The Scout Association is the largest
Scouting
Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth movement employing the Scout method, a program of informal education with an emphasis on practical outdoor activities, including camping, woodcraft, aquatics, hiking, backpacking ...
organisation in the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
and is the
World Organization of the Scout Movement
The World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM ) is the largest international Scouting organization. WOSM has 173 members. These members are recognized national Scout organizations, which collectively have around 43 million participants. WOS ...
's recognised member for the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
. Following the origin of Scouting in 1907, the association was formed in 1910 and
incorporated in 1912 by a
royal charter
A royal charter is a formal grant issued by a monarch under royal prerogative as letters patent. Historically, they have been used to promulgate public laws, the most famous example being the English Magna Carta (great charter) of 1215, bu ...
under its previous name of The Boy Scouts Association.
The association is the largest national Scout organisation in
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
, representing 35% of the membership of the
European Scout Region
The European Scout Region is one of six geographical subdivisions of the World Organization of the Scout Movement, headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, with a satellite office in Brussels, Belgium.
Structure Members
The European Scout Region co ...
.
, the association claims to provide activities to 464,700 young people (aged –25) in the UK with over 116,400 adult volunteers which is more than one adult for each 4 young people.
[ (pp. 58)] Its programmes include Squirrel Scouts (aged 4–6), Beaver Scouts (aged –8), Cub Scouts (aged 8–), Scouts (aged –14), Explorer Scouts (aged 14–18) and adult Network members (aged 18–25).
The association aims to provide "fun, adventure and skills for life and give young people the opportunity to enjoy new adventures, experience outdoors and take part in a range of creative, community and international activities, interact with others, make new friends, gain confidence and have the opportunity to reach their full potential".
The organisation and its activities are regulated through its "Policy, Organisation and Rules" (POR).
The association is led by its
Chief Scout A Chief Scout is the principal or head scout for an organization such as the military, colonial administration or expedition or a talent scout in performing, entertainment or creative arts, particularly sport. In sport, a Chief Scout can be the prin ...
, the television presenter, adventurer and author
Bear Grylls, alongside a UK chief commissioner, Carl Hankinson, and chief executive,
Matt Hyde
Matt Hyde (born June 19, 1964) is an American producer, engineer, mixer and musician. From 1982 to 1985 he attended Berklee College of Music in Boston. While still at Berklee in 1984, he obtained an internship at Pyramid Recording Studio in Bost ...
. The association's joint presidents are the
Duke of Kent
Duke of Kent is a title that has been created several times in the peerages of peerage of Great Britain, Great Britain and the peerage of the United Kingdom, United Kingdom, most recently as a Royal dukedoms in the United Kingdom, royal dukedom ...
and
Princess of Wales
Princess of Wales (Welsh: ''Tywysoges Cymru'') is a courtesy title used since the 14th century by the wife of the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. The current title-holder is Catherine (née Middleton).
The title was firs ...
, and its patron was the late
Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. She was queen ...
.
Open to all
Gender
From 1912 to 1967 the association's name was The ''Boy'' Scouts Association and until 1976 only boys were admitted to its programmes. In 1976, girls were allowed to join the
Venture Scouts
Venturer or Venture Scouts are programs in some Scouting organisations for young people of various age ranges in the 14–20 age range. A participant in the program is called a Venturer.
Australia
The Venturer Scout program in Scouts Australia, o ...
section for 16- to 20-year-olds.
This expanded to all the association's programme sections in 1991, although the admission of girls was optional and has only been compulsory since 2007.
, Girls make up 27% of all-age participants with a total of 99,989 female participants aged between 6 and 25 and a further 69,460 women involved in volunteer roles (being more than 1 adult female for every 2 female young people), while new recruits are now 71% girls (approx. 2.5 girls for every boy).
The Scout Association's activities and leadership positions are open to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and other (LGBT+) young people and adults.
Faith
The association is open to all faiths with variations to the Scout Promise available to accommodate to those of different religious obligations or national beliefs.
Following criticisms of the lack of provision for atheists, in 2012 the association consulted members about the possibility of creating an additional alternative Promise for those without a religion, and in October 2013, announced that an alternative version of the promise would be available from January 2014 for those without a pronounced faith.
