From 26 to 31 January, the “Szwadron” instructors’ circle organised a winter camp for scouts aged 15–17. For most of them, it was the first opportunity in their lives to spend a winter night away from home, in a tent, among the Kliczków forests on the banks of the Kwisa.
The main aim of scouting is to educate young people. Few people know that the Bolesławiec scout district, known to some only from the ceremonies beneath the Anchor on 1 August, is one of only a few districts in Poland that still organise the traditional summer scout camps familiar to everyone.
Camps built by us from the ground up. We do not go to the site of one of the Polish scout districts, where scouts have access to running water, warm and comfortable beds, and above all electricity and the internet. Instead, we go into the forest, where we put up our own tents, build a kitchen, brick a stove and erect a gate.
We do not organise camps for profit—their participants are mainly our own scouts. This three-week trip is the culmination of the entire scouting year in the troops. The instructors, troop leaders and camp command—the people responsible for the scouts’ safety and for ensuring that they spend this time well, 24 hours a day for 21 days—are volunteers. It can confidently be said that our district practises scouting in the form established on Polish soil 100 years ago by Andrzej Małkowski.
This year, after many discussions and much thought, we decided to organise the first winter camp for a group of several brave volunteers. Lasting six days, it did not, at first glance, differ from a summer camp. The difference was, of course, the temperature: to stay warm, we had to light the stove ourselves. To be well fed, we had to prepare our own food. To sleep well and be rested, we had to plan the watch that would add wood to the stove at night.
The main premise of this camp was that the boys should work independently. They had to make their own decisions and solve problems. Of course, the camp staff—experienced instructors who have organised winter camps for adult instructors from our district for several years—were right beside them. However, they did not often have to respond to minor problems: the participants proved resourceful and solved all difficulties among themselves, with the help of their fellow scouts.
In addition to camp life itself, over the six days the scouts trained in map reading and navigation—they completed long orienteering hikes, improved their camouflage and field-cooking skills, and, most importantly, learned about the history of the region and the country in a rather unusual way.
One of the tasks was to prepare a moving model of a battle in which Poles played a greater or lesser part. This allowed the participants to learn how Sobieski drove the Turks away from Vienna and how Capt. Raginis fought German divisions near Wizna.
The camp proved to be a great success. Radosław Kalamarz, troop leader of 12 DH Czarni, head of the Promotion and Communications Team of the ZHP Bolesławiec Scout District:
The boys returned motivated to take action, with new skills and even stronger friendships that will last for many years.
What is more, regional broadcaster TVP3 Wrocław visited us one day, and its report was broadcast in the Wrocław news programme. Interest was so great that a week later it was shown on the nationwide “Telekurier” programme.
And he adds:
This certainly will not be the last camp for our Bolesławiec scouts. We are already making plans for next year.
Be prepared!
The television report can be watched on the TVP website; it starts at the 14-minute mark.
More information and photographs are available on the Facebook profile of the Hufiec ZHP im. Szarych Szeregów w Bolesławcu.
pwd. Radosław Kalamarz
troop leader of 12 DH Czarni
head of the Promotion and Communications Team of the ZHP Bolesławiec Scout District