However, PLANET’13 – the idea – has just started. We are not going to forget this experience and our new friendships. We take home with us new ideas and what we have learnt and seen. PLANET’13 aimed to plant a seed of a change in how we think about our planet Earth and how we treat it. It is now down to us to let this seed grow, to change our habits, our consumer behaviours and encourage others to do the same.

This is only the beginning, and parts of the PLANET’13 Charter points us at important areas of our lives where we can be part of a more sustainable and just solution: food, energy, transport, clothes and more. How about a hands-on workshop on renewable energy sources, learn how to grow your own vegetables, make biking sexy in your community or organise an information evening on the impacts of climate change? The Guides and Scouts in Austria, WAGGGS and other youth organisations have already prepared many books, booklets and activity collections that you can browse for ideas.

There are so many little steps each one of us can take towards our founder’s credo to ‘leave our planet a little bit better than we found it’. But most importantly, let us be inspired by B.P.s respect and love for nature and his approach to to enjoy live and everything our home, planet Earth provides us with.

To remember PLANET’13 and share its spirit we have prepared a few things for you:

Download a pdf of planetSTAR, the camp newspaper (42 pages, 23MB of data)

Visit the PLANET’13 Flickr stream to find yourself in it.

Important for the future of camps like PLANET’13 – please fill in the feedback form.

And to keep up the chat, also the PLANET’13 Facebook and Twitter accounts will still be on of course.

More than 700 people were treated, most of them for smaller cuts and infected bug bites. Every now and then a plaster cast was necessary, which was no problem whatsoever thanks to the routine of the Red Cross team. Some members of the team have been working as paramedics on Guide and Scout camps for more than 25 years.

At this point we want to say special THANK YOU to the entire Red Cross team at PLANET’13 for their great work and effort!

Ben’s main research topic are glaciers. Even in Austria it can be easily observed that the glaciers are retreating more and more which causes rising sea levels. The causes can be measured and defined and it is possible to predict what is most likely going to happen. For example, Vienna will in less than hundred years have the climate of North Africa. In simple terms, the earth’s climate is absorbing too much energy too quickly for it to correct itself again.

It can be supposed that there are mostly losers by the worldwide change. To fight climate change it is increasingly more important to recognise that our own voice has a value.

Ben recommended that we should inform and educate ourselves and others on this subject and to communicate our views to the decision makers that people of both the present and future want to see this subject on their agendas.

On Tuesday, a workshop called ‘bodywork’, took place. The circus- tent offered the perfect ambience for a nice massage. Youssif from Egypt gave it a try together with a fellow ranger. The atmosphere was quite relaxed and calm and it provided the perfect opportunity to relax.

What is Ramadan?

Ramadan is a month when we fast from sunrise to sunset to feel like poor people and to be all the same – rich and poor.

What does fasting mean for you?

Fasting means that we don’t insult someone, we don’t drive anyone mad, we are all happy and we also don’t eat and drink.

How do you feel when you fast for Ramadan?

We think that we’re very close to our god, because we pray a lot and read the Quran.

Was Ramadan in Austria harder than in Egypt?

Yes, I think so, because in Austria you got more hours of sun.

How do you end Ramadan?

We celebrate Eid and eat Kahak, a traditional food.

Thanks for this interview.

The programme was taken up from groups between 4 and 20 people. Due to troubles with the weather and the fire risk, some of the programme could not take place: the stargazing walk was cancelled due to cloud cover and the tales around the campfire could not take place because of the fire hazard.

Apart from the life-sized version of twister or mikado, there was also an upcycling workshop where jewellery, bags and other items were produced from recycled waste.

It was great because of the quiet athmosphere, far away from the party crowds

said one happy participant.

Fact is that this pilot project ran very successfully and it will be repeated at other Regional Jamborees. Many thanks to the Fire Flies!

Asked about child care Johanna’s father said

I think it’s a great thing – she’s always happy here! For us parents it’s really relaxing to be able to just drop her off here and do our work.

The kids are aged between one and ten, which makes creating an age-appropriate schedule very complicated. But still the child care team finds a new highlight each day, including an excursion to the stream, a water bomb battle and many other small adventures.

Child care at PLANET’13, the perfect place for future Guides and Scouts.

“It was reallz fun to see the machines in the bakery and to bake things ourselves.  We were also able to take some of the food away with us”, said Lisa and Johanna from Ganymede Subcamp.