Disability
Baden-Powell was keen to allow young people with disabilities to take part in Scouting programmes, and the Disabled Scout Branch (later known as
Extension Scouting
Extension Scouting are programs in Scouting organizations which cater for young people with special needs.
Background
Extension Scouting was earlier called ''Scouts Malgré Tout'', which is French for "Scouts Despite Everything". It aims to meet ...
) was formed in 1926. After the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, specialist
Agoonoree
Agoonoree is a Scouting jamboree for young people with special needs.
History
In 1949, Netherlands Scouts organised an international camp at Lunteren for Scouts with disabilities called "Agoon", after the Greek language word ''agṓn'' ( ''ἀ ...
Scout camps were run to cater for those unable to camp with their own Scout Groups. Latterly, emphasis has been placed on integrating young people with disabilities into mainstream Groups. Flexibility is built-in to badges and awards for those with special needs and many Scout Counties and Areas have a specialist commissioner or adviser to support inclusion.
History
Formation
For the origins of Boy Scouts and the Scout Movement before the formation of The Scout Association see
Scouting
Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth movement employing the Scout method, a program of informal education with an emphasis on practical outdoor activities, including camping, woodcraft, aquatics, hiking, backpacking ...
.
The Boy Scouts Association was formed in 1910, in order to provide a national body in the United Kingdom which could organise and support the rapidly growing number of Scout
patrol
A patrol is commonly a group of personnel, such as Law enforcement officer, law enforcement officers, military personnel, or Security guard, security personnel, that are assigned to monitor or secure a specific geographic area.
Etymology
Fro ...
s and troops, which had begun to form spontaneously following the publication of ''
Scouting for Boys
''Scouting for Boys: A handbook for instruction in good citizenship'' is a book on Boy Scout training, published in various editions since 1908. Early editions were written and illustrated by Robert Baden-Powell with later editions being extensi ...
'' and ''The Scout'' magazine in 1908.
It was also the wish of Baden-Powell to wrest control of the Scout Movement from his book's publisher as it was felt it was not given the status it deserved as the publisher
C. Arthur Pearson controlled much of Scouting.
1910 to 1920: growth
The association grew and spread to much of the British Empire. In 1910, the association approved special uniforms for
Sea Scouts
Sea Scouts are a part of the Scout movement, with a particular emphasis on boating and other water-based activities on the sea, rivers or lakes (canoeing, rafting, scuba, sailboarding). Sea Scouts can provide a chance to sail, cruise on boats, ...
and officially adopted use of the name in 1912.
On 4 January 1912, the association was incorporated throughout the
British Empire
The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts esta ...
by
Royal charter
A royal charter is a formal grant issued by a monarch under royal prerogative as letters patent. Historically, they have been used to promulgate public laws, the most famous example being the English Magna Carta (great charter) of 1215, bu ...
for "the purpose of instructing boys of all classes in the principles of discipline loyalty and good citizenship".
Originally, the association's programs were for boys aged between 11 and 18. However, many girls and younger boys wanted to join in.
In 1910, a separate organisation, the
Girl Guides
Girl Guides (known as Girl Scouts in the United States and some other countries) is a worldwide movement, originally and largely still designed for girls and women only. The movement began in 1909 when girls requested to join the then-grassroot ...
were created by Baden-Powell and his sister,
Agnes, to provide a more "proper" programme of activities.
In 1916, the association launched its
Wolf Cubs
Cub Scouts, Cubs or Wolf Cubs are programs associated with Scouting for young children usually between 7 and 12, depending on the organization to which they belong. A participant in the program is called a Cub. A group of Cubs is called a 'P ...
, for boys aged 8 to 11. In 1918, the association launched its
Rover Scouts
Rover Scouts, Rovers, Rover Scouting or Rovering is a program associated with some Scouting organizations for adult men and women. A group of Rovers is called a 'Rover Crew'.
Rovers was originated by The Scout Association, The Boy Scouts Assoc ...
for those over 18 who had grown out of Scouts but wanted to be remain connected.
During the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, more than 50,000 Scouts participated in some form of war work on the
home front
Home front is an English language term with analogues in other languages. It is commonly used to describe the full participation of the British public in World War I who suffered Zeppelin#During World War I, Zeppelin raids and endured Rationin ...
