Aquile Randagie- “Stray Eagles”- in the News!
Learn how Scouts and Scouters are helping our fellow Ukrainian Scouts…Scouts helping Scouts
Ukrainian Scouts visit Kandersteg International Scout Center with TAC BSA!
When Lord Baden-Powell started the Scouting movement, one of his dreams was that Scouting could help build a more peaceful world. He could not imagine that today there are around 43 million Scouts in 174 National Scout Organizations associated with the World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM) and the World Organization of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WOGGS) with 10 million members and organizations in 152 countries.
Individual National Scout Organizations grew to develop Scouting in their countries, but over time as some countries have a significant number of expatriates, several of these organizations have set up special branches outside of their countries to support their communities abroad.
The Boy Scouts of America (BSA) established the Transatlantic Council (TAC) in Europe in 1950 initially to support the families of military personnel who were stationed in Europe. In the intervening 74 years, this expanded its reach and supports over 4000 youth in 53 countries throughout Europe, the Middle East, Central Asia and Africa. Many of these young people’s parents are associated with military organizations, multinational corporations, US State Department embassies, religious and social service organizations, or they have retired or relocated to other locations in those continents.
TAC takes advantage of this geographic and cultural diversity to organize several camps every year. This includes the Klondike Derby, a winter camp at the Kandersteg International Scout Center (KISC) in Switzerland along with 2 weeks of Summer Camp at KISC labeled ‘Camp Alpine’. TAC also coordinates a summer camp on the Croatian coast (Camp Avantura). Other long-term/week-long camping events include their Normandy Council Camporee every three years in France and Camp Kenya in Africa, conducted every other year. Although most of the participants in these camps are Scouts living in TAC’s footprint, these camps also have participants from the USA.
Shortly after the Russian invasion of Ukraine took place, TAC Units started many support projects for the refugees, and late in 2022 TAC decided to create a specific task force to support Ukrainian Scouts. This task force was named ‘Aquile Randagie’ in memory of the brave Italian Scouts that kept to their Scouting values and activities in opposition to the Mussolini dictatorship. The Aquile Randagie team promptly identified several projects to help, and one project was to enable a group of Ukrainian Scouts in exile in Poland to travel to Switzerland and participate in one week of the TAC’s Camp Alpine summer camp.
After contacting Olha Dybkaliuk, the international representative of the National Organization of the Scouts of Ukraine (NOSU), affiliated with the World Organization of Scouting Movements (WOSM), the team started working with Olena Sakharova, a member of NOSU, and leader of the Scout Troop in Gdansk, Poland, to plan for this opportunity.
The team started to raise funds to support this. As part of a campaign on LinkedIn™ caught the attention of Scoutmaster Mike Matzinger Scoutmaster of Troop 219 in the US state of North Carolina. Matzinger promptly mentioned that Selby Chipman, an Eagle Scout from their Troop, had signed up to travel to Switzerland to work as staff at Camp Alpine that summer, and that her troop had offered to make donations to support this project.
The Aquile Randagie Team with further generous donations from over 80 donors from all over the world, raised nearly USD 30,000 to pay for transport and camp costs for the Ukrainian Scouts. Additionally, as camping equipment was needed, some equipment donations were received while other equipment was borrowed. In particular, Geneva, Switzerland BSA Troop 130 lent the Ukrainian Scouts their tents, camp kitchens and other equipment, while other Swiss based BSA Units donated sleeping bags, camping gas,and other needed items.
When the Ukrainian Scouts arrived in Kandersteg, late at night after a 2-day bus journey, the TAC staff had set up camp with the borrowed equipment and greeted them with a warm meal, which was the start of a memorable camp for all participants.
We are grateful to Olena Sakharova, the leader of Ukrainian Scout Groups in Gdansk, Poland; and Eagle Scout Selby Chipman, a member of the inaugural class of female Scouts from Troop 219, Old North State Council in Oak Ridge, North Carolina for sharing details of the camping experience.
Selby Chipman, a youth member of the Boy Scouts of America, earned Eagle a short time back. Eagle is the highest rank in the BSA’s Scouts BSA program. Olena is a volunteer with the Ukrainian Scout Groups in Poland.
“People outside of the Scouting movement do not appreciate the power of the Scouting movement. During these few days these Scouts created lasting memories and lifelong friends. All under the the guiding force of Creating a Better World. The work of Aquile Randagie’ lives on.” Lou Paulson, International Commissioner, Boy Scouts of America
Click HERE to read the interview with Olena and Selby by Oksana Shevchenko, Ukrainian Journalist in .DestiNations.ua
Please click here to make a donation and list “Ukraine appeal” under the notes section. If you can provide equipment please email us directly at (insert email address). For a full list of needed equipment please click here (insert link to equipment list).
