Scouting in the Czech Republic was banned three times under the country’s authoritarian regimes and many of its leaders sacked from their jobs or even thrown in jail but 30 years after the collapse of Communism young Czechs are queuing up to become Scouts and the Czech Republic is one of Scouting’s fastest-growing national organisations after Junák – Czech Scouting renewed its youth programme Membership reached 60,522 at the end of January this year Year-on-year growth was the highest in 12 years The country has a population of about 10.5 million “We have completely renewed our youth programme,” said Josef Vyprachticky – Jose but we also offer new activities and topics that are of interest and importance to girls and boys That means that where once Czech Scouts found inspiration in the work of Jules Verne now it’s the Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter Today’s young Scouts may also learn about financial literacy or Internet security and get the chance to earn badges in skills like geocaching while expert partnerships ensure members can find out about professions such as broadcasting continues to provide the foundation for the Czech Scouting experience it is designed to ensure that young people learn the kind of skills that will help them excel in life - whether that’s teamwork the ability to communicate across cultures and differences or self-discipline a town about 100 kilometres east of the capital Prague has more than doubled its membership since 2010 and meets every week in an old school building that it leases from the authorities including 109 children under the age of 18 Mysak and Alchy are 12 years old and have been going to Scout meetings in Prelouc since they were six The boys say they enjoy the variety of activities on offer This winter they got the chance to try cross-country skiing “It was the first time for me,” recalled Mysak “It was great to learn with friends and people I know well.” But as Scouts they also learn to work together in more unusual ways Pajas remembers the time they had to drop an egg from a window without breaking it “It was truly an interesting game,” he laughed The Scout leaders in Prelouc have worked hard to boost membership holding regular ‘Scouting Days’ where they invite local families to join them and enjoy a slice of Scouting life building a podsada tent – a type of tent that’s unique to Czech (and Slovak) scouting - or learning more about the activities on offer “People know about us well and parents search for Scouting because they know that today's children sit mostly at their computer on their smartphone and do nothing else,” said Clara who leads the 1st Anikrok Scout troop in the town “Parents know that Scouting is really useful and universal when it comes to personal growth and really fun for their kids too.” More than 80% of parents in the Czech Republic would be supportive of their children becoming Scouts Most Czechs (89%) also believe that children who join the Movement will experience a lot of adventure But growing Scouting isn’t just about getting more children to join – expansion also requires more adult volunteers Czech Scouts have begun a new initiative to woo adults from outside Scouting to become volunteers but its Rover Scouts remain the backbone of unit leadership “What has been working very well for us for years is turning Rover Scouts into leaders,” Vyprachticky said “A vast majority of our unit leaders have gone through the educational process that Scouting provides and decided to stay on as leaders She helps Clara run the Scout troop for girls in Prelouc and first joined the organisation when she was eight She says it’s the activities that keep many of the young people in their troop coming back but it’s the summer camp that’s the highlight of the year when scores of Scouts build their podsada or tee-pee tents together and spend two weeks or more enjoying the outdoor life “I think a lot of kids come thanks to the fact that they know some friend who already is a Scout and enjoys it,” Katka said Top Tips from Scouts in the Czech Republic - Keep your youth programme relevant innovative and updated - Make sure your training system makes people skilled informed and passionate - Talk about Scouting to people outside of Scouting using words including through mass media and social media - Look around and get inspired by what is there – not only in the Scouting environment and not only in your country - Don’t do things just because they have been done like that “forever” Always ask “why” and stay relevant and up-to-date https://www.skaut.cz/60thousand You may have already heard about #OurStories campaign or this may be the first time you hear about this project The #OurStories campaign includes inspiring stories from the projects made possible by the EEA and Norway Grants is having close cooperation with among others Czech partners in a wide range of topics and Environment are some of the topics our countries are working on together through sharing knowledge and expertise The projects being shared through #OurStories campaign are just a small selection of projects being implemented and finalized throughout this EEA-and Norway grants period The projects are aiming at making Europe more inclusive global impact: students from Přelouč join the Youth for Climate project Climate change is one of the most pressing global challenges of our time and its impact is felt around the world This project aims to motivate and involve the young generation in climate protection at local level This project is supported under the Active citizens fund.  #OurStories: Together with children against drought A cooperation between Norwegian and Czech partners The Together with Children Against Drought project provides invaluable experiences for children through outdoor learning and active participation in conservation efforts it strengthens their environmental awareness helps them develop respect for the environment and contributes to the sustainable care of nature This project is part of the education program is a project under the Active Citizens fund The project aims to strengthen civil society active citizenship and empower disadvantaged groups.  But also increase the participation of young adults in civile participation with a focus on structurally disadvantaged regions and youth inclusion 150 young people have already joined the project implementing 48 projects and participating in a total of 217 events.  #OurStories: Mentoring makes it easier for convicts to return to the world without bars A project under the justice programme with cooperation between the Norwegian partner Åpenhet and Czech partner ProEduCo and the project promoter Volontè Czech The main goal of the project is to create adequate conditions for the resocialization and reintegration of clients returning to freedom from imprisonment to support them in the positive aspects of their development and to activate them to solve their problems and make changes leading to the prevention of recidivism.  #OurStories: Mental health teams for children and adolescents as the future of Czech education system The aim of this project is to support the psychological health and well-being of children and adolescents in the area of Kutná Hora region thereby improving access to relevant services in the area The project builds on a cooperation between the Norwegian partner Ostbytunet Center for Treatment and Professional Development in Child Psychiatry and the Czech partners Pedagogical-Psychological Counseling Office #OurStories: #StopHate project opens the debate for the first time on harassing behavior towards publicly active women This project is under the Human Rights program with the project promoter Forum 50% The project raises the awareness of the professional and lay public about gender-based violence against a specific group of women - politicians and publicly active women - and opens up a discussion about its possible solutions #OurStories: PROFiBONE: A groundbreaking material for biomedicine is being developed It can be used to 3D-print bone replacements The aim of this project under the research program is development of a professional bone implant through low-temperature 3D printing of biofunctionalized ceramic bone implants with tunable mechanical properties This to meet the specific needs of patients and promote bone healing.  present and promote the unique phenomenon of glass production in the Železný Brod region in conjunction with the project partners which are Norwegian glass artists and the Museum of Romani Culture in Brno #OurStories: The city of Tábor takes cooperation with the Roma community as an opportunity These two projects fall under the Human Right program The project "All together" strengthens the voice of the Roma community and its responsibility in solving current issues in the territory under the administration of Tábor municipality  The goal of the project "Motivation for education" is to solve the failure of Roma children in the educational system in Tábor using the tools of social work through mutually complementary activities aimed at parents #OurStories: The Ostrava project REPLACE – Green in place of concrete transforms concrete areas into attractive green locations The aim of the project is to contribute to the mitigation of the impact of climate change and to the recovery of the environment in connection with the Healthy City priority which is anchored in the Ostrava Strategic Plan This project is part of the Environment program #OurStories: Life beyond bars & punishments Prisons shouldn’t be a one-way ticket – coming back is what truly matters opens the door for more prisoners to turn their lives around With the support from the Justice program this project facilitated so that the first probation house in the Czech Republic has opened its doors with a mission to modernise the approach to correctional services as part of the “Back To Life” project If you want to learn more about the #OurStories campaign you can find videos of the projects on Youtube or read more about the projects at the eeagrants webpage.   Otevírací dobaPo-pá 09:00 - 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