. Scout
bugle
The bugle is one of the simplest brass instruments, normally having no valves or other pitch-altering devices. All pitch control is done by varying the player's embouchure.
History
The bugle developed from early musical or communication ...
rs sounded the "all clear" after air raids or air strike, others helped in hospitals and made up aid parcels; Sea Scouts assisted the
Coastguard
A coast guard or coastguard is a maritime security organization of a particular country. The term embraces wide range of responsibilities in different countries, from being a heavily armed military force with customs and security duties to ...
in watching the vulnerable East coast.
In 1920, the association organised the first
World Jamboree
The World Scout Jamboree is a Scouting jamboree of the World Organization of the Scout Movement, typically attended by several tens of thousands of Scouts from around the world, aged 14 to 17.
The first World Scout Jamboree was organized by T ...
, held in
Olympia
The name Olympia may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Film
* ''Olympia'' (1938 film), by Leni Riefenstahl, documenting the Berlin-hosted Olympic Games
* ''Olympia'' (1998 film), about a Mexican soap opera star who pursues a career as an athlet ...
,
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
, together with an international conference for leaders which led to the formation, in 1922, of the
International Conference of the Boy Scout Movement now called the World Organization of the Scout Movement, of which the association was a founding member.
''The Boy Scouts Headquarters Gazette'' was first published in July 1909, as the official publication for adult
Scouter
A Scout leader or Scouter generally refers to the trained adult leader of a Scout unit. The terms used vary from country to country, over time, and with the type of unit.
Roles
There are many different roles a leader can fulfill depending on t ...
s and administrators, alongside ''The Scout'', a magazine for youth members which had been launched in April 1908.
1920 to 1967
In 1929, the association hosted the
3rd World Scout Jamboree at
Arrowe Park
Arrowe Park is an area to the west of Birkenhead, within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, Merseyside, England. It is situated on the Wirral Peninsula, adjacent to the Woodchurch housing estate and to the south of the large village of Upto ...
in
Cheshire
Cheshire ( ) is a ceremonial and historic county in North West England, bordered by Wales to the west, Merseyside and Greater Manchester to the north, Derbyshire to the east, and Staffordshire and Shropshire to the south. Cheshire's county t ...
; some 56,000 Scouts from 35 countries attended, making it the largest
World Scout Jamboree
The World Scout Jamboree is a Scouting jamboree of the World Organization of the Scout Movement, typically attended by several tens of thousands of Scouts from around the world, aged 14 to 17.
The first World Scout Jamboree was organized by T ...
to date. The first ''
Gang Show
A Gang Show is a theatrical performance by members of Scouts and Guides
A guide is a person who leads travelers, sportspeople, or tourists through unknown or unfamiliar locations. The term can also be applied to a person who leads others t ...
'', produced by
Ralph Reader
William Henry Ralph Reader (25 May 1903 – 18 May 1982), known as Ralph Reader, was a British actor, theatrical producer and songwriter, known for staging the original Gang Show, a variety entertainment presented by members of the Scouti ...
, opened at the
Scala Theatre
The Scala Theatre was a theatre in Charlotte Street, London, off Tottenham Court Road. The first theatre on the site opened in 1772, and the theatre was demolished in 1969, after being destroyed by fire. From 1865 to 1882, the theatre was kn ...
in London in October 1932. Following the outbreak of
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, over 50,000 Scouts trained under the National War Service scheme. Tasks undertaken included police messengers and stretcher bearers.
The
Air Scout
Air Scouts are a part of the Scout movement with a particular emphasis on an aviation themed programme and/or flying-based activities. Air Scouts follow the same basic programme as other Scouts, but they devote certain amounts of time focused o ...
branch was launched in January 1941, allowing Scout Troops to specialise in activities related to aircraft and flying.
Baden-Powell, as the association's
Chief Scout A Chief Scout is the principal or head scout for an organization such as the military, colonial administration or expedition or a talent scout in performing, entertainment or creative arts, particularly sport. In sport, a Chief Scout can be the prin ...
and chairman, continued to head and guide the association, going on world tours throughout the rest of his life until ill health caused him to retire to Kenya in 1938 where he died on 8 January 1941.
