Internationalism pre & post-Brexit

It took me a while to work out what the Woodcraft Folk movement was all about - it's really one of those things you've got to try and maybe, like me, you'll want to find out more.



Up until now my Woodcraft Folk experience has been very Kings Heath and Moseley.  There's nothing wrong with that but if I, as a Woodcraft Folk leader, am building children and young peoples 'awareness of society around them', I could at least attend Woodcraft Folk AGM when it was in Birmingham this Saturday, at the British Midland Institute.

Every time I've scratched below the surface of Woodcraft Folk movement, I've felt more at home, and in the past months of Aleppo, Brexit, Calais, Boris & Trump, it's great to be among fellow 'Internationalists'.  Most were much young than me, from across the UK, all having taken part, or supporting a range of campaigns raising awareness of issues to bring about a peaceful fairer world.  And that's what Woodcraft Folk have always done since it's earliest days.

  

Henry Fair wrote to all Woodcraft Folk members:
'Hundreds of the parents of Red Falcon members
are in peril of their life, hundreds are refugees,
sleeping in fields and ditches. Their children,
ex-Red Falcons, many of them came to Brighton,
are amongst these and they plead with their
fellow comrades of other countries for help.
Well what can we do, what can you?’1937

'A people's history of the Woodcraft folk', published earlier this year documents darker times when Woodcraft Folk played their role in the Kindertransport rescuing children from Nazi persecution.  There's been plenty of work to document Woodcraft Heritage, but this weekend at the AGM I wanted to find out what 'Woodies without Borders' were still doing with our international partners, like the International Falcon Movement (like Visa campaign below)



It was re-assuring to see and hear the future (and past) Internationalist vision of Woodcraft Folk reflected in the comments of 'the board' as it stood, the mostly young candidates for Election and the members who had traveled to Birmingham.

Kings Heath & Moseley Elfins outside a polling booth
23rd June 2016

And to know that we in Kings Heath & Moseley, have a role to play to make the world a better place.


See South Birmingham District Woodcraft Folk to find out more.