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Barry Dale - South Yorkshire
Iain Farquharson-Welsh - North Yorkshire
Lesley Forster - Hertfordshire
Andrew Fraser - Hertfordshire
Clare Griffin - West Sussex
Dorothy Holdsworth - West Yorkshire
Robin Loudon - Dorset
Bill Turnbull - Hertfordshire

The Aim of the study visit was to promote Group to Group links between Scouts in Western Siberia and Scouts in the UK

The specific Objectives set were:

• Visit and stay with Scout Groups in Western Siberia
• Witness the facilities for outdoor and indoor residential experiences and activities appropriate for young people learning in small mixed nationality groups
• Experience the cultural, travel and home life to enable members of the study visit to propose and advise on projects appropriate for young people.
• Provide confidence and the knowledge for adults from the UK and Russia to facilitate exchange visits for young people.
• Give Scouts in Western Siberia a feel for Scouting in the UK and in the Rest of the World.

• Arkady Kaneav in Tomsk, Tomsk region - Bill, Robin & Lesley
• Irina Sokolova in Mezhdurechensk, Kemerova region - Clare & Dorothy 
• Victor Deymund in Pavlodar, Kazakhstan - Barry & Iain 
  

Andrew was to remain in Omsk. During the lead up to the study visit Andrew had made base with Konstantin Isaenko through a friend in Omsk and had created a link with his scouts in Much Hadham, Hertfordshire. Therefore Andrew remained in Omsk to continue the organisation of the exchange.

Konstantin Isaenko visited the March meeting of NRSF in Sussex to give a presentation on Scouting in Western Siberia - this also allowed details of the visit to Western Siberia to be discussed. The organisation by Konstantin was very good and we were given confidence in all aspects of our visit.

Arrangements were made to spend time with Sergey Sirotkin in Moscow on May 9th 2003.

Prior to the journey, we were unable to obtain a visa to enter Kazakhstan although we were able to obtain double entry visas for Russia.

It is easy to obtain a visa through a tourist company such as ASLA but this means staying for one night at a Hotel. This was attempted 2 weeks before we left to go to Moscow but the hotel in Pavlodar did not respond to ASLA until after it was too late.

In the afternoon we were then taken to School 115 where we met Scouts from the two ARNSO Groups in Omsk . we introduced ourselves and played ice-breaker games and activities.

We walked to Konstantin’s house to take part at the “friendly table” during which we reviewed the first 3 days of the programme before being transported back to the hotel for the night.

With the Scouts we visited Victory Park on Sunday where the scouts held their St. Georges Day activities (normally celebrated in Russia on 6th May - 13 days after ours - but delayed so that we could take part) that comprised of many scouting games and events which some of us entered. Lunch was cooked on an open fire in temperatures around 35ºC. Plenty of mosquitoes evident. Chewing Gum was a highlight - a game involving 2 teams with the members of one team stuck together for as long as it took the other team to prise the chewing gum apart. Patrols were well organised and disciplined and the Scouts clearly enjoyed the activities provided and encouraged us to join in whenever we could.

Evidence of a Pioneer type rally was also evident in the Park that day - about 200 but average age looked to be early to mid twenties and many adults - with a lot of talk by elderly men and then later a lot of loud pop music.

We were taken back to the Hotel for a shower and then collected by our host families for Home Hospitality.

The next morning we were taken to register our visas which was extremely bureaucratic and took Constantin at least two hours - there was a need for the passport of each individual, where there were living and why they were here. All put on a separate form for each person together with official stamps etc. The difficulty was that we had already cleared the Visa by our stay at the Hotel Irtysh and the type of visa we had - Tourist - was a problem. This process of Visa clearance was un-necessary when you have a tourist Visa and stay for at least one night in a hotel.

We then visited a school centre for a meeting with teachers of Extra-Curricular activities. There were 5 strands - Craft, Drama & Dance, Music, Tourism and Teaching Methodology (for teachers only). These school activities were optional for all children and were free to a degree. Tourism was akin to the physical part of scouting. We shared experiences and answered many questions.

We visited a well-run orphanage for children 1 to 5 years old in the suburb of Omsk. After an interview with the newspapers we went home.

