It is a little-known fact that the Organization of Bulgarian Scouts was one of the first established in the world – it happened the remote 1911, just four years after the Scout Movement in England emerged. For a long period of time - from the beginning of World War II and during the totalitarian regime in Bulgaria until 1989, it was not functioning. Currently one of the smallest in Europe, it is now a "process of revival," says Yordan Dyankov, member of the managing board.

The Organization of Bulgarian Scouts consists of about 500 members from different age groups. The youngest are 5 and 6-year-old children - the so-called “beavers”. Aged 7 to 11 years are the little "wolves" and 11 to 15-year-old are the "scouts". The group of 15 to 18-year-olds are called "ventures" and 18 to 26-year-olds are "rovers". Adult scouts are volunteers who assist with all activities.

During the state of emergency in Bulgaria declared until May 13, the Organization of Bulgarian Scouts has launched the initiative "Scouting never stops - 30 days of online challenges for children and young people", Yordan Dyankov explains:

"For more than a month, our traditional work with children has been impossible due to the state of emergency in the country. Our weekly meetings, camps, hikes cannot happen. In order not to discontinue our communication with the children, we have taken this initiative with the idea of keeping them in a group and offering them interesting and entertaining for them, as well as useful - to learn new things.

The challenges are very diverse, for all ages - both easier and more difficult. Depending on the skills, each child can complete them independently with varying degrees of difficulty. With each passing day more and more children are getting involved. The most active will also receive awards at the end of the initiative. The minimum is that they have participated in at least 80 percent of the challenges. The prizes are scout-oriented - badges for participation, but there will be something else for the most active participants, but we keep it a secret to surprise them.”

Due to the uncertainty surrounding the pandemic from the new coronavirus, the whole program of the Organization of Bulgarian Scouts has fallen apart. All activities from now on until the crisis will be solved will be mostly improvised, says Yordan Dyankov:

"We were at an advanced stage of preparation for the European Scout Jamboree, which was to be held in Poland in late July - early August. More than 20,000 scout children from all over Europe would gather in Gdansk for a camp. However, it was cancelled for next summer. "

Acquiring scouting knowledge can help people during a pandemic, says Yordan Dyankov. This is most clearly reflected in their sense of responsibility and discipline.

In addition, children find friends, both in their own country and from around the world, with whom they can exchange ideas and make sense of the time spent at home. But why does one want to become a scout?

"For the youngest, perhaps this is the challenge, the various attractive activities we organize. Kids love being involved in them. For volunteers who work with children, the motivation is different. It is the desire to help, to give something to others and to teach children something, to transfer one’s experience and to bring them happiness, because a child's smile is invaluable."

The organization is proud of the award for a volunteer initiative received by the President of Bulgaria in 2018.

"This distinction rewarded the kids' efforts to save the chestnut trees. Our idea was to use different biological methods, without the application of chemical substances, and fight the leaf-mining moth, a pest that attacks chestnut trees and eats their leaves in different cities in our country,” explains Yordan Dyankov.

The motto of the Bulgarian scouts is "Creating a Better World", which at this difficult time is becoming their message to the entire world.

English Rossitsa Petcova

Photos: private library