Impressions from Portugal - ACANAC V
I'm happy to give the report from the fifth ACANAC (Acampamento
Nacional = National Camp) from the Fraternidade Nuno Àlvares
(FNA), the Portuguese Fellowship of adult scouts from the catholic
scout organization Corpo Nacional de Escutas that took place from
the 15th till the 19th of August in São Jacinto (Aveiro), Portugal.
It really was a National Camp, with more than 200 members present
from every region of Portugal. It was international too, with partici-
pants from Spain, France, Slovenia, Denmark, the Netherlands and
Belgium.
But most of all, ACANAC V was a Camp. A real example of active
adults with the scouting and guiding spirit. The programme was filled
with diverse activities, fitting everyone's abilities and interests. Many
families were present, so the group was a beautiful mix of ages,
experiences, skills and languages. Adult or young - we were all play-
ing together !
The camp theme was "Gente que fica no tempo que passa" ("People
that stay in times that run by"). The whole camp was a voyage from
the past, through the present, and on to the future.
We started at the ISGF Youth Forum and World Conference in
Norway in 2005, and continued to share active Fellowship through
an e-mail group and later a forum site. But it is difficult to spread
our passion for the Scout and Guide spirit through websites and
forums.
During this ACANAC, we found that Activity and Personal Contact
are essential to spread the Scout and Guide spirit, which is the
spirit of COMPAS. So join us on the forum site and share your
activities with other adult Scouts and Guides. We wish to meet,
learn from each other and have fun. This way we want to show the
world that adult Scouts and Guides are still active and prepared.
We are still prepared. Are you?
http://www.takeforum.com/compas/
This seems to me to be the central philosophy
of the FNA : we share our past, but not just for
nostalgia's sake. We live in the present, as
committed, open-minded, motivated, prepared
and active adult Scouts and Guides. We work
towards a better future, hoping to leave this
world a little better than when we entered it.
Of course, this fits perfectly with everything COMPAS stands for.
During the camp, some adult Scouts and Guides talked about the past
year, the present and the future of COMPAS (see insert).
Should I tell you more? Words can't describe the extraordinary sur-
roundings of the camp site, in the Nature Centre, close to the Atlantic
Ocean and the Dunes Reserve. Nor can they give you a taste of the
delicious food, or a feel of the camp fire songs, or the intense hospi-
tality of our Portuguese hosts.
So take a look on http://fna.cne-escutismo.pt/acanac/.
Better still: join us in ACANAC VI, in Lisboa. Invitations to follow !
Renaat De Boel
Belgium
CZECH SENIOR SCOUTS AND GUIDES GO DIGITAL
Not every senior has a grandchild who knows all about computers
and is willing to patiently share at least part of his knowledge. We
adult Scouts and Guides must be prepared to master the basics of
the technology to enable us to communicate with one another and
with the outside world.
Czech Scout and Guide Fellowship organized a workshop on
Digital Technology in Scouting for its senior functionaries. Twenty-
four participants got together for several days and made use of the
computer facilities of a school in Chrastice, where the chief instruc-
tor is a headmaster. When they overcame their initial fear, from the
seemingly complicated procedure, they gradually learned how to
open the computer and eventually opening the world of the Internet,
where messages and information can be exchanged. Those who
already knew some secrets of the subject could practise several of
the more advanced techniques of communication and photography.
The most appreciated outcome of the course was a collective CD
with texts, photos and graphics reflecting the scout-style life and
creative activities experienced during the workshop.
Jan Adamec,
International Secretary
Czech Republic
