Sadly there has been bullying and inappropriate behavior at Kajo. The camp organization is aware of the bullying of campers staying in Fotoni-subcamp on the anonymous social media platform Jodel. This cyberbullying has in some cases turned into physical actions. Understandably some scouts at the camp are feeling anxious due to the situation along with the rumors circulating the camp.
As scouts we do not accept any kind of bullying, inappropriate behavior or threatening and neither do the participants of Kajo. The campers have already started their own anti-bullying campaigns in Jodel and at the camp.
First and foremost we want to offer everyone a safe place to be a scout. We will interfere with any and all inappropriate behavior we may see. We have communicated to all participants via the app that all bullying must end immediately. All leaders at Kajo have been given directions on how to react and intervene with the situations that have arisen. We have also tried to control the messaging on Jodel as much as possible, but as the platform is anonymous, controlling it fully is impossible.
Any kind of bullying or vandalism will lead to the camper committing it being sent home.
All adults are strongly present in the camp life and without hesitation interfere with any problematic situations. At Kajo we have a large mental health and wellbeing team made up of healthcare professionals and youth workers. The campers are strongly encouraged to turn to the team if anything is bothering them as well as notifying adults of any inappropriate behavior they see.
Outside this very unfortunate situation life at the camp continues nicely. Today we had over 5000 guests visiting the camp and today we will all gather together at the mid-camp ceremony.
Camp leaders Janne Costiander and Maria “Kerttu” Nikkari
