Scout Valley. Creating the future of lithuanian scouting

Hello everyone!

First of all thank you so much for taking your time to read this.

OUR STORY: My name is Jonas and I started scouting 26 years ago, back in 1993. Since then Scout movement influenced my life in every step: choosing my profession and occupation, my hobbies, friends, activities, ways of thinking and especially my future life path are all associated to Scouting. I even think that the love for nature and a desire to live in harmony with it is the thing that got me and my wife together. Around 15 years ago we created a vision of a scout center in Lithuania - our homeland. In 2010 when my beautiful wife Živile and I came back from emigration. We started a family together in a countryside and alongside it grew an organization named “Scout Valley”. Everything we dreamed of was finally becoming reality.

"Scout valley” is a first Lithuanian scout outdoor adventure education center. Created together with the biggest scouting organization - Lithuanian Scouting. Together we want to create an environment which empowers young people and families to return back to nature. We wish to be part of a strong and responsible community where life has a purpose and every day has a meaning.

Our main goal as an organization is to help youth develop social skills and a sense of citizenship through the means of outdoor education, to be rooted within nature,respect it.

In 2018 we got acknowledged to be WOSM SCENES (A Scout Centre of Excellence for Nature and Environment) in Lithuania. We are the only center of such scope in the Baltic states. We are on our way to become a part of the GOOSE network.

You can find out more on our webpage, social platforms also our youtube channel

WE NEED YOUR HELP FOR OUR NEXT STEP:

We always dreamed of an opportunity to have a campsite near a lake, so far whenever we sailed we had to ask permissions from people who own private property to keep our boats on the shore. Until now we had no choice. However we finally found an extraordinary place, its a 3 hectare plot, with an even shore which is perfect for landing larger boats into the water. For this summer we are organizing 6 summer camps for children on that land.

short video from the new campsite

We have already collected 50 000€ from private donations and partners. However, it is not enough. Even the smallest donations mean so much to us.

We want to take a step further into outdoor education, to help children experience nature again, to take them away from a screen and out of their comfort zone. To make them grow and be conscious and attentive of the impacts their actions carry. When they sail a boat, the responsibility is fully in their hands. Kids have to be in the moment, react to sudden changes, learn to act in shocking situations, we are always around for their safety of course, but whether they get wet, weather they flip over, weather they go super fast or stay completely still it is all up to them to decide, to experience. The new generation is now, and the values you raise children with are the ones which the future is going to be built on.

I want to say that each and every donation is incredibly important.. we are eternally grateful for your support and we promise that every euro will reach the cause.

More about the development of the center

We bought a piece of land near a small town named Ukmerge, however, in 2010 the land was nothing but a wild meadow. So we got to work and our little white straw-bale house was built by the end of the year.

Now, after more than four years since the beginning of Scout Valley - there is a pond, 16 boats of different kinds, a road, campsites with fireplaces, flag poles and a pitch in the shape of the ship, composting toilets and summer showers, big yurt and two big Eco-buildings still under construction.

We have a solid and tested set of environmental education programs, which can be personalized to the needs of our visitors. Archery programs also rowing and sailing, bush-craft and survival skills, pioneer and knots. These programs raise competences in many different fields, form a value of nature, teach to work together, to not give up. Girls and boys alike can express themselves to the fullest, experience what true responsibility feels like and get out of their comfort zone, in order to grow and understand yourself in different measures.

We have started international volunteering programs, since 2016 we have hosted 17 volunteers. Throughout the years we raised a strong pool of leaders, who work in summer camps, its an incredible platform for self development for the teenagers. Scout valley already left a big emotional impact on thousands of people, provided the environment for their personal growth and helped form their values

It is already 4 years since we started leading weekly Sea scout meetings for children in Ukmerge . In the beginning there were no more than 10 kids, now we meet with more than a 100 kids from the region, we actively encourage kids with fewer opportunities and the ones living in rural areas to join in. Throughout this time we finished several projects. In 2015 we built the first handmade boat in independent Lithuanian sea scout history, its model is Petite Brise. In 2017-2018 another 8 optimist class sailing boats were built. Kids as young as 6 can sail these boats on their own in a lake.