Fornax in Iceland with the Hungarian Scout Association

Scouting looks back on a past of more than a century – from a twenty strong camp on an English island it has blossomed into one of the largest youth organizations of the world: the WOSM (World Organization of the Scout Movement) currently counts more than 40 million members worldwide and is an advisory member of the UN. Scouting or the Scout Movement is a voluntary, non-political educational movement.

The Hungarian Scout Association is a member of the WOSM, with a headcount of about 10 000. Their goal: conveying the scouting life style, in other words the values based on the scout oath and the law to the youth. This way they raise agile, responsible young adults, citizens, who are committed to their homeland and nation, and to their growth towards God through self-development. Their method is learning by doing in small communities, groups from a very young age.

The World Scout Moot is organized by the WOSM every four years. Like in the case of the Olympic Games, countries wishing to host it need to apply, and the applications are judged by a committee nominated by the WOSM. The Hungarian Moot Team was formed independently, with the support of the Association, and they represented Hungary in Iceland in 2017. During the first four days of the Moot scouts assembled from all over the world in the European Scout Centre in Kandersteg (Switzerland), after which they made their way to Iceland. The opening ceremony was in Reykjavik, and the teams proceeded from there to Expedition centres. The scouts were grouped according to their interests, and every group had a chance to discover a different area during the two week excursion. The Hungarian delegates ended up in one of the largest towns of the northern region, Akureyri where they had a chance to meet the international group. They spent their days hiking, doing community work, sightseeing, and they even got to watch whales from a ship. A bus took them to Úlfljótsvatn, where they got to learn about different aspects of Icelandic culture, they tinkered, played sports and learned a lot from one another about one another. For the last part of the trip they went to Landmannalugar, this is the starting point of the Laugavegur trek, a famously beautiful 55 km trail. The Hungarian team accomplished it in four days. The wonderful adventure was closed by a visit to the amazing Strokkur geyser, after which the Hungarian Moot Team returned home exhausted but with memories for a lifetime.

We are grateful to have been a part of the World Scout Moot, and we hope to support them in the future as well.

Keep up the good work and be prepared!