Since this Sunday, Sergei, a young Ukrainian, has discovered scouting in the Chimay region. This 16-year-old boy fled Ukraine a few months ago.
Sergei gradually discovers life in the camp. To facilitate his integration, he is alongside Martin. Like him, he is fluent in English. Sergei was starting to prepare for the end-of-year festivities at his school with his friends when the war started. He arrived in Belgium at the end of March, with his mother and sister. “My mom had to go back to Ukraine because she’s a nurse and they need her in the hospital.” for the explanation of Sergei.
Unlike other scouts, the young boy is allowed to keep his phone to check on his loved ones. Like Sergei, at least a dozen Ukrainian refugees will attend camps this summer.
“We will ask the groups to pay attention to certain themes. He sometimes has games in scouting that have war themes. This is perhaps precisely the kind of theme that we will avoid when we have a refugee child. Especially those who have experienced difficult things in their country before coming here to Belgium“, explains Adrien Mogenet, spokesperson for the Scouts Federation.
Everyone tries to help each other here
Clément Harmegnies, animator in charge of the Mont-sur-Marchienne-haies unit, adds: “If things don’t go well, if he can’t fit in, if he realizes that the scout camp is not for him, he has the option of leaving the camp. We don’t want him to feel like a prisoner here. But so far it seems to be going well“.
Sergei has never attended youth groups before, he appreciates the benevolence of his comrades: “It’s really fun and interesting. I am there for the first time and they are all nice and friendly. Everyone is trying to help each other out here.”
A very enriching experience also for his partner: “It shakes me a lot. So there, he tells me stories regarding what is happening. It touches me.“
So that money is not a barrier, the federation of scouts has a solidarity fund which makes it possible to pay for camps for refugees or young people facing financial difficulties.
