Chair’s Letter

ESF newsletter March 2023

Dear Friends of Scouting in Europe

We would like to inform you that two of our board members, Bianca Victoria Nesiu-Bedreag and Agnieszka Pospiszyl, resigned from the board last year. Bianca joined in 2017 and was our expert responsible for projects, while Agnieszka joined in 2019 and was our communication specialist. Both were very committed to supporting Scouting in Eastern and Central Europe by helping local Scouts to leave this world a little better than they found it with their projects and informing our donors about the impact of their financial support. However, their personal circumstances changed in 2022 and their resources didn’t allow them to continue their work for the ESF. We appreciate all they have done to support scouting over many years and wish them good luck and all the best for the future.

We are pleased to welcome Milena Pecarski from Serbia to the Board as the new board member responsible for projects. Milena has served the Scout Movement for over 20 years in various roles in the Scout organization of Serbia and in various positions on an international level in Scouting, such as a youth advisor to the World Scout Committee and a member of the European Committee. With a 15-year long professional experience in funding, grant-making, fundraising, and capacity development, Milena’s skills and background will make a difference for Scouting in Central and Eastern Europe and help advance the work of the ESF.

Your past donations have supported many projects, such as Scouting Slovakia’s “Experience Scouting at the Summer Camp” project. The scout group 3. zbor Aničky a Bořivoja Uhrových Kežmarok had a summer camp on a meadow surrounded by forests and mountains, and with the financial support of the ESF, they obtained two new “saharas”, allowing more children to experience adventures in pure nature for two weeks with friends, acquiring new skills and learning important life lessons of independency, friendship, care and life without digital noise. Thanks to the new tents, 16 more children were able to
attend the camp than in previous years.

 

 

Currently, one project that is seeking support is from ZHP Poland. They collect, often damaged and broken, bikes from the region’s inhabitants, service them on their own and hand over the prepared bikes to Ukrainian children and adults to support their local mobility.

We appreciate your continued support for projects like this through your donations.

Yours in Scouting,
Vivian Fankhauser-Feitknecht
Chair European Scout Foundation