He was succeeded as the association's Chief Scout by
Lord Somers
Baron Somers, of Evesham in the County of Worcester, is a title that has been created twice. The title was first created in the Peerage of England in 1697 for Sir John Somers, so that he could sit in the House of Lords and serve as Lord Chancell ...
.
Starting in 1944, the Scout International Relief Service (SIRS) sent teams of Rovers and
Scouter
A Scout leader or Scouter generally refers to the trained adult leader of a Scout unit. The terms used vary from country to country, over time, and with the type of unit.
Roles
There are many different roles a leader can fulfill depending on t ...
s to continental Europe to provide
humanitarian aid
Humanitarian aid is material and logistic assistance to people who need help. It is usually short-term help until the long-term help by the government and other institutions replaces it. Among the people in need are the homeless, refugees, and ...
; ten SIRS teams worked at the recently relieved
Bergen-Belsen concentration camp
Bergen-Belsen , or Belsen, was a Nazi concentration camp in what is today Lower Saxony in northern Germany, southwest of the town of Bergen near Celle. Originally established as a prisoner of war camp, in 1943, parts of it became a concent ...
. After years of trial schemes, in 1946, the association launched its
Senior Scout
Senior (shortened as Sr.) means "the elder" in Latin and is often used as a suffix for the elder of two or more people in the same family with the same given name, usually a parent or grandparent. It may also refer to:
* Senior (name), a surname ...
program for Boy Scouts aged fifteen to eighteen years to form separate patrols or troops, with age appropriate activities and badges.
Scouts were prominent in their support of the
1948 Summer Olympics
The 1948 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XIV Olympiad and also known as London 1948) were an international multi-sport event held from 29 July to 14 August 1948 in London, England, United Kingdom. Following a twelve-year hiatus ca ...
, playing leading roles in the open and closing ceremonies at
Wembley Stadium
Wembley Stadium (branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE for sponsorship reasons) is a football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Stadium, which was demolished from 200 ...
and the sailing events at
Torbay
Torbay is a borough and unitary authority in Devon, south west England. It is governed by Torbay Council and consists of of land, including the resort towns of Torquay, Paignton and Brixham, located on east-facing Tor Bay, part of Lyme ...
. The first
Bob a Job Week
The Scout Association is the largest Scouting organisation in the United Kingdom and is the World Organization of the Scout Movement's recognised member for the United Kingdom. Following the origin of Scouting in 1907, the association was for ...
took place in April 1949, in which Scouts did small tasks for the public in return for a "
bob
Bob, BOB, or B.O.B. may refer to:
Places
*Mount Bob, New York, United States
*Bob Island, Palmer Archipelago, Antarctica
People, fictional characters, and named animals
*Bob (given name), a list of people and fictional characters
*Bob (surname) ...
" (5 new pence) to raise funds for the association and for C. Arthur Pearson's fund for the blind.
Over the association's history, some boys had been challenged to justify their membership because of their own or even their parents' religious or political beliefs. In the early 1950s, some Boy Scouts were dismissed or marginalized in their Scout Groups due to their involvement with the
Young Communist League
The Young Communist League (YCL) is the name used by the youth wing of various Communist parties around the world. The name YCL of XXX (name of country) originates from the precedent established by the Communist Youth International.
Examples of YC ...
or related communist activities – the most high-profile case being that of Paul Garland from Bristol in 1954 which resulted in media reports and a debate in the House of Lords, where the association's
Chief Scout A Chief Scout is the principal or head scout for an organization such as the military, colonial administration or expedition or a talent scout in performing, entertainment or creative arts, particularly sport. In sport, a Chief Scout can be the prin ...
