Looking to the future

The leaders in the group have had a rough winter, after a conflict with a family. Many have felt sad, inadequate, afraid and some have almost lost their enthusiasm for taking on the responsability of being Scout leaders. We are happy to have had the support of the District commissioner and the committee, and help from the regional office as well as the Swedish Scout Association on how to handle the situation.

The district committee and Swedish Scout Association felt that we needed closure, time for reflecting on what has been and time to look forward, and having a little bit of fun together, so they arranged for a 24-hour pampering expedition.

Kvisttofta scout group in North Scania let their lovely cottage for the weekend. It is about an hour and a half's drive south from Falkenberg, in a lovely rural area with birch woods, horse farms and cottages. The landscape is similar to home, but still different. We always feel like we're a little bit "abroad" when we get this far south: Almost in Denmark!

When we arrived in the morning, we had coffee and a sandwich, and met a lovely lady, whose name I unfortunately have forgotten, who led us through what had happened, by listening and asking all the right questions. With her experience as a psycologist and CBT therapist, she guided us through events, let everybody work through them and gave concrete advice on how to handle things in the future. We all felt invigourated and elated after having spent two hours with her, but also very tired and ravishingly hungry!

Our district commissioner, Sterner, who happens to be an exellent chef (and a bus driver, scout leader and line dance dancer) cooked for us. For lunch he served up a lovely ovenbaked salmon, with rice, served with a home made hollandaise sauce and sallad.

Sign says: Hunt on. Luckily it wasn't anymore..... Season for roe deer and hare has just past.

There was time after lunch for a lovely walk in the woods surrounding the cottage. The weather was grey, but mild. After that Max, from the Association, gave a little talk on seeing the positive sides of things and looking at problems as challenges, and helping us to see what positive outcome we have accually had from this whole ordeal.

Then we sat down to go through all the forthcomming events. We have lots of fundraising comitments up ahead, helping the Gospel choir with their outdoor festival, the council with the celebration of the National Day, helping a chain with the grand opening of their new shop (where we get the opportunaty to show a little bit of scouting as well, as our climbing wall will be up). Also we have got a group camp coming up, where we hope to enjoy company from 22nd Oxford and another, very small group from a village outside Falkenberg called Ätran. Then there is the district Cub camp in June and the regional Scout Camp in August. Also, the plans for our centinary are coming together. Lots and lots of planning...

After a lovely dinner consisting of Gorgonzola filled pork fillet, baked potatoes, turnips, carrots and parsnips, Sauce Bearnaise and sallad, we reassembled in the hall in front of the fire to play camp fire games, sing silly songs and laugh our tummies in shape again, before going on a lovely candle lit walk in the dark forest; a great time for reflecting over all the day had given us.

After a breakfast, almost of hotel standard, we packed up and drove back to our everyday lives, strengthened in our roles as leaders and rolemodels, ready to take on anything!

It is very important to remember to pamper your leaders once in a while, and to give them the opportunity to enjoy scouting without having to organise and be responsable for the kids at the same time. It doesn't have to be nights away, or anything fancy, but just having the opportunity to have a laugh and a natter.