Tag Archives: ‪#‎Refugees

Scouts cleaning shores of Lesbos: broken rubber dinghies, inflatable tires and life vests of all shapes and sizes

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Scouts and Guides contributing to refugee support activities in their local communities in Europe (17): a story from the island of Lesbos, Greece:

“This weekend, some 40 Scouts from Ελληνικός Προσκοπισμός were on their second mission to the island of Lesbos where they once again joined local Scouts and volunteers from other civil society organisations engaged in refugee support activities.

A group of  Scouts spent the two days on the beaches and collected waste and items no longer needed and left behind by refugees arriving on the island, like broken rubber dinghies, inflatable tires or life vests of all shapes and sizes.

At the same time, several dozen of children and young people joined Scouts in Mytilini, the main port of Lesbos and its capital city, for two days of fun and games: a welcome opportunity for the refugees to escape their hardship and boredom for a couple of hours: anyone passing the village square would have seen a group of happy children laughing and spending a jolly good time. And the smile on parents’ faces was as rewarding to the Scouts as the signs of gratitude expressed by the children.”

This activity was made possible thanks to support received from the World Scout Foundation.

If you are involved in a similar refugee support activity, let us know and we will share it, too!

Ahmed, here is your new scarf: may it remind you of the one you left back home!

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Scouts and Guides contributing to refugee support activities in their local communities in Europe (16): a story from the island of Kos, Greece:

“Yesterday, two groups of Scouts from Ελληνικός Προσκοπισμός left for the islands of ‪#‎Λέσβος and ‪#‎Κως where they spend the weekend and joined volunteers from other civil society organisations engaged in refugee support activities.

For a couple of hours, children, young people and their families will be able to leave behind their hardship and boredom and the children can do what other children would do on a sunny afternoon: have fund and play games!

One of them boys who joined the activities in Kos is Ahmed. He is from Syria, where he and his family had to leave everything behind when they fled the atrocities of war. No time to pack the scarf, though. Because Ahmed is a Scout and was a member of the local group of the Scouts of Syria back home in his village in Syria.

All children went back to the refugee centre tired but with smiles and laughter. They will certainly be back for another day of games and fun activities tomorrow with the Scouts of Greece. And Ahmed will proudly wear his new scarf, which he received from his Greek friends!”

This activity is made possible thanks to support received from the World Scout Foundation.

If you are involved in a similar refugee support activity, let us know and we will share it, too!

Let’s invite our new neighbours and meet the refugees!

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Scouts and Guides contributing to refugee support activities in their local communities in Europe (9): a story from Freistadt, Austria:

“When we realised that a growing number of refugee families were given accommodation in and around our city and that their daily routine was anything but varied, we spontaneously decided to invite our new neighbours to sepd an afternoon with us.

Some twenty refugees currently live in a former customs building, literally miles away from the city and due to the secluded location of their lodgings particularly dependent on external support and accompaniment.

Our invitation went to these families in particular but also to other refugees staying elsewhere in Freistadt. And so, one sunny late summer day, some fifty children, young people and their families turn up at our Scout Hall and were met by many members of our local Freistadt Scout and Guide Group (member of the Scout and Guide Association of Upper Austria).

We all spent a wonderful afternoon together, with barbecue, games and other activities. And we listened to the sometime incredible stories about the challenges our guests had encountered on their journeys from their former homes in Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya and other countries.

The hours went by too quickly and looking back the afternoon had not just provided the refugees a welcome change in their otherwise dull routine but allowed us, the local Scouts and Guides to understand better the situation these children, youngsters, women and men had found themselves in eventually making them refugees. We have gained a group of new friends!”

If you want to share a similar story about your association’s support activity for refugees in Europe, let us know and we will publish it, too!