Kandersteg International Scout Centre

KANDERSTEG
INTERNATIONAL SCOUT CENTRE
THE WORLD SCOUT CENTRE
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Contents
“Singing and acting are excellent
for training in self-expression.
Also they mean good team work,
everybody learning his part
and doing it well, not for the
applause for himself but for
the success of the whole show”
Robert Baden-Powell
K I S C
– A n n u a l
R eport
2005
Dear Friends
Guests
Staff
Programme
Safety
Infrastructure
‘Next Generation Chalet’ Project
General Operation
The Kandersteg International Scout Centre Association The Chairman’s Challenge
The Kandersteg Committee
WOSM
Thank you
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Dear Friends,
It is with pleasure that we present to you the Kandersteg International Scout Centre Annual Report 2005. The World Scout Centre
was founded 82 years ago as a direct result of Robert BadenPowell’s dream to create a Permanent Mini Jamboree. Today, and
everyday, we still live this dream! The Swiss Alps provide an excellent base for adventurous and challenging activities through
which to develop international friendship. These themes were at
the core of BP’s dream and today they remain the pillars of the
Centre. Of course, the day-to-day challenges of running such a
Centre have changed in those years and will continue to do so. For
instance, nowadays we welcome over 10,000 guests every year!
And during our busiest periods we can accommodate 230 indoor
guests and 1,400 campers. Many Scouts and Guides are willing
to give much of their time to become a volunteer at the Centre;
but the challenges of the present day require us to be professionals in the service we provide. Both in terms of safety and the
quality of the programme activities and facilities we offer.
welcomed less guests than normal, ending the year with a total of
53,536 overnights. In August, half of the village was hit by major
flooding. It was encouraging to see so many guests join with staff
to help the local community rescue possessions and empty basements. At the time, life on the campsite wasn’t too good either
but thankfully all of the Centre’s buildings were spared!
2005 has been a challenging but interesting year for the Centre
and we look back on it with a great sense of pride. We said goodbye to Miriam Herzberg and welcomed Mark Knippenberg as the
new Director.
Kandersteg / Switzerland, April 2006
Possibly due to the huge amount of special Scout camps throughout Europe and the renovation of parts of the ‘Old Chalet’, we
Thijs Stoffer
Chairman KISC Association
This report shows you the challenges and changes we faced in
2005. It tells the story of 10,000 Scouts and Guides having the
time of their life, and of our volunteers who donate 3 or more
months of their lives to World Scouting. It tells you about our
Members and all those who support us in our work. With the help
of all these people we are able to keep Baden-Powell’s dream of
the Permanent Mini Jamboree alive. We are very grateful to all
those who have supported us in the past years. Thanks to them,
Scouts and Guides from all over the world can continue to visit
us so that they too can Live the dream!
Mark Knippenberg
Director
KISC
– Annual
Report
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Guests
It is the people that create the unique atmosphere of the Permanent Mini Jamboree here at Kandersteg. During 2005 we welcomed 10,122 guests from 40 countries and they stayed with us
for 53,536 overnights. 90% of our guests were Scouts or Guides,
most of which came from the UK. The United States of America
came second, followed by Switzerland and Germany (Figs. 1
and 2.)
Figure 1 – Top 10 countries – People
DK
NL
IE
IT
PT
FI
GB
DE
CH
GB
US
CH
US
DE
NL
DK
IT
IE
PT
FI
PT
FI
Figure 2 – Top 10 countries – Overnights
IT
IE
CH
PT
FI
GB
NL
DK
US
K I S C
– A n n u a l
R eport
2005
GB
DE
US
DE
DK
NL
IT
CH
IE
We had an increase in guests from Portugal and Ireland this
year and Finnish Scouts also came in larger numbers. More and
more people are discovering our Winter Programme, resulting
in a very successful season with over 5,552 overnights recorded
in January, February and March. This meant there was lots of
skiing, snowboarding and snowshoeing (and a few igloos were
built too!). As always in winter, we hosted the big winter camp
weekends from the BSA Transatlantic Council – the Klondike’s.
In summer we saw some big (over 80 Scouts) groups from
Korea, the UK and Ireland, and again the BSA Transatlantic Council with their ‘Camp Alpine’. And during our quieter times we
were delighted to welcome the Aladdin Foundation of Switzerland for two weeks, the Swiss Ski Marathon for a weekend, two
European Scout Region seminars and the International Committee of the Swiss Scout Movement.
KISC
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Report
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Staff
Here at the Kandersteg International Scout Centre, we believe
that we are a Centre for young people, run by young people.
It is our staff who make the facilities, campsite and programme
come alive. They create the ‘Magic’ that exists here! Central to
this is an international team of motivated young people from
all around the world, coming here to help look after the World
Scout Centre. To achieve this, the organisation and our training
has developed considerably over the past few years into what is
now a well-organised, tailored programme that fits the needs of
the Centre and its special environment. In addition to the permanent full time Director, we have ‘Short Term’ and ‘Long Term’
Staff, who are all volunteers and who have chosen to spend
between 3 months and several years as part of the team.
