“Always ready”: Scouts are mobilizing to help hospitals

The Scout law is clear: "The scout is made to serve and save his neighbor" . And in history, there is no shortage of examples of Scouts and Guides who have signed up to help their country when circumstances demanded it. Like the famous truck driver Jean Traversat, engaged in the resistance, who took the maquis with his scout clan and was killed in the fighting in 1944. So, faced with the current crisis, many French scouting associations have sought to roll up their sleeves and be of service, to the extent of their means, to provide assistance where the need arises.

Several scout movements have relayed the call for volunteers launched by the AP-HP Friday, March 20, asking their elders and their leaders to make themselves available to strengthen the teams of Parisian public hospitals. Although officially all Scout activities are suspended during the time of confinement, nothing prevents adults engaged in Scouting from volunteering on an individual basis to lend a hand. This is the message that Luc de Coligny, the general commissioner of Guides and Scouts of Europe, sent to his members: “It will not be a question after this drama of telling you that you have done nothing! [...] Your country needs you, act! " He clarified with Le Figaro : “It is up to everyone to take responsibility, in conscience. But even if you have to take risks, I accept them, because service is the vocation of Scouts. ”

I am committed to serving others, it was the moment when I never remembered!

Several young people answered the call and registered on the forms sent by the hospitals, like Côme, a truck driver in the Paris suburbs, who was then contacted by the Pitié Salpêtrière hospital. “As I have my driving license, I will be able to help them with the transport of equipment or food because the supply circuit of Parisian hospitals is disrupted. They can call me at any time for a delivery from one hospital to another. ” If Côme did not hesitate to make himself available, it is because he prefers to commit rather than staying at home, but also out of loyalty to his Scout promise: "I am committed to serving others, c was the time to ever remember! ” he adds.

Before even receiving the call for help from the AP-HP, Bérengère Savelli, head of communications at the Unitary Scouts of France, said that he had received requests from chiefs or chiefs who wanted to find a way to help. When she relayed the form sent by Parisian hospitals, it only took a few hours to recruit the sixty or so volunteers needed to fulfill the various missions.

These are simple services that do not require long hours of briefing, such as answering the phone or helping with photocopying.

Among them, Alice, chief of jeans, says she has free time because of the reorganization of her internship since the start of confinement. After registering, the Cochin hospital contacted her by email and she came to reinforce the telephone switchboard of the establishment last Thursday, because several employees are forced to stay at home to babysit their children. "My missions vary from day to day depending on their needs, " she explains. These are simple services that do not require long hours of briefing, such as answering the phone or helping with photocopying. I quickly became operational. ” She is not worried about her safety, because she is equipped with protective masks and is not in direct contact with the sick.

Services within everyone's reach

Some officials are still more reluctant to make direct commitments to hospitals. Antoine, a truck driver in Hauts-de-Seine, preferred to remain cautious and not relay the call to his boys, who would then risk bringing the virus home. But no question of sitting idly by! He therefore contacted the priests of the surrounding parishes to seek services to render to the elderly or frail residing in the surroundings. "I thought I would only have a few vague answers, " he said , "but after a few minutes I had already received ten replies to my email! In addition to my truckers, I asked for reinforcement from all the chiefs and chieftains of my district: we must go shopping for the vulnerable, organize telephone channels to keep a link with the oldest ... We we are certainly not going to fire the flower with a gun, but in this way, we are not staying on the sidelines either! ”

We naturally turned to the scout movements

For their part, the Scouts and Guides of France called on their members to make themselves available to partner associations, such as the Action Enfance foundation, which looks after children placed by court order. In less than two days, 25 scouts and guides came to complete the animation teams to ensure the continuity of their solidarity mission.

In Ain, it is the prefecture which has called on scout associations to help keep the children of nursing staff, firefighters and gendarmes, on Wednesdays and weekends, when schools cannot assume permanent care. "Most families have childcare solutions, but we wanted to be ready, and we naturally turned to the Scout movements" explains Étienne de la Fouchardière, the director of the prefect's office. "At the moment, we have more volunteers than children to look after!" he rejoices.

As for the youngest, they are not outdone either: the Cub Cubs in Bourg-en-Bresse were, for example, invited to send their leaders drawings to thank the nursing staff of hospitals in the region. These are then sent by email to the doctors, who post them in the resuscitation rooms. A small gesture within the reach of little ones to encourage them in their own way.

The fact remains that in this period of confinement, the scout groups are trying to get their heads around to continue the activities in another way. To continue to pull their boys up, the chief scouts of the Unitary Scouts of France have set up a great game ... at home, thanks to an Internet platform created in a few days, "Scout at home". On the program, daily challenges to progress towards the summer camp, hoping that the containment will be lifted by then. This is another great principle of scouting: "The duty of the scout begins at home" !

Guillaume, a cub from Bourg-en-Bresse, sent a drawing to hospitals in his region to thank the caregivers. All rights reserved - AGSE