,
Lord Rowallan, defended the association's political and religious discrimination based on foreign communist regimes' antipathy to Scout organisations and the association's policy and
Scout Promise
The Scout Promise (or Oath) is a spoken statement made by a child joining the Scout movement. Since the publication of '' Scouting for Boys'' in 1908, all Scouts and Girl Guides around the world have taken a Scout (or Guide) promise or oath to liv ...
requiring adherence to an organised religion and not accepting atheists. The matter was withdrawn without a
division
Division or divider may refer to:
Mathematics
*Division (mathematics), the inverse of multiplication
*Division algorithm, a method for computing the result of mathematical division
Military
*Division (military), a formation typically consisting ...
and it took 60 more years for the association to
change its discriminatory policy and accept atheists. In 1957, to commemorate fifty years of Scouting and the centenary of Baden-Powell's birth, the association hosted the
9th World Scout Jamboree
The 9th World Scout Jamboree, also known as the Jubilee Jamboree, was held at Sutton Park, Royal Town of Sutton Coldfield, Warwickshire, England, for twelve days during August, 1957. The Jamboree marked dual milestones as it was both the 50th an ...
at
Sutton Park in
Birmingham
Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...
.
1967 to 2001
The association's programmes went largely unchanged until it underwent a major review in the 1960s.
The Chief Scouts' Advance Party was formed in 1964 and was sent to survey the association to see why membership numbers were falling. Their
report
A report is a document that presents information in an organized format for a specific audience and purpose. Although summaries of reports may be delivered orally, complete reports are almost always in the form of written documents. Usage
In ...
was published in 1966 and changes were implemented later that year and throughout 1967.
As a result, the word "boy" was dropped from the association's name which was changed to ''The Scout Association'' and major changes were made to the sections and their respective programmes.
The youngest section were now named
Cub Scouts
Cub Scouts, Cubs or Wolf Cubs are programs associated with Scouting for young children usually between 7 and 12, depending on the organization to which they belong. A participant in the program is called a Cub. A group of Cubs is called a 'P ...
, the Boy Scout section was renamed simply as the Scout section and the Senior Scouts and Rover Scout section was replaced with
Venture Scouts
Venturer or Venture Scouts are programs in some Scouting organisations for young people of various age ranges in the 14–20 age range. A participant in the program is called a Venturer.
Australia
The Venturer Scout program in Scouts Australia, o ...
for 16- to 20-year-olds.
The uniform were also changed with the inclusion of optional long trousers for the Scouts, as opposed to the compulsory wearing of knee-length shorts, and the wearing of a
Beret
A beret ( or ; ; eu, txapela, ) is a soft, round, flat-crowned cap, usually of woven, hand-knitted wool, crocheted cotton, wool felt, or acrylic fibre.
Mass production of berets began in 19th century France and Spain, and the beret remains ...
instead of the
Campaign hat
A campaign hat, sometimes called campaign cover, is a broad-brimmed felt or straw hat, with a high crown, pinched symmetrically at the four corners. The campaign hat is occasionally referred to as a Stetson, derived from its origin in the company' ...
.
The Advance Party Report was not welcomed by all members and a rival report, ''A Boy Scout Black Paper'', was produced in 1970 by The Scout Action Group. This provided alternative proposals for the development of the association and asked for groups that wished to continue to follow Baden-Powell's original scheme to be permitted to do so. The rejection of these proposals resulted in the formation of the
Baden-Powell Scouts' Association
The Baden-Powell Scouts' Association (''B-PSA'') is a worldwide youth organisation originating in the United Kingdom, with friendly relationships with similar traditional scouting organisations in various countries. Baden-Powell Scouting focuses ...
.
Several developments were made over the following years, including the admission of girls, initially restricted to the Venture Scouts section in 1976, but from 1991 thanks to a young girl named Elizabeth Hainsworth, junior sections were allowed to become mixed as well, starting in Bradford, West Yorkshire and working its way throughout the U.K.
Parents of children involved with the association in
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...
also began to organise activities for children who were too young for Cubs. Initially, only the leaders of these activities, nicknamed
Beavers
Beavers are large, semiaquatic rodents in the genus ''Castor'' native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere. There are two extant species: the North American beaver (''Castor canadensis'') and the Eurasian beaver (''C. fiber''). Beavers ar ...
, were members of the association, with the children participating not being enrolled by the association until it formally adopted the programme in 1986.
In the late 1990s, a Muslim Scout Fellowship was formed, which by the end of 2007, had assisted the establishment of 13 Muslim Scout Groups in England and Wales.
Despite these and other changes, the association's enrolments fell into a decline through the 1990s with falling membership levels. This spurred a major review into the causes of the decline in 1999.
