Scouts find it increasingly difficult to find a camp site

The French-speaking youth movements are still looking for a camp site for 420 groups with a total of 17,300 children. That is more than last year. Scouts and Gidsen Vlaanderen also says that there will be more pressure. The youth movement sees a number of reasons for this. For example, the summer holidays in Wallonia have been shortened, which means that the camping season must also be shorter. Scouts en Gidsen Vlaanderen also grew to 90,000 members, more than ever. “That success leads to larger groups and more camps: supply and demand come under pressure,” says spokesperson Jan Van Reusel.

DUAL CAUSE

In addition, in recent years more attention has been paid to hygiene and sanitary facilities, room to play, accessibility and safety. It is not always easy for site owners to comply with the standards, according to Scouts en Gidsen Vlaanderen. In short, the associations continue to grow, and fewer and fewer camp sites meet the stricter standards imposed by the associations.