Congratulations to Karin Ahlbäck (Finland) and Milena Pecarski (Serbia), both from our Region, on their election as Youth Advisers to the World Scout Committee. Also congratulations to Jaemin Choi (Korea), Kevin Li (Canada), Nadia Soledad Morrone (Argentina), Fernanda Cristina Santos Soares (Brazil) who were also elected.

Congratulations to all who offered themselves for election in a willingness to participate actively in the democratic process.

Two new resource materials in the area of Adult Resources are now available for downloading in our Resource Centre.

On Wednesday 9th April, Members of the European Parliament (MEPs), Marian Harkin (IE), Gisela Kallenbach (DE), Emmanouil Angelakas (GR), Mieczyslaw Janowski (PL) and Joel Hasse Ferreira (PT) launched a written declaration in the Parliament to propose 2011 be designated the European Year of Volunteering. If it is adopted it will make a significant contribution to the campaign to have the year designated.

Roverway is an event offered by the Europe Region WAGGGS and the European Scout Region for Rovers and Rangers aged between 16 to 22. It will be held for the third time in 2009 and this time it is organised by the Icelandic Boy and Girl Scout Association. This is a great opportunity for Scouts from all over Europe to come to Iceland, experience a unique country while taking part in a international event.

After many months of work the World Scout Bureau – European Region Office (WSB-ERO) has adopted an environmental action plan. Just as the tag line of WOSM is “creating a better world”, so we must ensure not to cause any unnecessary harm. The WSB-ERO will now seek to do these two things through our work and through our actions.

The office and the staff have committed to a number of personal and collective actions. If you would like to know more you can download the action plan here.

For the second year in a row the European Scout Region has secured administrative support from the EU Commission through the Youth in Action. This year we have been awarded the maximum allocation of €35,000.

On 7th May WOSM held its 6th meeting in the European Parliament on how young people are leading social change in Africa in the framework of EU Africa co-operation. The meeting was hosted by Scout and Member of the European Parliament (MEP) Alessandro Battilocchio (IT) and was addressed by Margrete Auken (DK), the Parliament's Vice-President Luisa Morgantini (IT), Anthony Crasner, The European Commission (DG DEV), Julia Ojanen of Plan International/Concord, Giuseppe Porcaro, The European Youth Forum and Babacar Ndiaye CNGEI. Various methods of empowering young people were discussed, as was the need to focus on education and the opportunities provided by youth organisations between the two continents especially between the nearly one million Scouts in Africa and the 1.4 million in Europe.

The Education, Youth and Culture Council of the European Union adopted a resolution on 22nd May on the participation of young people with fewer opportunities. The resolution recognises the role of youth organisations in promoting the inclusion and well-being of disadvantaged young people and the need to secure support from public authorities for these organisations, so that they may continue and expand this work.

On Thursday 8th of May the Latvian Parliament passed a new youth law – giving the sector a strong base for further youth policy development and for the support of youth NGOs. "It was a long time coming, we’ve been working on this since the mid-nineties. But the concerted action of national and international NGOs, the Scouts & Guides and the Ministry of Children and Family Affairs has paid off", said Eva Ikstena, President of the National Youth Council of Latvia. The Latvian Scouts and Guides sustained involvement at all stages of the processes illustrates their commitment to young people in decision making.

On Wednesday 9th April, Members of the European Parliament (MEPs), Marian Harkin (IE), Gisela Kallenbach (DE), Emmanouil Angelakas (GR), Mieczyslaw Janowski (PL) and Joel Hasse Ferreira (PT) launched a written declaration in the Parliament to propose 2011 be designated the European Year of Volunteering. If it is adopted it will make a significant contribution to the campaign to have the year designated.