Not long after they’d arrived at PLANET’13, the Rangers and Rovers headed straight off again.  Where?  On tour – Rangers and Rovers Endeavouring Xtremes.  Their projects took place all over Upper Austria and in Salzburg and they were split into different themed areas about our planet:  how does a biomass power plant work, what does the Red Cross do, how do you catch river crabs.

Andrea, a Ranger on Prometheus subcamp, worked with a disabled lady and a blind man on a radio programme for Radio FRO:

“Most people think that people with disabilities can’t do anything.  We had to get around in wheelchairs and also walked around an area with our eyes covered, as if we were blind.  I found their openness fascinating.  Just full of life. “

It is just great, and the mood, the people and just everything. It’s a camp the way it has to be.

Scout Paul is a friend of adventures and favours the Flying Fox and the Challenge Valley simply because it was ‘super cool’. Alina from the Gusp is sold on the Youtopia because of the diverse program. Simone, a GuSp leader, is still enthusiastic about the downhill soap box derby. Also well beloved is the the free time day. The possibility to decide spontaneous what to do next.

Sylvia, a Caravelle, is astonished by a very special experience on the  CaEx venture. They were invited for an ice cream by the Head of the region. Rebecca of the 2nd Deans Hanger from England thinks that the CaEx party was the cherry on the sundae after the days off camp.

The RaRo seem to agree that the Ball in Red was the top event of the camp. Incredibly great mood, celebrating together and fun till late at the night.

The current mood is definitely motivating for the three days to come.

During the conversation we find out that for some of them the day begins at 6 am. The latest at 9 am, all members are coming together for the daily meeting. One by one each member takes on the role of being ‘camp leader of the day’ and the responsibility for the crisis phone. However, no crises have arrived there yet, it is a “relaxed and cool atmosphere” according to Andreas. His personal PLANET’13 highlight so far was the arrival of the participants after years of preparation. Bettina was excited about the joint arrival with the special train and Michael’s most thrilling part of the camp was his appearance in the hot space-suit during the camp opening ceremony.

Christa was contact point for the public authorities, together with Andreas. A few members of fire brigade, the Regional District Administration and the Food Standard Authorities came to check whether all is well at PLANET’13 and have been stunned. The rigorous inspectors left with the words “no complaints whatsoever, congratulations” and complimented, for example, the “excellent and detailed security concept”. The fire brigade was only sad that they did not take a camera with them, because PLANET’13 would have made a great best practice case study for future instructions.

They are really cool footwear (especially when it’s hot), but at a camp feet in flip-flops don’t look like anything and certainly won’t protect your feet! There are all sorts of things to find on the ground to trip on when you try and enter a campsite. And the advice from the first aid team is we we should always try and avoid injury hazards.

2 Lonely food:

You will find yourself today with at least 4,000 young, still growing people who are almost always hungry. So if you bring something or buy something to eat, there is a definite possibility in an inattentive moment to stuff a hungry little mouth of a Scout or Guide.

3 Ways around the site:

The individual campsites are beautiful, and it’s always interesting to look at the various camp constructions. It would definitely be courteous to ask politely before you enter the individual campsites. But please do return on the correct path and do not cut through other campsites, as a shortcut.

4 Tent Ropes and Pegs:

Warning! Keep your eyes carefully towards the path as you wander through the camp, because a natural part of all Scout camp tents are that tents lines have cords that are fixed into the ground with pegs. These are the two most common hazards that both Scouts and non-Scouts have stumbled on on many camps – with unfortunate quite stupid injuries.

5 Water:

According to the weatherman, it should not be too hot today, but since the sky in St. Georgen has done some weird things in the last week, you cannot trust the forecast all the way. So take enough water with you (or juice for the discerning among you), and do not forget also to drink it!

However, if the water falls out of the sky, (reliable waterproof) rain jackets are definitely beneficial.

Well, if so many people from so many different nations come together for 10 days in order to live together in peace, that is a matter of interest for the media from all over Austria.

PLANET’13 On Air

On Thursday morning Birgit (PLANET’13 press officer) together with David and Sophie (Guide and Scout from Gmunden) went to visit radio station “Radio Oberösterreich”. There they were interviewed for an hour live on the radio. Afterwards Sophie was awarded “the Upper Austrian Radio person of the day” and was additionally interviewed!

“Live Radio” and “Radio Arabella” also put short interviews about the camp on air and in the “Ö3 Wecker” on Saturday morning you could listen to a couple of statements from children and young people directly from the camp.

If you want to know what exactly was reported and from whom, just visit our Homepage where you can listen and read about it! /medien/