Group Chair Report

1st Prague (Czech Republic) Scout Group z.s. Group Chairman’s Report

It’s been yet another year of exciting growth for 1st Prague Scouts. At our February census, we reported 130 Scouts and 45 adult volunteers. Today, all our sections are now at full capacity, with waiting lists for all. We are now the second largest group in the Northern Europe District of British Scouting Overseas and the fastest-growing across BSO. As the Covid-19 restrictions began to lift last summer, we held our first-ever All Sections summer camp. More than 70 Scouts and leaders spent a memorable week hiking, swimming, canoeing, cycling, scooting, and, as ever, preparing wonderful cookouts. A dramatic storm on the final night meant they returned home bedraggled and with somewhat soggy kit but a great week was nevertheless had by all. Throughout the year, hikes and camps at weekends have been held for all sections, giving our young people priceless opportunities to learn valuable #skills for life. The new school year saw the Cubs split into two sections, with the Beavers and Cubs moving into new homes at the “Sokols” in Vrsovice and Kampa. The Scouts and Explorers continue to meet weekly at Riverside’s Hradcanska campus and we are hugely grateful to Riverside for its continued support once the school was again able to open its doors to us. As with so many organizations and individuals here in the Czech Republic, we were anxious to provide support to families fleeing the war in Ukraine. The Explorers led a fundraising drive, launched with an awareness-raising hike around Letna Park in March. The campaign has just closed, having reached its target of 100,000 kc. Half of the funds raised will be donated to SOS Detske Vesnicky to support its work for refugee families from Ukraine; the remainder is being used to fund the weekend events we are holding fortnightly and which are now drawing a steady crowd of familiar faces. We have also been able to welcome some Ukrainian young people into our sections. Heartfelt thanks are owed to the Russian and Ukrainianspeaking parents and Scouts who have stepped up to help them settle in. Our work has been acknowledged with gratitude from the leadership of The Scout Association and is being championed on scouting’s social media networks.

Like all UK Scout Groups, 1st Prague Scouts is entirely volunteer-led and managed. We are luckier than we know to have Simon Burgess (Mang), one of the Scouting movement’s most experienced leaders, as our Group Scout Leader. Section leaders Colonel Hathi (Explorers), Manon (Scouts), Baloo (Cubs - Bears), King Louie (Cubs - Wolves) and Bambi (Beavers) all have full-time jobs, but dedicate many hours each week to planning and running programmes for their sections, as do their assistant leaders. Behind the scenes, Michael Bibby has been tireless in his work to manage our ever-growing financial commitments, and has introduced processes and disciplines that we need to support our continued growth. Clare Whiting-Topinkova, secretary of our executive committee, brings an enviable efficiency in minutetaking and her chasing on actions committed to is a great change for the better. Mark Farrell and Chris Roberts, formal parent representatives on the executive committee, ensure that family perspectives are taken into account. Brook Braithwaite has been instrumental in developing our relationship with City Hall, the early results of which will be announced soon. Again, an enormous thanks to all our amazing leaders! We are continually on the search for new faces to join our team. Don’t hesitate to get in touch with me if you’d like to explore how to contribute more. Each of us have a lot to offer, but working together we can be even greater than the sum of our parts! We can look with confidence to an exciting year ahead!

Eleanor Hammond Chair, Group Executive Committee exec@praguescouts.cz