The Stockholm syndrome

Dazed, I sit in a guest bed at the Scout Council headquatres in Stockholm, after a full day of meetings. I feel slightly shattered, after having gotten up at the crack of dawn, literally, to travel for 5 hours. On the train I wrote a text on project method. At 11 I met with the ArtDirector. We agreed on most things, had a lovely Japanees lunch box together, and I came away with a few reasonably concrete, and slightly pressing tasks.

Then I met with the woman who is responsable for coordinating the Activities Teams, to get information about what activities and camps to use as examples in the book. We both went away feeling that we knew too little about what the Temperence Scouts and the YMCA really have on offer in that respect... Need contacts!

Fredrik, my "boss", and I sat down for a spell, catching up, and then he took me on a tour to introduce me to everyone in the office. The Scout Council share the premises with a couple of the Scout organisations' administrative staff, the Scout magazine editors and WJS admin in Sweden, so there were a few people to meet.

Then we had coffee. Much needed.

Then the chief editor of the Scout magazine and I sat down to go through the last couple of years' issues to find usable articles for the book, and then I had a lie down in one of the two guest rooms on the conference floor.

Didn't have time to fall a sleep, because I was due to meet one of the key writers of the main programme policy document in town, to discuss his coments on my synopsis over dinner. I did feel a bit overwhelmed by this point in time, but he turned out to be a lovely young man. He took me to a very British style pub, where we had a Seafood casserole, a couple of pints, and very fruitful discussions about my synopsis, the programme, modern leadership, key points of the scout method, the importance of learning by doing and reflecting, B-P's stance on sexual education, and a few other things, before I felt the day taking it's toll.

He walked me to the Underground station, and I almost fell asleep on the train back to the offices, where I finally managed to get through the coded doors, didn't get stuck in the elevator, found a bathroom to brush my teeth, and are now sitting on the bed, feeling slightly lonely.

Got to get some shut-eye. Tomorrow at nine, I have a meeting with the Recruitment Strategy manager, and someone else, before I have a working lunch with Fredrik, before I take the train back to the provinces.

Goodnight!

Finally!

Finally I got my act together and wrote the synopsis for the Challenger Scout Book. It only took about an hour. Perhaps that is the problem - as I know that when I finally get cracking, the writing comes easily, and therefor I postpone everything endlessly...

On Wednesday I've taken leave of absence from work to go to Stockholm for a layout meeting. Until then I will have completed a few more texts, and also comissioned a few pictures. It will be a hectic couple of days - meetings with the layout team, and also with the people responsible for the new program. I hope also to get more information about the new badges.

On the homefront, there seems to be a bit of a problem... The Challenger Scouts are all very busy doing a lot of things, but unfortunately outside of scouting. As we haven't been able to get the whole group together one single time since term started at the end of August, we've now reached a critical point, where we have no set program, because people haven't been able to commit and contribute (lots of good ideas though!) and since we have no program, people don't prioritise comming to the meetings.... Vicious circle... But next Sunday, diaries in hand, and BIG calender sheets on the table, we will schedual a hike on the North Sea Trail, midnight cannoeing, gourmet cooking class on Trangias, Leader training etc etc.

Update due!

I just realised how long it was since I updated! I'm sorry, life has gotten in the way.

Bag of presents were found and got sent in the post, presents are delivered and very much appriciated.

The vandalism of our scout hut continues. Very tiering indeed. Up to now, the new window panes have costed apr. 800 Euros, 720 pounds. It has escalated, and there has now been two break-ins in three weeks. Luckily they haven't broken much, and only stolen little things. I just fear that they one of these days will set the place on fire! Metal curtains are on the cards; let's hope they will be in place ASAP.

On Wednesday the 23rd scouts all over Sweden celebrated 100% Scout. We wore our uniforms or other profile clothing to school and work.

My youngest son was so sweet! He is usually very tired in the morning, but he'd been looking forward to this day for several weeks, and bounced down the stairs for breakfast, already in his uniform:

-Mum, I've been thinking... Today is 100% scout... But I was thinking, I'm accually 100% scout everyday!

I couldn't help but laughing, and gave him a big hug:

-You know what? I've been thinking too, and I don't think that there is anyone I know that are more 100% scout than you!

The local paper looked me up in my workplace and took photos, and wrote a short, but very good piece on the occasion and about scouting. (unfortunately it wasn't put on the web) I've had lots of positive reaktions. And one negative: I had an e-mail sent to me, saying that I should be ashamed of being proud of fronting an "anglosaxon equivalent of Hitlerjugend". I wrote a very polite answer back.