2nd. Amersham Common Scouts
Explorers' International Trips
1995 Rabka, Poland
1997 Rabka, Poland
1999 Aiud, Romania
2000 Belarus
2001 Aiud, Romania
2006 Plovdiv, Bulgaria
2008 Antigua and Barbuda
Antigua 2008 Presentation.
Bulgaria 2006 Recce by Kate Lillie
Gladiator Explorer Scouts, based at St John’s, have an established tradition of organising challenging overseas community service projects for our Senior/Explorer Scouts. In recent years we have sent teams to Poland, Romania and Belarus.
This year a group is going to be based near Plovdiv in central Bulgaria for 2 weeks in July and will be working at a regional orphanage in association with a local Scout Group to update the orphanage facilities including refurbishment and painting of the communal bedrooms and hopefully to provide a functional play area for the resident children.
Plovdiv Scouts
Our host is the International Commissioner for Scouting in Bulgaria, who also GSL and EL for a group in Plovdiv. Scouting is very new and does not have the same structure, recognition or community support that we have in the UK.
Scouting returned to Bulgaria about 10 years ago. There had been scouts prior to WW2 but they were stopped during the Communist era from 1945 to 1989. It has taken a few years for the infrastructure to return.
There are a total of about 60 young people in the group, about 15 explorers aged from 15 to 21. They currently meet in a coffee bar and have no more equipment than a couple of hike tents. The GSL has negotiated with the town mayor for a building that used to be used by a school and has been vandalised and dilapidated, to be leased to the scouts. They have had the building for 2 years but are not able to use it yet. The first thing they have had to do is to replace the roof. They still need to install electricity, windows, toilets, and decoration.
I attended a scout meeting and they are very much looking forward to our visit and hope to work with us at the orphanage.
The orphanage
This is in the centre of Plovdiv on the banks of the Meritsa River. It is a large austere, run down building. There are approximately 90 children who live there aged from 6 to 18 years.
They live on separate floors according to their age. One floor is reserved for short-term stays for children who are awaiting foster care or who have problems in their families and have had to be removed.
We have been asked to work on the floor that is home to 9 — 12 year olds (apparently the most difficult year group). There are 15 children there who share 2 to a bedroom. One side of the corridor is the sleeping area and the other is the kitchen, bathroom and living room.
The children are very happy and appear to be genuinely well cared for. However, the state does not provide much money for the running of the facility and they rely heavily on donations. For example, although they get a small allowance for clothes, the Bulgarian Red Cross donates most clothes.
The building itself is in desperate need of redecoration. We have been asked to paint either the corridor or to include all the rooms as well.
The Director would organise for the walls to prepared ready as there is a great deal of damaged and flaking plaster work.
Summary
Although Bulgaria is becoming a popular resort for winter skiing and summer holidays on the Black Sea Coast, Plovdiv is not yet on the UK tourist trail. This trip will take us to an area of Bulgaria where we can get a true flavour of the way of life. The project is going to be hard work but well within our capabilities in a safe environment. Cultural trips will give the explorers the opportunity to see some beautiful scenery, interesting sights and experience true Bulgaria.
We hope to find companies or other organisations which will be able to support our project, which we feel combines a real community contribution with valuable experience for the young people concerned.