In this issue

Easter Course 2009
“ Bridging the Gap” was the
theme of this year’s Easter
Course, an international
training course run by European
Fellowship. We assembled on
Sunday afternoon, inside Helsinki
airport ready for our drive to
Poyhola, a training centre run by
Nuorten Keskus. Thirty-five people
from 10 different nations began to get
to know each other on the long drive
and friendships began to form.
The Easter Course is a training
course designed to develop a cultural
awareness and to look at the issues
faced in living in a multi-cultural society.
It does this in many different ways.
Classes looking at specific issues,
discussions and a role-playing game
developed these issues. Another way we
looked at multicultural issues was to live
together for a week! Sharing a house,
meal times and prayers developed my
knowledge of European customs and
made me very aware of British values
and traditions – putting milk in tea was
frowned on!
Games and singing were also big
parts of the course. After classes were
finished we would organise our own
games, where we taught other nations
the games we play back home. As a
company officer, it was a great way
to learn new games and songs and
they have been great to use at my own
Company.
The friendships made on the
course will last a long time and visits
are already being organised! As
international experiences go, this was
the best I have ever been on and I have
made some wonderful friends in many
nations. I am very grateful to both the
BB for supporting the transport costs
and my church for finding the course
costs. I recommend this to any young
person looking for an international
experience with the Brigade.
Nick Taylor
1st Barnet
“ putting milk
in tea was
frowned on!”
July 2009 The Boys’ Brigade Gazette 93