Two hundred Scouts gather on a parade ground for a flag ceremony, surrounded by trees. As the morning sun raises the temperature into the humid mid-30’s, the flags of Turkey, the UK, Egypt, Serbia and other countries are raised into the Istanbul skies.
I was delighted recently to visit Istanbul’s largest Scouting centre at Umraniye on the Asian side of the city. A group of 20 scouts with their leaders from Greenwich, in South East London, was spending a week meeting Turkish Scouts in Istanbul plus three days at Gallipoli, commemorating the 100th anniversary of the start of the Gallipoli campaign.
I’ve been a fan of the idea of bringing together young people from different countries to get to know each other since being the beneficiary of school exchange programmes with France and Germany in my teens. The idea that both sides benefit by bringing together teenagers from different countries, and that such visits can help counter stereotypes and xenophobia, makes good sense.
During my visit I see that the Greenwich Scouts have been matched up with a notably friendly- and with-it-seeming group of Turkish counterparts. Their programme in Istanbul looks great, with activities on a single day including everything from swimming to orienteering, archery, sailing and horse riding. The planned three-day visit to Gallipoli looks like a striking opportunity to experience at first hand the stark and sombre landscape where the events of a century ago unfolded.
I was honoured during my visit to meet a senior representative of the Turkish Scouting movement, Mr Ramazan Kartal, and the head of the British Scout group, John Sweeney. I hope that the contacts between British and Turkish Scouts in this 100th anniversary year will help develop lasting links between the two organisations; and further promote practical co-operation and understanding between the UK and Turkey.