Serendipity

[LeCastor]

I have been looking for ways to promote international Scouting within our own local context. Working in the sporting goods industry, I have some customers in Canada who support Scouting units through Scouts Canada and Scouts du Canada. Ideally, I'd like to invite some French-speaking Scouts and/or Scouters to come to my council and discuss what they do and how Scouting is viewed in their countries.

 

It just so happens, though, that today a colleague and Scouter from Milton Keynes, UK came to my desk and introduced himself. He would like to start a kind of pen pal exchange between his home units and my unit. This is great! It's funny how things like that happen...

[King Ding Dong]

Good luck with that. Skype might get their interest.

[Tampa Turtle]

We attempted this with (some) success. Skype is a great tool and as a parent I can hear what the boys are discussing in case I have concerns--kinda keeps stuff out in the open. Also shared games like Minecraft seem popular but it helps to have a secure server/access set up to keep weirdos from logging on.

 

That said I have seen my younger son strike up some relationship with some foreign scouts online. They mostly talk trash about the others sports and pop stars and brag about how life is better on their side of the pond. Funny my son had seen more of London than one of the London scouts.

 

Skype is pretty cool. My son plays with a kid from Brazil all the time.

[koolaidman]

That's awesome LeCastor. I think that's a great way to discover similarities and differences between cultures. It may lead into the scouts trying new things!

[LeCastor]

Thanks, Tampa Turtle and koolaidman! I think it'll be fun for my Scouts to interact with some international Scouts and learn about other cultures. We actually have an Eagle whose mother is from Peru and a Life Scout whose mother is from Kenya, so we're already pretty in tune with other cultures. I've got experience with France and Canada, too, so I try to keep that international context alive in my interactions with the Scouts.

 

Thanks, King Ding Dong, for the awesome support! I didn't actually mean pen pal as in writing physical letters to international Scouts. Skype and Facebook are probably the best ways I can think to have conversations internationally; the time difference, though, between the US and the UK could present difficulties.

 

We have a training pow wow every January in my council (less formal than a University of Scouting) and I'd like to organize a panel discussion with some Canadian (English- and French-speaking) Scouters. It'd be fun to have them come visit the US and meet with our local Scouts and Scouters.

[TAHAWK]

Steve "Skip" Locke was very involved in international Scouting. I suspect that he still is.

 

http://skiplockescouting.com/

[Tampa Turtle]

I wish there was an easier way to find groups when travelling...

 

I love to hear the boys smack talk on Skype: "You mean she (usually a model, pop singer, etc) is British? But she's HOT!". LOL