To: District Commissioners in Essex

International Update January 2017

Dear DC,

As you may know, I have been asked to take on the role of Assistant County Commissioner (International) to take forward adult support for International Scouting, and also to oversee the selection process and the Essex units attending the World Scout Jamboree in 2019.

World Scout Jamboree 2019

The 24thWorld Scout Jamboree will be held July 22 through August 2, 2019, at The Summit Bechtel Family National Scout Reserve in the beautiful mountains of West Virginia, USA. We are currently awaiting information from the International team at HQ regarding the selection process for the WSJ, so we hope to be able to write to DC’s before the end of February with some further information about the selection process.

Arranging a Visit Abroad

A new process for obtaining approval for a Visit Abroad was introduced in 2016. If any of your leaders are arranging a trip they should familiarisethemselves with the new process by reading the guidance at:

Guidance, Visits Abroad forms, and an FAQ can be downloaded from this website.

The Visit Abroad approval process exists to ensure that Scouting Visits Abroad are carried out ensuring the safety of adult and youth members, so it is really important it is adhered to properly by leaders when arranging a trip. In the event of an emergency this process will ensure that The Scout Association can support Members in the best way possible.

To obtain outline approval for your trip, the leader should send their Visits Abroad form (part A) to the County International Team as soon as they begin planning their trip – please send your email to the following email address:

District International Advisers

We are asking each DC to appoint a District International Adviser this year. The role has three main aims:

1 / To liaise with leaders arranging Visits Abroad to offer support and to ensure that the Visits Abroad process is being adhered to
2 / To promote the World Scout Jamboree in the District and also other International events/opportunities
3 / To co-ordinate the District’s Young Person selection process for the World Scout Jamboree

To assist DC’s in their appointment, we have put together a role description (see attached).

Hopefully you will be able to find a suitable candidate who has sufficient skills to undertake this role. It would be really great if you could appoint a young adult to this role aged 18-25 and who has experience of Scouting Visits Abroad or a World Scout Jamboree.

Once you have agreed the appointment, please can you let me know the name of the appointed person, and also ensure their appointment is entered into Compass.

How to contact us

The County International Team have an email address which we are using to handle all international enquiries including Visits Abroad, if you have any questions relating to any aspect of international Scouting you can contact us at this address and we will do our best to help you:

Please would you also share all of this information with your district team especially the ADCs (Sections) and DESC.

If you have any questions or need any assistance or advice with anything relating to International Scouting please do not hesitate to get in touch.

Yours in Scouting,

Liz Smith

Assistant County Commissioner (International)