Scouts

Everyone is welcome at the Lüdinghausen scouts / Yurt castle becomes scout home

Scouts love being outdoors and going on adventures. However, corona threw a spanner in the works last year. Florian Janich talks about this and what else the Lüdinghausen scouts are up to in an interview with Nadine Wenge. He has been tribal chairman for two years and only joined the scouts in 2017. At the time, he was looking for kitchen help for the summer camp. Florian Janich then applied and went to the camp with his young daughter. He has been infected with the scout virus ever since.

What do the scouts actually do?

We actually spend a lot of time outdoors, especially in summer at the claim, our log cabin in Berenbrock Forest. Here we can experience nature, build tents and do handicrafts. We camp a lot. The children also take on responsibility and help with cooking, setting up the tent and the daily chores, for example. Environmental protection plays a major role for us. We want to leave the world a little better than we found it. And we teach values, for example that it is important to help each other. And we live the community. Experiencing something together is the best thing for the scouts.

None of that was possible last year. How did you experience the coronavirus period?

The coronavirus period has really slowed us down. We weren't allowed to have camps or group lessons. We held them online. Even with the youngest, the Wölflingen - I'm a group leader here myself.

How were the online group lessons received?

With the youngest children, we limited ourselves to 45 minutes, which was enough time for them to concentrate. We played puzzle games or just chatted. Most of them thought that was great. Over time, however, it became less and less because the children no longer wanted to sit in front of the computer, just like us.

Why did you go online in the first place?

It's important for us to stay in touch and keep the children interested. I'm afraid that the tribe has lost a lot of members due to Corona. That's why we hope all the more that we can start up again properly in the summer.

Who can become a scout?

Anyone can join the scouts, true to the motto "You can come, no matter who you are. And no matter what you can do. You don't have to prove anything to us." There is no sense of competition here. And that's very nice. We currently have a waiting list for the Cub Scouts, but this has now become much shorter. You can join the other age groups at any time.

You have a new scout house, the yurt castle at Vogelrute. What does it look like there?

We've got to the point where we can use the outdoor area and the large hall for group lessons. 40 children can gather here. There are also two additional rooms for small groups. A workshop is also planned.

Info: The Lüdinghausen scouts have been around since 1949. The tribe has 140 members, including 20 volunteer leaders. There are different age groups: The youngest are the Wölflinge (6-10 years), then come the Jungpfadfinder (9-13), Pfadfinder (12-16), Rover (16-20) and finally, from the age of 18, the leaders who look after the groups. The group lessons take place weekly and last 1½ hours. The group rooms are in the yurt hut. In summer, the group lessons take place at the "Claim".