Scouts preparing to head to the World Scout Jamboree in Poland across Kingswinford and South Staffordshire are set to receive a contribution to their individual fundraising efforts from their Member of Parliament.
Mike Wood, MP for Kingswinford & South Staffordshire chose West Mercia Scouts as the recipient of a £2,000 prize after he placed third in a Parliamentary Language Challenge hosted by language learning platform, Duolingo.
In total 13 million XP was earned across the 50 day challenge as parliamentarians used Duolingo to learn 43 languages including French, Spanish and German, but also Welsh, Ukrainian and Hebrew.
The six finalists were presented with their awards at a ceremony in the Houses of Parliament by Darren Paffey MP, Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Modern Languages, Baroness Jean Coussins former chair of the APPG, last year's winner Cat Smith MP, Dr Charlotte Ryland from the University of Oxford, and Professor Emma Cayley, Chair of the University Council for Languages.
Each Scout that is currently fundraising for the World Scout Jamboree in Mr Wood’s constituency, which includes Kingswinford, Wombourne, Perton, Codsall & Bilbrook is set to receive an equal share of the cash prize.
Mike Wood MP, who was learning Arabic said:
"I’m absolutely delighted to have finished third in the Duolingo Language Challenge.
My daughter, who is a bit of a Duolingo fan, was trying to persuade me to learn Klingon, but I went for Arabic to help me with work! I'm really enjoying what I've learnt. I'm going to try and strike up a conversation with Alicia (Kearns) and James (Cleverly) who are both learning Arabic!”
“From bake sales, to Mother’s Day Afternoon Teas, to selling ice cream during the interval at Wombourne High’s recent production, I’ve seen Scouts come up with all kinds of creative ways to fundraise for their upcoming trip to the World Scout Jamboree.”
“Thank you to Duolingo for donating such a generous prize, and I know that a share of £2,000 will make a meaningful difference to each Scout from Kingswinford and South Staffordshire preparing to travel to Poland in 2027. Although I haven’t yet had the chance to meet every Scout in person, I hope this contribution shows these brilliant young people that they have my full support.”
To be eligible to receive a share of the prize, scouts must be resident in Kingswinford & South Staffordshire and currently fundraising to attend the 2027 World Scout Jamboree, which will be taking place in Poland. The fund will be distributed by West Mercia Scouts, with no need for individuals to apply for the fund.
The Duolingo Language Challenge was devised by Duolingo in 2024 in partnership with the APPG on Modern Languages to show how important learning languages is. In just two years over 250 MPs have supported the Challenge and its goal of raising the profile and importance of languages to the U.K. and the wider economy.
