Berkshire leader takes part in historic UK link visit with the Arab region

In November 2005, Pete Jeffreys, an Assistant Cub Scout Leader with 73rd Reading (Park) and recently appointed Explorer Scout Leader (Young Leader) for the three Reading districts, was selected as one of 15 Adult Volunteer Leaders from across the UK to take part in the first ever Scouting cultural exchange with the Arab region.

Headed by Jackie Martin, the Association’s International Adviser, and John Simmons from the International Team, the group visited Egypt and met with a wide variety of people. The visit included discussions with local Scouts and Scout Leaders, meetings with delegations from all thirteen Arab region countries, staying in the International Scout Centre in Cairo as well as being shown the spectacular cultural heritage of Egypt by our very own Scout guides! The hospitality shown to us by our hosts was overwhelming; from being fast-tracked through customs at Cairo airport to being taken to their favourite restaurants, and being bid farewell with each of us having a rose to take back with us.

The eagerness of Egyptians and others we met to greet us and converse in English was striking; nearly all knew basic phrases but many more were able to sustain a good conversation in English somewhat more fluently than some of our own party! A surprisingly popular element of Scouting in Egypt and other Arab countries is that of Sea Scouting. During our trip we visited a sea Scout group with its base on the banks of the River Nile in the centre of Cairo and saw some of their Scouts taking part in water activities on the Nile – a sight I never thought would happen! We also took a day trip to Alexandria on the northern coast with the Mediterranean Sea where Egypt host the regional sea Scout centre; this centre has facilities for sailing, windsurfing, paddling, scuba diving and just about any other water activity you could think of!

The cultural part of the trip took us to the Great Pyramids of Giza, the Sphinx, dinner on a Nile cruise, visiting the site of the old pharonic lighthouse and library at Alexandria, the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, and much more. On Sunday 13th November, Remembrance Sunday, we were visiting the pyramids and the Sphinx and at 1pm Egyptian time, 11am GMT, we all took a two minutes’ silence in a simple service in front of the Sphinx. For me that was a significant moment which showed that even though we were standing on a different continent and amongst people we did not know we were able to observe a two minutes’ silence along with our fellow Scouts in the UK.

The trip helped us all to further understand the Arabic culture, the nature of Scouting in the region and its wonderfully friendly people. We were able to see that although we were subsumed into a very different culture with different customs and traditions we were still amongst friends as we had all made the Scout promise and shared our common goals. When we were walking down the street in uniform the respect and almost jubilation by children passing us was remarkable and signalled to us the high regard in which Scouting is held in Arab countries.

Pete Jeffreys,  Assistant Cub Scout Leader, 73rd Reading (Park) Scout Group

Explorer Scout Leader (Young Leaders), Reading Central, East Reading & Pang Valley

Click here to visit the web site of Scouts in Egypt

Click here to visit the web site of the Arab Scouts Region