Staff Statistics
Year
Staff Total
Countries
2005
2004
2003
2002
72
72
73
72
26
28
34
26
The number of staff needed and the type of work they do at
the Centre is dependant upon the season. In our high seasons (Winter and Summer) we have bigger teams and they are
fully involved in all areas of operation. In Autumn and Spring,
the work is more focused on building, renovating and cleaning.
In busy periods we often ask ex-staff to come back for a short
time as Helpers. Our peak period is over 1 August (Swiss National Day) during which we have a staff team of approximately
65 people!
Staff representation per WOSM Region
Africa Arab Asia-Pacific Eurasia Europe Inter-America
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1
9
1
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K I S C
– A n n u a l
R eport
2005
In 2005 we were fortunate to have staff members representing
all the regions of WOSM. As always, because of where we are
located, the European Region was strongly represented. In the
future, we are looking to find a better balance between the numbers of staff from different regions around the world.
For every staff member, the time spent at Kandersteg International Scout Centre is one of building International Friendship
and learning to accept and appreciate (cultural) differences
within the team. The impact of their time here on their lives is
profound and long lasting.
We thank all staff for the excellent job they did in helping the
Centre to continue being the Permanent Mini Jamboree in 2005!
KISC
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Report
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Programme
Our Programme Department is steadily improving and expanding its range of activities. Every year we have discussions with
guests and gather new ideas from our own experiences and
visits to other Scout Centres. The year started with a busy winter season with many guests enjoying winter fun and sun. Kandersteg and the surrounding ski areas saw hundreds of Scouts
skiing, snow boarding, sledging, snow shoeing, ice skating,
curling, building igloos, ice climbing and of course having snowball fights!
Our Programme activities are based on 3 main themes:
• International Friendship
• High Adventure
• The Environment.
As in previous years, we introduced some new activities to each
theme. The most popular new activity was the high ropes park
near Interlaken. We also introduced new hikes; a hike ‘n‘ climb
workshop and our Eco Adventure activity range doubled. The
Youth Forums, which were introduced in 2004, continued and
gave our younger guests the chance to give us feedback about
K I S C
– A n n u a l
R eport
2005
the Centre as well as their views on International Scouting. The
Forums were very successful and will be developed further and
continued in 2006.
Activities organised in co-operation with local companies such
as coach trips, canyoning and rafting are becoming increasingly
popular. These trips offer our guests excellent opportunities to
get out there and really discover the adventurous side of Switzerland!
Safety
The safety of our guests and staff is of paramount importance
to us here at the Centre. A good safety policy is key if we are to
avoid the many potential risks of our Alpine environment. We
also recognise that safety is a complex issue that has a lot to do
with attitude.
Throughout 2005 our extensive staff training, ongoing improvement to our safety systems, and continued provision of in-depth
safety related information to our guests led to good awareness
of risks and a better attitude toward it. During the year incidents
involving guests decreased slightly whilst we also managed to
decrease the number of work-related staff incidents once again
in 2005. We are very proud of this result and we will continue to
improve our staff training, activity risk assessments, and followups of near misses.
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Infrastructure
‘Next Generation Chalet’ Project
We welcome over 10,000 guests every year and to ensure that
we can continue to meet our commitments to future generations
of young people we have embarked on a 5-year project costing
CHF 2.8 Million (50% of which the Committee has raised since
2004).
The aim of the project is to provide a better experience in all aspects of the Centre for future generations of Scouts, as well as
all our non-Scouting guests.
With regards to maintenance work, 2005 was a relatively normal year. The German Room was fully renovated and although
the room is in the same place, it now has a much more spacious
feel. This is because it now uses all the space available under
the roof, with beds having been created above the corridor. The
Chairman’s Challenge of 2004 was finally realised during the
spring, summer and autumn with the help of all the Work Parties
and staff. The result is a beautiful new covered fireplace (actually 2, thanks to the generous donations we received!) that will
cater for the needs of our campsite guests. Also on the campsite,
routine maintenance work was carried out and some more trees
were felled.
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K I S C
– A n n u a l
R eport
2005
Imagine, if you will, the Centre on a normal summer’s day …
groups arriving and departing … 40 groups from 20 countries
… 200 in the chalet and 1,200 on the campsite… all young, all
energetic and all taking part in activities! Now imagine each
and every nation, group and person with their own individual
needs and expectations … and all this is managed by a team of
voluntary staff year round - the Pinkies!
And now imagine all of this in a building which was built in a
different time, with no provision for the disabled, none of the
new health and safety requirements to adhere to - a building
which needs bedrooms renovated, meeting rooms extended, and
materials to run indoor activities for its guests … and that’s before we mention the 17 hectare campsite!
By now you will have a vivid picture in your mind’s eye and
realise our predicament … We could continue like this for some
time - a few years … maybe five, but certainly not forever.