Tuesday we visited the Committee for Youth, Vladmir Goncharov, of the Omsk Region responsible for the provision of support for about 560,000 young people 14 - 29. We explained our mission and promoted scouting as an extremely worthwhile activity for young people that helped to reduce the growing drug/alcohol problem found today in Russia. Together with the scouts we were taken on a tour of Omsk, visited the Folklore Centre for craft, dance, song and a meal and then went on a boat trip along the river Irtish.

Wednesday we visited school 115 - which has a strong English language section - where each of us took an English lesson on our own. Another tour of Omsk included the museum to Dostoievski (Crime & Punishment) who was sent to Omsk prison from St. Petersburg. This was followed by an excellent song and dance display by the young people associated with the scouts at a club.

Following shopping on Thursday, we held a joint seminar with Leaders from the Omsk, Tomsk and Kemerova regions. Following introductions we explained the reason for our visit and the opportunities that scouts had when belonging to the Worldwide Movement including the lead up to 2007, the centenary of the Scout Movement. We gave out literature associated particularly with Brownsea Island and the experimental camp in August 2007. The seminar helped us to understand that there was links between scouts in the regions of Western Siberia irrespective of the organisation. It also helped with the knowledge that the scouts in Tomsk currently belonged to NORS-R (ORYR and formally FSR), that the scouts in the Kemerova region were undecided on whom to belong to and that there appeared to be no scouts in Novesiburrsk today. The seminar also enabled us to meet our hosts in Tomsk, Mezhdurechensk and Rysskaya Polyana - a small town on the border of Omsk region and Kazakhstan where Iain and Barry would be hosted by the local Scouts along with Leaders from Pavlodar, Kazakhstan.

It appears that the Scout Centres in Omsk, Tomsk and Perm, funded by the Boy Scouts of America, do not belong to ARNSO Groups. The Omsk Centre belongs to Arkady Nickichenko who considers his scouts as being independent, belonging to neither ARNSO nor NORS. Also it is believed that the Omsk Centre is used only to produce a scout newspaper today. Tomsk and Perm belong to NORS groups (although I never saw the centre in Tomsk - see later).

Following the Seminar members of the Study Visit split up to go to their respective locations returning for one/two days and nights before leaving for Moscow on 23rd May 2003.

The train journey from Omsk to Mezhdurechensk was about 22 hours along the Trans-Siberian Railway - Dorothy and Clare were escorted by Irina Sokolova to host families who again were extremely hospitable. The terrain was mountainous.

A trip around the area indicated that there is a great deal of coal mining - 4000 employed in the mines - and considerable activity in creating the area for tourism especially winter ski-ing which the area lends itself well for 7 months of the year. A meeting with 40-45 scouts or friends of scouts in a park similar to the one in Omsk demonstrated that there was enthusiastic leadership for young people who had a thirst for activities - strong and imaginative use of Pioneering equipment to provide corporate tasks for all age groups. No mosquitoes, a meal and a banya were most welcome.

On Sunday a visit to the talent show and team activities in the people’s park was very popular with the community. The event took place every Sunday and provided an opportunity for young people to work together in teams and to take part in many events during the morning. The ones offered by Scout Leaders were very popular as were the permanent activities provided in the park. The winning team received certificates scouts excelled at the events especially those for older children involving the fast flowing river sports. The afternoon was spent visiting the town centre.

In the evening Dorothy and Clare had fruitful discussions with the Leaders, Alexandre, Alla, Ola, Valentina and Irina. An explanation of the structure of Scouting in the UK was given and there was much interest on the compulsory Leader Training scheme and the Wood Badge awarded.

Following shopping a meeting was held with the Director for Youth of the area, Alexandre Vasilievech, who expressed his support for scouting and desire to help in any way possible. We discussed support for funding leaders and their training and then had lunch with Alexandre and his staff which included Julia, Clare’s host. We were then chauffer driven in the director’s official car to the theatre for a concert. A final picnic at the popular Romantica - a magical paradise in the mountains by a lake - enabled our farewells and exchange of addresses to take place.