2001 to 2014
The association found itself competing for young people's time against many other extracurricular activities and schools themselves which were increasingly venturing into the same types of activities. In addition, adult leaders became concerned with the growing
litigation
-
A lawsuit is a proceeding by a party or parties against another in the civil court of law. The archaic term "suit in law" is found in only a small number of laws still in effect today. The term "lawsuit" is used in reference to a civil actio ...
culture in the UK
and the negative
stereotype
In social psychology, a stereotype is a generalized belief about a particular category of people. It is an expectation that people might have about every person of a particular group. The type of expectation can vary; it can be, for example ...
as being old fashioned.
To keep up with trends and appeal to audience new generation, a new uniform, designed by Meg Andrew, was launched in 2001. The uniform included a variety of bold colours, with the younger sections wearing sweatshirts and activity trousers.
In 2002 the association launched its new vision towards 2012, which heralded another period of change.
Venture Scouts programme was discontinued and two new sections were introduced:
Scout Network
The Scout Network is the sixth and final youth section of The Scout Association in the United Kingdom, catering for those aged between 18 and 25 years. The section was formally introduced in February 2002 alongside Explorer Scouts with both repla ...
for 18- to 25-year-olds, as well as
Explorer Scouts
Explorer Scouts, frequently shortened to Explorers, is the fifth section of The Scout Association in the United Kingdom for 14- to 18-year-olds. The section was introduced in 2001 and formally launched in February 2002, alongside Scout Network ...
for 14- to 18-year-olds. A new programme was introduced, complete with a new range of badges and awards covering a wider variety of topics such as Public Relations and Information Technology, developing practical and employability skills.
The new badges drew mixed reactions from several public figures, with some praising the association for "moving with the times" and others feeling the changes went "against the Scouting ethos of Baden-Powell".
Further changes took place in 2003 when the association's Adult Training Scheme was relaunched to be more focused and targeted to the volunteers individual role as opposed to the more general training received before.
The association also began to change in its focus, with a renewed emphasis on outdoor adventure and it now offers over 200 fun and adventurous activities from abseiling and archery while also offering a wider range of development opportunities, from coding to music and drama. In 2004 the association appointed television presenter Peter Duncan as its Chief Scout, who was succeeded by adventurer Bear Grylls in July 2009. The first UK Chief Commissioner,
Wayne Bulpitt
Wayne Bulpitt, Order of the British Empire, CBE (born June 1961) was the UK Chief Commissioner for The Scout Association from 2009 until 2016.
Life
Wayne Bulpitt was born in June 1961 and has lived in Guernsey since 1983. In 1988 he married his wi ...
was appointed on the same day, with a particular remit to support volunteers, grow and develop the association.
The association hosted several major events during this time including
EuroJam in 2005, hosting 10,000 Scouts and Guides from 40 countries, the
21st World Scout Jamboree
The 21st World Scout Jamboree was held in July and August 2007, and formed a part of the Scouting 2007 Centenary celebrations of the world Scout Movement. The event was hosted by the United Kingdom, as 2007 marked the 100th anniversary of the found ...
in 2007 as well as playing a major role in the
centenary celebrations of Scouting that same year, with celebration events organised on
Brownsea Island
Brownsea Island is the largest of the islands in Poole Harbour in the county of Dorset, England. The island is owned by the National Trust with the northern half managed by the Dorset Wildlife Trust. Much of the island is open to the public and ...
.
By 2010, census figures showed a strong upturn, with the association in April 2010 claiming its highest rate of growth in UK since 1972, with total claimed participation reaching just under half a million.
In 2014, the association claimed an increase in youth membership of 100,000 in the ten years since 2004. In 2016 it claimed eleven years of consecutive growth and an increase in female membership, with 25% of participants now female in the 25 years since girls were first welcomed in 1976.
The association claims one of its biggest challenges is encouraging more adults to volunteer to reduce the number of young people on waiting lists (cited at around 40,000). However, by its reported figures (above) it has a high ratio of more than 1 adult volunteer to 4 participant young people (see above), and "young people" includes adults aged 18 to 25. The effort to attract new volunteers received a boost when the
Duchess of Cambridge
Duke of Cambridge, one of several current royal dukedoms in the United Kingdom , is a hereditary title of specific rank of nobility in the British royal family. The title (named after the city of Cambridge in England) is heritable by male de ...
announced her intention to become a volunteer leader for the association with a Scout Group near her Anglesey home. In the decade up to 2014, the number of adult volunteers increased by 14,596 to a total of over 104,000.
