I met local scouts in Stourbridge who have been selected to go to South Korea this summer for the World Scout Jamboree.
Archie Payne, 15, George Tombs, 13, and Samuel Pearson who is also 13, are all members of Stourbridge District Scouts who will be in South Korea for three weeks in July. They have already called themselves the 'Black Country Bucketeers', a name I particularly like! Each of the Scouts told me what they were most excited to see in South Korea, with George saying he was looking forward to seeing a new way of life in Korea, Archie saying he is looking forward to seeing the Demilitarized Zone between North and South Korea and Samuel saying he is most excited to meet new people and make new friends. I also met with Ian Skidmore, the Scouts' county chair and Peter Thompson the district chair.
For the young Scouts to be selected for the trip, they had to go through a three-month selection process including a written application and completing other activities. In total, 36 scouts are going from the district and four leaders who will be supervising the trip.
Once they were selected the boys then had to start their fundraising to pay for it. This included bag packing in supermarkets, baking, selling plants and having stalls at local events.
It was a pleasure to meet these three Scouts who I know will do our town and the Scouts proud when they are in South Korea this summer. They should be proud of making the trip and fundraising to pay for it. These are skills that will stand them in good stead as they become adults. I look forward to hearing about their adventure when they return!
