The Encuentro scout group. A cross-cultural scouting experience settled in a multicultural neighborhood

Abstract

The Encuentro scout group was founded 13 years ago and it is sited in the parish of Nuestra Señora del Encuentro, in Bellas Vistas, Madrid. The neighborhood is also known as “el pequeño Caribe” because a lot of immigrants (mainly latins) settled in over there when they emigrated to Madrid. The area is seriously affected by both social and economic problems; this is the main reason the founders created a project as the scout group. They wanted to let the most badly affected families to be part of a different way of living. Currently, the scout group offers a different way to enjoy the spare time to more than 60 kids who were born in more than 11 different countries; all of them live in dire economic conditions and their families are usually poorly organized.

The main aim of the scout group is focused on keeping a “school of life” where the kids are the leaders of its own life history by assuming positions and developing skills at the same time the learn how to run projects in order to build a better world.