Journey to Myself

Project Objectives

Through “Journey to Myself” we aim to meet the needs of the scouts at the age and stage of personal development where they are defining their personality and asking themselves questions about their profession.

The activities’ programme is structured in three camps and offers them the possibility to evaluate themselves on three areas: physically and mentally, social and scientific. Each area has as its objective defining the child as a person depending on the answers to the 3 defining questions: Who am I and where am I? What do I like and what do I not? Where do I want to be and where do I get there? Each camp will be designed on each answer to a question and from each area.

Activities

With the support of a €3,700 grant from the European Scout Foundation, the “Ion Soiu” local centre of the National Organization of Romanian Scouts successfully delivered “Journey to Myself” – a three-part camp experience focused on personal development, community engagement, and leadership growth.

The project reached dozens of young people through a program designed to help them reflect on three key questions:
Who am I and where am I? What do I like and what not? Where do I want to go and how do I get there?

Each of the three camps addressed one of these questions, combining scouting values with hands-on activities:

• Self-assessment & progression (June): Scouts reflected on their achievements and planned their development, while the centre opened its doors to the wider community – with over 70 visitors attending.
• Exploration & workshops (September): A follow-up camp allowed participants to choose personalized workshops, building on their goals in a scenic outdoor setting near Moacșa.
• Festival of Lights (October): A gift to the local community, the final event featured workshops for over 100 children and a magical concert performed by Quartet Kronstadt. It also attracted 36 new membership applications – 33 of whom later became full scouts.

Results

• 72 progression badges and 91 merit badges awarded
• 33 new scouts joined the local centre
• Over 100 local volunteers involved in the Festival
• Workshops and activities inspired lasting community engagement

Despite some post-Jamboree challenges and modest results in recruiting adult volunteers, the project was a success – and laid the groundwork for future development. The team has already committed to continuing the initiative in 2024 to achieve even greater impact.

“Journey to Myself was a step forward – but it’s not enough. We must continue!”