“Even if it sounds a bit cheesy, it always feels like coming home,” says Agatha Heinold, youth leader of the Ukrainian boy scout camp “Plast”. Over the past few weeks, many have probably noticed the large crowds of young scouts in the Hochland youth settlement near Königsdorf. The twelfth youth camp of the Boy Scout Association took place in Königsdorf this year. At times, 5,000 young people cavorted there. But hardly anyone was aware of the small hidden forest path at the back of the camp, which led to a secluded clearing. There, surrounded by trees, another scout group has been spending their summers in the region for several decades.
From July 31st to August 13th, about 180 young people lived on the campground with the supervisors and employees for two weeks and enjoyed being together in the vicinity of the forest. Including refugees from Ukraine. Agatha Heinold and Uljana Kovalchuk give an insight into the life of a Ukrainian boy scout camp. Like their parents before them, the two and their siblings have been with the scout community “Plast” since childhood; they have been visiting Königsdorf for more than ten years.
The Ukrainian Scout Association celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2012. In the meantime, the organization has expanded to various countries around the world and has already organized more camps in some of them, for example in Poland or Canada. This year the tent camp in Königsdorf is taking place for the 70th time – another anniversary for the Plast team.
During their time in Königsdorf, the main goal was a relaxed coexistence. The children should feel comfortable and be able to rediscover their culture in a foreign country. This should give many a piece of security. “It’s always fascinating to see how these 80 children, some of whom are strangers, have really become a family by the third day at the latest,” remarks Uljana Kovalchuk.
Similar to the camp of the big scout meeting only a few hundred meters away, excursions were also planned here. The participants visited the toboggan run on the Blomberg, went on a two-day hike to the Tutzinger Hütte and worked in the climbing forest. In the camp, the children and young people learned practical things such as botany, reading maps and constructing the wooden gates at the entrance. For creative balance, they played theater or painted in the Ukrainian style of Petrykivka. The groups spent the evenings around a large campfire. There they sang songs from their homeland, acted, performed skits or recited poems. They also celebrated the Ukrainian summer solstice Ivana-Kupala. For this purpose, all young people were allowed to bring their traditional Ukrainian costume. Together they braided traditional flower wreaths, sang songs, and the bravest among them jumped over the campfire.
Usually, a maximum of 50 children and young people are allowed to take part in the camp. This year, the organizers increased the number of places to 78, so refugees from Ukraine could also take part. At meetings for the camp’s caregivers, they were told how to deal with traumatized children. The aim is to create a feel-good atmosphere for the children. For many, a sense of home is important. Within the Ukrainian camp, the participants speak their mother tongue.
Despite increased capacity, the organizers had to turn down the registrations of a further 50 interested parties. However, Agatha Heinold and Uljana Kovalchuk do not want to reduce the tent camp in the future. They are convinced that it will continue to grow. “After these two weeks, we’ll see how it went and what we have to look out for next time when organizing; what we can do better,” says Kovalchuk. From her point of view, the organization is exhausting, but also fulfilling.