2014 to present
A new Strategic Plan entitled ''Scouting for All'' was launched in 2014 to outline the association's focus to 2018. It proposed four key areas of activity: growth, inclusivity, youth-shaped Scouting and community impact. As part of this, in 2014, the association introduced the role of its national youth commissioner. The association's national youth commissioner works with its national leadership team; its chief executive, its Chief Scout, its chief commissioner and its chair of the board of trustees, to contribute to discussions on behalf of youth members and ensuring key changes are subject to youth consultation. Counties and district units were encouraged to appoint their own youth commissioners for young people to have an opportunity to influence their activities.
In October 2015, as part of the commitment to developing community impact, the association launched a three-year community impact project called "A Million Hands" to mobilise half a million Scouts to support four social issues chosen by their young people. Its aim is to build real and lasting relationships in communities that will enable young people to continue taking "social action" long into the future. The project works in partnership with six key charities;
Mind
The mind is the set of faculties responsible for all mental phenomena. Often the term is also identified with the phenomena themselves. These faculties include thought, imagination, memory, will, and sensation. They are responsible for various m ...
,
Alzheimer's Society
Alzheimer's Society is a United Kingdom care and research Charitable organization, charity for people with dementia and their carers. It operates in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, while its sister charitieAlzheimer Scotlandand Alzheimer's ...
,
Leonard Cheshire Disability
Leonard Cheshire is a major health and welfare charity working in the United Kingdom and running development projects around the world. It was founded in 1948 by Royal Air Force officer Group Captain Leonard Cheshire VC.
Leonard Cheshire's aims ...
,
Guide Dogs
A guide is a person who leads travelers, sportspeople, or tourists through unknown or unfamiliar locations. The term can also be applied to a person who leads others to more abstract goals such as knowledge or wisdom.
Travel and recreation
Expl ...
,
Water Aid and
Canal & River Trust
The Canal & River Trust (CRT), branded as in Wales, holds the guardianship of 2,000 miles of canals and rivers, together with reservoirs and a wide range of heritage buildings and structures, in England and Wales. Launched on 12 July 2012, the ...
to support the four key issues of dementia, disability, mental wellbeing and resilience and clean water and sanitation.
Also in 2015, Dr
Ann Limb was appointed chair of the association, the first woman to hold the post. Already
Commander of the Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations,
and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...
(CBE), Limb was appointed
Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations,
and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...
(DBE) in the
2022 Birthday Honours
The 2022 Queen's Birthday Honours are appointments by some of the 15 Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The Birthday Honours are awarded as par ...
for services to young people and philanthropy.
In September 2016, Tim Kidd replaced Wayne Bulpitt as the association's chief commissioner.
Kidd has been involved with the association his whole life, starting as a Cub and then as a volunteer, in various leadership roles including Scout leader, district commissioner and county commissioner. In the
2016 Birthday Honours
The 2016 Queen's Birthday Honours are appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The Birthday Honours are awarded as pa ...
, Kidd received an OBE for services to young people.
Kidd's term will end in September 2021, with applications open for a replacement in September 2020.
Throughout 2016, the association celebrated the centenary of its
Cub section, named Cubs100. Although Cubs began on an experimental basis in 1914, the centenary celebrations marked the launch of the fully developed Wolf Cub programme on 16 December 2016, a date which is regarded as the "official birthday of Cubs". Adventurer
Steve Backshall
Stephen James Backshall (born 21 April 1973) is an English naturalist, explorer, presenter and writer, best known for BBC TV's ''Deadly 60''.
His other BBC work includes being part of the expedition teams in ''Lost Land of the Tiger'', ''Lo ...
was appointed Cubs100 Ambassador to raise the profile of the anniversary year. A range of events took place throughout 2016, from adventure camps to locally organised "promise parties" on 16 December itself, at which Cubs renewed their promises. One promise
rty in Kings Lynn was attended by the Duchess of Cambridge.
