for EuroSteps '99. The data is now being put into the database and the booklet will be completed in English, French and German by the end of this month. Jacqueline Collier is still collecting reports, articles, interviews and evaluations on any aspects of Europe For You !, so please send anything you have. The material will be used to promote the programme more widely.
The first European seminar on the topic of adolescent health and emotional development was held in Budapest from 19-25 September. It brought together 27 participants (10 Guides and 17 Scouts), from 16 different countries: Belarus, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Denmark, France, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, United Kingdom, Yugoslavia. The planning team members came from Germany, Egypt and the United Kingdom. The seminar aimed to encourage national associations to integrate health and emotional development issues into their youth programmes for young people aged 12-16 as well as into their leader training schemes. Participants had the opportunity to present educational material, research results or projects undertaken in their own countries, discuss case studies on successful projects in the European and Arab Regions, formulate educational objectives, design activities, make outlines for training modules, and experiment with creative methods such as interactive theatre and collage. Participants felt that few, if any, associations in our region had paid enough attention to the health and emotional development needs of adolescents or had equipped their leaders with the necessary skills to deal sensitively and confidently with such needs and to know where to obtain advice or support. It was recommended that associations give responsibility to a member of their national programme and adult resources teams to find ways of strengthening this area of work, and that efforts be made to develop partnerships between Scout and Guide associations, health experts, counsellors, relevant governmental departments and non-governmental organisations specialising in adolescent health and/or emotional development. The report will contain detailed recommendations for national associations.
The new adult resources working group held its first meeting from 25-27 September in Geneva. Its role is to assist the European Scout Committee in implementing the European Scout Plan 1999-2007, particularly part 3 'The Adults we Need'. The group is chaired by Thérèse Bermingham and comprises Jean-Christoph Carner-Chabran (France), Damian O'Connor (Ireland), Tomas Rehak (Czech Republic), Ivo Stajdohar (Slovenia), and Kjeld Jespersen (European Scout Office). Philippe Pijollet, Director of Adult Resources in the World Scout Bureau, also attended part of the meeting. The main topic on the agenda was how to organise the regional work on adult resources during this triennium. Priority will given to encouraging the exchange of ideas and experiences among national associations, using different means of communication such as seminars, meetings and electronic communications. The group planned the European Forum on Youth Programme and Adult Resources, to be held in May 1999. This event, details of which can be found in Seminars and Events 1999, will enable participants to acquire new skills and knowledge as well as to exchange experiences in the field of adult resources. The invitation will be sent in November's Europak.
The first meeting of the new youth programme working group took place at Gilwell Park, UK, from 11-13 September. Its role is to assist the European Scout Committee in implementing the European Scout Plan 1999-2007, especially part 2 'Better Scouting for more Young People'. The group is chaired by George Hourdakis and comprises Jean-Pierre Darimont (Belgium), Björn Seelbach (Germany), Abderrahmen Vaz (France), Andrew Wilson (UK), and Jacqueline Collier (European Scout Office). David Bull, Chairman of the European Scout Committee, also attended part of the meeting. The main agenda item was the Renewed Approach to Programme (RAP) and how to best support national Scout associations in improving their youth programmes. The group prepared starter questions on each step in the RAP process to stimulate debate within national associations and identified new tools to be developed as a complement to the RAP User's Guide. It made proposals on how to improve the youth programme web pages and promote networking among national programme teams, identified topics for the next issue of the RAP newsletter, and considered plans for the European Forum on Youth Programme and Adult Resources as well as several sub-regional events. The main aim of these events will be to encourage associations to share their experiences and educational materials, and provide input to the Scout Plan. Other topics covered briefly were Europe For You ! and Lands of Adventure, which will be the main topic on the agenda of the next meeting. A more detailed report will be included in the RAP newsletter to be written soon.
The Peace Cruise project aims to train 100 young mediators-cum-negotiators, aged 18 to 25 and coming from countries bordering the Mediterranean basin, in the issues of peace and the management of conflicts. These 'Peace Sailors' will be trained on board the Zawisza Czarny (the Black Knight), a 36m long, three-masted sailing ship owned by ZHP (Poland). Built as a fishing vessel in Gdansk in 1952, then converted and modernised in 1965 and 1980, the ship has welcomed more that 15,000 young people aboard. It has sailed in the Baltic and the North Seas, to the Canary Islands, Canada, the United States and the Bahamas.
Four 10-day seminars will take place onboard during August and September 1999, while the ship cruises from Alexandria in Egypt to Pireus in Greece, visiting Gaza, Haifa, Beirut, Limassol, Famagusta and Istanbul along the way. By joining in every aspect of the daily life of the ship, the young participants will gain a deeper understanding of the marine environment, winds and tides. Some may even have to learn to navigate by the stars! Everyone will be able to take advantage of time ashore in the ports of call to get to know the local cultures. In collaboration with local authorites, exhibitions, shows and other activities will be arranged to coincide with the visit of The Peace Cruise. These 'Peace Events' organised by each of the seven countries and territories visited by the boat, will call for a major mobilisation of young people to demonstrate their commitment in favour of peace, reconciliation and development.
The Peace Cruise is conceived and realised by the World Organization of the Scout Movement, with the support of the European Union, the North South Centre of the Council of Europe, and UNESCO, in partnership witht the European Youth Forum, under the patronage of Jacques Santer, president of the European Commission. Participants will be selected from youth organizations which are members of the European Youth Forum or its partners.
For further information, please address emails to peace.cruise@euro.scout.org, or contact the European Scout Office.
As 2000 approaches, it is perhaps a time for young people to look back and also to think together about the future. Europe is undergoing a period of transformation and it is young people who will live and shape that future. The Heinrich Böll Foundation is organising an international youth competition under the patronage of His Holiness, the Dalai Lama. To enter the competition, young people (born after 31.12.71) are invited to submit a brief but significant question on the future, with a short supplementary text explaining why the question is important to them. An international jury will select eight of the submitted questions for awards and the chosen questions will define the topics for several international meetings of young people from at least 15 countries in Europe to be held next year in Europe's capital of culture 1999, Weimar in Germany. Deadline for competiton entries is 10 November 1998. Further information (available in English, French, German and Russian) can be obtained from Heinrich Böll Foundation. Tel: +49.30/285 34 381 Fax: 49.30/285 34 308 Email: Scheurich@Boell.de
Those interested in attending the next meeting of the north-south and Overture networks in Bern, Switzerland from 23-25 October should register immediately and directly with the Swiss Scout Movement. Fax: +41.31/328 05 49. Or register on the World Wide Web at: www.pbs.ch/internationales/network98.htm
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