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.

Back home

Found my computer cord, but lost the bag of presents I had bought for the kids :-( My youngest patted my arm and said: "It could happen to anyone, mum, don't worry..." I'm still very angry with myself though. And the strongest stuff served was coffee...

All in all, it was a productive weekend. We mightn't have got as much work done on the material, but we "sold" the program well. I also learned more about the Training Leader accreditation scheme, and later Leader accreditation scheme, and about the thoughts concerning the new Leadership Academy. Also, it was inspiring to learn more about the WSJ Camp in Camp. Oh boy, aren't you in for a treat!

The WSJ committee STILL haven't put the PR film on Youtube! Scandalous, as it is really nice. I had words with one of the representatives, that promised to put my thoughts forward. Before the London WSJ there was loads of material on Youtube, and lots of the camp TV-films are still there to see. But NOTHING about Simply Scouting! Lots of children need a substantial length of time to be able to save up for the jamboree, it's no good waiting to tease their appetites until it's too late!

This week the scouting term starts. Mike has ironed his uniform, and looked all over his very messy room to find his knife handling badge for me to sew on. But he can't find it anywhere. Just as well, as his uniform seems pretty tight and the sleeves seem to have gotten shorter since camp a few weeks ago. Cassie starts tomorrow evening, but Victor and the Challengers have already met three times.

The Challengers have chosen to have every third meeting together with the Challengers from another group in the next town. Last night they were there, looking at their premises, and in three weeks they will come to us. My thoughts as their leader is to inspire them to take the Basic Leader training course together during the autumn, as almost all of ours are assisting at Tracker and Explorer scouts. But we'll see. There are sooo many things that I hope that they would like to take part in!

Scout forum

Last weekend of August, and 700 scouts gathered in the site of the 2011 World Scout Jamboree for seminars and information about upcoming events in Swedish scouting. The WSJ planning team was present, and so was the B-P Fellows, His Majesty, King Carl Gustav of Sweden.

His Majesty is the grey-haired man between the man in black and the man in grey, just in front of the portal.

We are subjects of experiments, trying out the proposed camp toilets, showers and some of the other facilities. Representatives from the Federation committee and the various subcommittees are present to answer questions and inform of the program reform, the WSJ, other European camps, and functions within the international scout sphere.


The shop is doing brilliantly, as the foreign guests are shopping madly for the Swedish profile clothes, and I don’t blame them: The clothes are wonderfully designed, reasonably prized and probably very cheap, considering the Swedish currency being so weak at the moment. One Japanese lady walked out of the shop, carrying at least 5 Swedish scout uniforms! The piles of Simply Scouting WSJ profile merchandize melted away during the day.
Myself, I was in place to inform about my work with the Challenger scout material, and to get input from leaders and scouts, and to help inform about the program reform and the new Leader book that I have helped with (in a very small way). It will be published in November, and we have a trail print with us for feedback. Generally the reception has been positive so far.

Now, I'm in the café. I've lost the electricity cable for my computer and am about to loose power. But that's ok, Ik'll have another cup of coffee and listen to the band, and be a little bit sociable instead....

Getting things together

Next time this year, our group will host 300-400 scouts, mainly adults, when the Swedish Scout Federation have their biannual information meeting. Tonight the organising committee and some of the people that we have asked to be apart of the executing committee had a first meeting, to present ideas and thoughts about the event.

The truth is, we don't have much information to share at the moment. At the weekend, a few of us are going down to the Scout Forum at Rinkaby, where the WSJ 2011 will be held. There we will meet the secretary general and second and hopefully get some more info about budget and demands on program. It's all very exciting, but sometimes I (and a few others) curse this silly head of mine that keeps having ideas...

Kick off!

Every scouting year starts off with a gathering, where all of the group's leaders meet up and plan the term together. This autumn term saw a few changes. As I have advertised earlier, I have left the Cubs and will be the second leader of the Challenger scouts (15-18), and Marie will do the Adventure Scouts (12-15). I will, for now, remain the district training officer, and work on the new national program.

This year we were sent on a quiz walk, and then we had the pleasure of decorating cakes together, and eat them. Of course I had to taste all the available cakes (6).

The scouting term starts in two weeks. I will continue to report from our activities and about general scouting issues.