Her Majesty Queen Máxima visited Scoutinggroep Hubertus Brandaan in Voorburg on Tuesday 10 July 2018 for the kick-off of Roverway 2018, an international event for Rangers and Rovers between 16 and 22 years old from all over Europe and beyond, which is organised once every three years. Roverway 2018 is organised by a group of young people and is the biggest international camp in The Netherlands.
Queen Máxima was received by 20 young, international volunteers who work on organising Roverway 2018. After an introduction on the project, several Guides and Scouts and their supporters were interviewed about the organisation and the meaning of Roverway 2018 for their personal development. It was then time for Queen Máxima to give the go-ahead for the Paths: the symbolic start of the route the Guides and Scouts are going to follow through The Netherlands.
About 4500 Rangers and Rovers from more than 50 countries are joining Roverway 2018. They will start with a night on the beach of Scheveningen, after which they will split into groups of 50 people to go on a 6-day trip, the Path, through the Netherlands. During this Path phase the participants will be challenged to discover themselves, make new steps and contribute to the society. After the Path phase they will travel to Scoutinglandgoed Zeewolde, where the 4500 Guides and Scouts will be reunited for 5 days with more amazing activities.
The organisation of Roverway 2018 is unique in that the event is coordinated by a group of young Guides and Scouts with the average age of 24. They are at the head of all teams and are supported in their function by more experienced volunteers in the function of supporter. They have worked more than 18 months to create an amazing event.
Erica (24): “ In the past two years I have gained qualities and competencies of which I can profit for the rest of my life. I have learned to create policy and make decisions under the indispensable supervision of my supporter, Arjen. When I make the wrong decision, my bad, but that is a nice way of learning and as a team we then find a way to deliver what we promised we would offer.”
Arjen (50): “During Roverway I have the role of supporter of Erica. I love to guide Erica and see how she and others are growing within the project. This gives way more satisfaction than doing it myself.”