A Scout house renovation for one of Greece’s oldest groups
A Scout house is a place where Scouts should feel safe, not only allowing them to continue their activities but also shielding them from the harsh weather conditions. Hi, I am George Theocharis from Athens, Greece. I’m 36 years old and this is our BackStage Story.
I'm a Scout since 1990, and a Scout Leader since 2005. Currently I'm the Scout Master of the 14th Scout Troop and I have two Wood badge awards. I studied graphic design and marketing. My hobbies are music and nature. Right now, despite the economic crisis I'm working in an outdoor company as a graphic designer and as a salesman.
The 14th Scout Troop is one of the oldest and first Scout troops in Greece. We go all the way back in 1914, so this year we had our 105th birthday! Right now, we have 55 members and hoping to reach 60 by the end of this year.
We bought our Scout house in 1963. It's a small basement but it has all the necessary commodities (bathroom, windows, fire exit, etc). At that time, the whole building was brand new, and the community was very good and safe. Unfortunately, that is not the case today. The building is over 50 years old and the community around us has become dangerous, mostly due to poverty.
Once we raise the funds, our Scout house will be safe and warm again to play inside when we need it the most, not only for our current Scouts but for children and youth who want to join us. It will also help us regain the trust of many families in the area, our Scout house is one major factor for parents not to enroll their kids.
We are planning to do the following:
- Replace 7 broken windows with double windows and aluminum frame which will keep the cold outside.
- Replace 2 broken doors (front door and fire exit) with aluminum doors.
- Fix the moisture on a wall below the broken windows
For us is very important to restore it because we are having very big issues with the cold breeze and the moisture, during the winter and summer. We are certain that these two major issues will disappear after this renovation. If we don't renovate, will have to look for a new house