In just a few weeks’ time, thousands of teenagers will be traveling to West Virginia in the USA to attend the World Scout Jamboree. They’ll be flying in groups of around 36 young people, with each group accompanied by four long-suffering and truly wonderful volunteer adult leaders. If you’re one of those teenagers, or one…
A little over a week ago, I wrote a blog post on the anniversary of the dropping of the atomic bombs on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. I wrote of the victims and survivors of the bombs. I wrote of peace. At the time, I was in southern Japan, spending my holiday working with…
This morning, in just a few minutes time, at 8:15am, Hiroshima and Nagasaki will fall silent as tens of thousands of people pay tribute to the victims and survivors of the world’s first atomic bombs. In both cities will be young representatives of almost every nation in the world – Scouts, participating in the 23rd…
In just a few weeks’ time, thousands of teenagers will be traveling to Japan to attend the World Scout Jamboree. They’ll be flying in groups of around 36 young people, with each group accompanied by four long-suffering and truly wonderful volunteer adult leaders. If you’re one of those teenagers, or one of those adults –…
I’ve been asked to share the speech I made at today’s opening ceremony for the Heads of Contingent Meeting, preparing for the 23rd World Scout Jamboree in Yamaguchi, Japan. So, here it is… Deputy Governor of the Prefecture of Yamaguchi, president of the Scouts of Japan, brother and sister Scouts, This weekend marks an important…
What distinguishes one culture from another? For the last few years, I have worked routinely with people from other cultures and backgrounds. Usually this has gone well, and the cultural differences my colleagues and I notice about ourselves are interesting and enriching. However, sometimes things have gone wrong; and it’s not always easy to work…
I’ve just spent the last week in Japan. It’s a country that I find fascinating and my Japanese friends are very patient with me as I try to circumnavigate their customs and practices – I will always be a “gaijin”, but they are very welcoming. One evening last week, as a few of us…
An early start found me heading back on the subway to the airport and from there on to Japan. Korea is a great place. The people are so polite. What other country would have a visitor’s last memory be the ground crew at the airport all bowing and then waving as the plane taxis away?…