Now is the time to invest in the future of KISC, the World Scout
Centre.
In summary the Project will deliver, between 2005 and 2009,
a face-lift for the Old Chalet including the refurbishment of all
bathrooms, 8 bedrooms (91 beds), internal and external improvements relating to the terraces, façade, and disabled access. For
the campsite the Project will deliver new and improved sports
facilities, 4 new shelters, 8 renovated sites, renovation of all the
toilet blocks and improvements to our campfire circle. Some of
the other work under the Project will improve facilities such as
our guest kitchens, Uncle Sam’s and Trutzhaus.
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General Operation
The new booking system proved to be a successful tool in 2005
and now includes all Programme activities. Small upgrades and
changes have been made to tailor the system to the needs of the
Centre. Development of a new IT-Strategy also began. This will
ensure that the Centre is following general trends and is able to
face future challenges in the IT area. And we have commenced
development of a new, more interactive, website which we hope
to launch during the summer of 2006.
The Kandersteg International
Scout Centre Association
The aim of the Association is to support the International Scout
Movement by operating, through a volunteer staff team, Kandersteg International Scout Centre. In providing an International
Scout Centre, the Association wishes to:
• Promote the growth of international friendship among Scouts
and Guides from all countries.
• Contribute to the personal development of each individual by
using the methods and principles of Scouting.
• Further International Scouting and Guiding according to
the principles of the World Organisations (WOSM and
WAGGGS).
• Provide practical opportunities to enjoy a real Alpine experience.
By the end of 2005 the Association had 634 Members in 47 countries across the world. 8 people decided to become Life Members
- 6 of whom had previously been Individual Members. 24 new
Individual Members were also welcomed to the Association.
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K I S C
– A n n u a l
R eport
2005
The Chairman’s Challenge
Every year the Chairman of the Committee challenges the Members of the KISC Association to raise money for a project at the
Centre. In 2004 the challenge was to build a covered fireplace on
the campsite. This sheltered campfire area will provide groups
with a bad weather alternative for cooking but will also be used
as a social area where groups can meet one another and sing
around the fire. Lots of Members made donations in addition to
their yearly Membership Fee, resulting in a total of CHF 11,085.10
being raised. The Bürgergemeinde Bern donated a further
CHF 10,000. The Chairman’s Challenge was built in 2005.
We thank all Members and the Bürgergemeinde Bern for their
most generous donations, which made the Chairman’s Challenge
a reality!
Due to the extent of the ‘Next Generation Chalet’ Project, no
new Challenge was created in 2005.
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The Kandersteg Committee
WOSM
The Kandersteg International Scout Centre Committee met
three times in 2005 - during March, July and November. This
year, their focus was on the recruitment of a new Director, fundraising for the ‘Next Generation Chalet’ Project, preparation
for the Centenary of Scouting (including KanderJam 2007),
further improvement of our Marketing Strategy and the initial
development of a new website. In its extraordinary meeting in
July, the Committee elected a new Director for the Centre. This
decision was fully supported by the World Scout Bureau. In it’s
November meeting the Committee officially thanked Miriam
Herzberg for her 3 years at the Centre and welcomed Mark Knippenberg as the new Director.
The partnership with the World Scout Bureau and Regional Offices of the World Organisation of the Scout Movement is very
important to KISC, the World Scout Centre. By being a Centre of
expertise where new activities can be tried, and where Scouts
can be directly involved in their World Scout Movement we can
offer better Scouting to our guests and staff. In 2005 the Centre
was represented at the World Scout Conference in Tunisia. As
a direct result of this and the elections of a new World Scout
Committee, we said goodbye to Philippe da Costa (FR) and
welcomed John Gemmill (CA) as the new representative of the
World Scout Committee on the KISC Association Committee.
We thank all Committee Members for their hard work and continuing support of the Centre in 2005.
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K I S C
– A n n u a l
R eport
2005
We continued to work with the World Scout Bureau on the
‘Scouts of the World’ Programme as well as 2007 celebrations.
A taskforce was formed by 3 members of the European Scout
Committee (representing WOSM), 3 board members of the
Mouvement Scout de Suisse, 2 KISC Committee members and
the Director with the aim to create a proposal for a new Tri-Partite Agreement by mid-2006.
«PLAY
…
DON’T
LOOK
ON.»
Robert Baden-Powell
We thank you all for the great play, the support and the work done in 2005!
KISC
– Annual
Report
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Production:
Text: Mark Knippenberg, Ross Millar
Design: Wassmer Graphic Design, Langnau
Translation: Björn Seelbach, Res Küttel
Photos: KISC
Printing: Egger AG, Frutigen
Printed on environmentally friendly paper
Kandersteg International Scout Centre
CH-3718 Kandersteg, Switzerland
Tel. + 41 33 675 8282
Fax + 41 33 675 8289
www.kisc.ch
E-mail: reception@kisc.ch
© Copyright 2006 KISC
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