Chingford Scout Network member, Dave Brett has auditioned for the chance to take part in “The Gap Year”. The show  which will be broadcast on Bebo, and maybe on television is produced by Endomol: The company which brings also brings Big Brother to our screens.
There are 6 travellers all going on their own individual gap year from UK, Ireland, Canada, America, New Zealand and Australia.

Dave, aged 19, who has now reached the final stage in the audition says, “I’m currently in the final for the UK placement and I have a 50% chance of going as I’m competing against the other candidate”

It’s been a great experience up to this point to see how a production works and to have a great inside look at what happens behind the scene.  First of all the audition started by sending a video in about yourself followed with a form from there I was selected into a final 15 for the UK.”

You can watch videos of the auditions and read blogs and photos on www.bebo.com/thegapyear.

“ The audition was weird I was competing against 15 people for one place, you didn’t know if they were  your enemy but with my good Scouting nature I was there to have a good time and make friends. We did some group work and talking together which came as first nature to me as I do this
every week within the scout association.

The whole process has been a great learning curve for me and I've learned allot from it such as interview skills and working  together with a production company.”
In 2005, Dave attended Eurojam, the warm-up event to the World Jamboree, in Hylands Park. He says that this is where he first discovered his passion for travelling:

“My passion for travel first started when I was 15 years old at Eurojam my first ever international camp were people from all around the world joined as one. I was a typical Londoner without a clue of what happens in the outside world and I had never met any one from another country. My first
day at the camp I plucked up the courage to speak to a Finnish Scout Troop that we were camping next to. I remember it was so scary for me as I’d never really gone up to a group of different people and started a conversation but I never realised that at that exact moment my whole life would change forever. They all  welcomed me on to their campsite and we had a great conversation
about London and Finland and the cultural differences and I was inspired to learn more about their
culture and is was just so different”

The whole group become great friends of mine and we kept in contact after the event by exchanging emails. After Eurojam I had meet so many amazing people from all around the world who I kept in contact and a little travel bug started to itch within me and I decided to travel to Finland  to meet all my new friends I had made as I was so inspired to learn more about their culture I wanted to see it in real life. They all kindly offered me to stay with them on my travels which was really kind of them as I didn’t have a lot of pocket money but enough saved up for a flight and train tickets. My mum didn’t want me to go but I was so determined to go that I packed my bags and off I went, a little cheeky I know but I still went any way regardless of my mum’s decision. I travelled across the whole country visiting Father Christmas in the arctic to working on a cow farm in Seinajoki to going to a school for a week in Sahalati, I never will  forget the school I was a local celebrities as no one goes there and as a traveller it sounded crazy to the locals when ever  one found out i was in town. I really got into the culture such as trying all the foods and going to the Sauna. I learned so much from this trip and gained a lot of independence. Who would have thought this amazing journey would have all happened from a conversation I started on a scout camp.”


If I get chosen to be part of the gap year project it would mean the world to me! I would love people to follow in my foot steps and to travel the world and learn about new cultures. You learn so much
about  the world around you and pick up many skills which would help you in the  long run such as independence and social skills

I think scouting is great for young people it has really helped as a person to become who I am, it’s taught me so much and helps me in my everyday life.