We went by bus to Novokuznetsk with Irina the next morning and met more Leaders - Olga, Natalia, Valentina and Laurissa and taken to their club. Toured the building and met 35 young scouts (Cub Scout age) and witnessed artistic craftwork - painting on board and salt dough - and adventurous activities based on self improvement as opposed to competition. Then we went inside for a meeting with 25 mixed Scouts from a village nearby. We told them who we were and why we were here and shared games and songs - some had never seen English people before but were very pleased to see us. A quick sight-seeing tour of the town was followed by another visit to 15 (Scout/Explorer Scout age) and 4 Guides (RADS) whose Leader is Olga (Guide Leader and adopted but unofficial Scout Leader). Met the Director for the building who was sympathetic to Scouts and Guides and gave the meeting room free of charge. There was considerable interest in Scouting in the UK, its organisation, its financing and its content - they asked and we talked and they listened intently for over 2 hours with complete interest. During a light supper the leaders continued to ask questions especially information about Network Russia as a group. Left at 7.30pm and returned to the station to catch the train to Omsk.

The next day we visited the Mayor of Tomsk and had courteous dialogue about our visit to Western Siberia and his support for a programme for youth in Tomsk to combat drugs and alcohol and vandalism. We visited a church and gravestone of a well-respected scout leader in Tomsk. Then we were driven 150 km to a village that had an orphanage age 7 to 17 which also ran a scout troop belonging to ORYR. The 12 Scouts were in two patrols - girls and boys - and were superb in every respect - like the home outside Omsk there was real love and care for the young people in the home. We talked in small groups about ourselves and they spoke about their home and scouting, we were taken on a tour of the facilities of the home and our hosts gave us a wonderful meal prepared by the scouts themselves. We stayed for about 2 hours before we were driven back to Tomsk and charged 6000 RR (200 USD) for the visit. A visit to the Internet café and home followed.

The next day we were taken on an excursion of the city on foot and had meetings with the Youth Committee, the Education Dept. for extra activities for youth in the Tomsk region (with our support the Director agreed to give fund the visit by the Scouts at the Orphanage to go to the NOR-R Jamboree) and the Sports Committee (the deputy director had been to the UK twice visiting the Woodcraft folk in Norfork). Following a visit to a German type inn (Lesley paid for everyone) we visited the home of Alec - a wealthy building constructor and a school friend of Arkady.

Next day Bill (with interpreter Tania) and Arkady went to the TV Studio where we appeared on live, interactive local television. The programme was mainly about Pioneers. Questions posed to Bill were about Bill and his history and gave little possibility to bring in the World Movement of Scouts, its Principles and Values. The last caller saved the day by giving support to Scouting and the programme ended on a positive note after all. We then visited a beer factory (total German influence), School 4 (where we took an English lesson instead of the planned Maths lesson) and a café where we were interviewed by the local newspaper. This enabled Bill to bring in the advantages of Scouting and its Principles as a worthwhile movement for young people in Russia. We all met again at the German café where Lesley paid for everyone yet again.

On Wednesday we visited a flour-mill to see the Managing Director Yevgeny Rubtsov. It was a most interesting discussion and he demonstrated his support for youth in Tomsk to all of us far more than those who we visited at the Government offices. After visiting a Chairman of the Youth Council for Kashtek area of Tomsk, Vassili drove us to Novesiburrsk where we caught the train to Omsk.

Efforts were made to obtain a visa for Barry and Iain to visit Pavlodar, Kazakhstan to visit Kazakh Scouts at first hand. Unfortunately this was not made possible by the Kazakh authorities. Therefore it was arranged that two Leaders from Pavlodar meet Barry and Iain in Rysskaya Polyana.

At the same time Elena Lyzyahtsha, the Executive Director of Kazak Scouts reporting to Victor Deymund, and Luydmila Tseputseva, a Scout Leader and interpreter visited Rysskaya Polyana.

Over a two-day period, 17/18th May 2003, we met socially and formally. Firstly on a social visit to a local orphanage where we had a meal with the Director, his staff, the Scouts and their leaders followed by a social evening. Secondly we spent time together at a sports meeting in the village followed by a more formal scout meeting between only the Kazakh Leaders and ourselves.