The Covid does not preclude big meetings for scouting… except they become virtual ! 

The Federal Council that should have taken place in Bologna, Italy, on 28 November 2020, finally took place remotely because of the Covid crisis. Almost 50 members of the Federal Council gathered from Europe and beyond for a three-hour virtual meeting to discuss and listen to various presentations. The votes took place online after the meeting, and we were happy to announce a few days later that one of our member associations had taken a step forward.

The Slovakian Association has been officially recognised as a full member association of the UIGSE. Congratulations and welcome on board, Slovakian friends!

The Catholic Association of Guides and Scouts of Europe in Slovakia – Združenie Katolíckych Vodkýň a Skautov Európy na Slovensku (ZKVSES) – had joined the UIGSE as an observer association in 2009 and was a candidate since 2011. Today, with 8 wolfpacks, 3 units of ladybirds, 4 scout troops, 3 guide troops, 3 wayfarers’ units, 4 clans, and a RS community, it has reached a total of 260 members, more than the 250 required to become a “recognised” association.

Their leaders have participated to various training camps abroad, most particularly in Italy, Poland and France. They also organise one or two training weekends per year for each branch in their country.

Once the members of the Slovakian Board heard the news, they expressed their gratefulness and motivation to continue to improve and develop their association. And we are looking forward to visiting their country for the next Woodbadge Days in February. Thank you, Slovakia, we are looking forward to this great adventure together!

Additionally, we were glad to announce that Brazil had joined the Union as an observer association. For more detail, you can have a look at the article entitled “Welcome in the UIGSE, Brazil!”.