Pink Panthers Explorer Group in Craigalmond District have been working on the Global Issues Activity Badge while in lockdown. The first week we looked into issues in different countries voting rights, LGBQ+, minimum wage, health care and lots more. The Explorers then took part in debates to find out the best country to live in.
We looked into migration and immigration and what is happening within the UK and globally to help with immigration. It was really interesting to find out how people usually become immigrants and the challenges they face. The Explorers were then presented with the background stories of four children and had to decide which one they would let into the UK which was a major challenge.
During the week some Explorers took part in a challenge where they lived on £2 a day for 3 days; they said they ate a lot of pasta and sauce and really missed all the snacks and the juice they normally drink.
The second week we had two guest speakers from two different youth homeless charities: The Rock Trust and Cyrenians. They went through how people have become homeless, spoke about the challenges and risks they face and more. We spoke a lot about community and sadly a reason that people become homeless is they don’t have a supporting community around them. We reflected with the Explorers and realised that we are so lucky as we have such a big community within the Pink Panthers Explorers and also with Scouting across South East Scotland and the world.
We took part in a unit wide foodbank collection where Explorers bought items that can be donated to a foodbank such as long-life store-cupboard basics like pasta, rice, tinned soups and veg, UHT milk and long-life juice as well as everyday essentials like tea, coffee, biscuits, crisps, cereal and curry/pasta sauces. One of our leaders collected all the food from our houses whilst maintaining social distancing. There was so much food it was hard to fit it all in the car! We then donated it all to Fresh Start Food Bank the local food bank to the unit.
Fraser Dunmore
Pink Panther Explorers