In May 2018, the association announced a new 'Skills For Life' strategy as its focus to 2023. Its objectives are similar (with the same outcomes of growth, inclusivity, youth shaped Scouting and community impact), however there is now more of a framework to develop and achieve the objectives. Alongside the new strategy launch, the association launched new branding to support the strategy and change the then 17-year-old logo. The major changes included a new typeface for documents and literature from the association, new colours with an updated corporate logo. This was introduced to the association on a two-year transition period.
As a consequence of the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
, in March 2020, the association's face-to-face activities were suspended and weekly meetings had to be delivered through Zoom (software), Zoom. To support this, the association launched an online package of activities called "the Great Indoors" and a national fund raising campaign called "Hike to the Moon" in aid of those affected by the crisis, as well as online briefings for adult leaders. Despite these initiatives, in May 2021 it was announced that membership numbers had fallen by over 100,000 (from 480,083 to 362,752), with the number of adult leaders falling from 156,000 in 2020 to just under 141,000. This was reported to be the largest drop in numbers since 1941. It prompted the association to launch the Good For You campaign which had an aim of recruiting 10,000 leaders as the association had noticed young people were returning to the association quickly but without sufficient adults to build capacity.
Announced as part of the ''Skills For Life'' strategic plan in May 2018, from 2019 the association trialled an early years programme section. The name initially chosen for the pilots, involving children aged 4-6 years, was Hedgehogs and involved a programme funded by the
Department for Education
The Department for Education (DfE) is a department of His Majesty's Government responsible for child protection, child services, education (compulsory, further and higher education), apprenticeships and wider skills in England.
A Department ...
and delivered either as an association-led programme, a parent-led programme or a partner-led early years programme.
[The Scouts Early Years Programme Evaluation: Final Report](_blank)
published March 2020 in conjunction with the Centre for Research in Early Childhood, accessed 16 March 2021 The aim of the pilot was to explore early years provision with children of this age and determine whether this is a route the association should take.
The association decided to proceed with the pilot and the phased roll out of the section over a period of years until it was in a position to introduce the section formally, now under the name Squirrels, in September 2021. The name was chosen after field testing in communities underrepresented in the association's programs, and because of the support of the
Northern Ireland Squirrel Association that subsequently merged into the association after 25 years of independent operation alongside the association in Northern Ireland. The name is also recognised by many due its links to the popular children's programme ''
Hey Duggee
''Hey Duggee'' is a British animated educational preschool television series aimed at two to five year olds. Created by Grant Orchard, it is produced by Studio AKA, in association with BBC Studios (formerly BBC Worldwide). The show is narrated b ...
''. Squirrels wear a red sweatshirt uniform and meet in Dreys organised within Scout groups. The initial 200 dreys were targeted to areas previously under-served by the association including diverse areas and those comprising a high number of low income households.
Organisational structure
The association is governed by a council of between 300 and 500 members in accordance with its various Royal Charters. The council consists of various officers and national commissioners of the association, some members nominated by the
Scout Counties
A Scout County (also Scout Area) is an administrative division within The Scout Association of the United Kingdom. There are currently 115 Counties and Areas in the United Kingdom. These bodies are responsible for providing programmes and support f ...
including young people aged between 18 and 25 and a majority of members elected by the council itself. The council elects the
association's Chief Scout.
Bear Grylls has been the association's Chief Scout since July 2009. The council also elects the association's Board of Trustees (formerly called the Committee of the council), which manages the business of the association and makes the policy and rules. A UK Chief Commissioner acts as the association's Deputy Chief Scout and appoints a team of chief commissioners and UK Commissioners who are responsible for programmes in their respective fields. The board of trustees maintain a professional headquarters staff who implement the policy of the association and provide support and services for the "proper conduct and development of Scouting". The Chief Executive is appointed by the Board to manage the work of the Headquarters staff.
In 2014, the association created the role of Youth Commissioner and Deputy Youth Commissioner.
The Youth Commissioner works with the national leadership team, to advocate on behalf of youth members.
Hannah Kentish was appointed as UK Youth Commissioner. In September 2018, Ollie Wood was appointed as the second UK Youth Commissioner for The Scouts at the end of Hannah's term. Alex Harvey and Victoria Lawton were appointed as deputies.
The association is divided into four mainland national groupings: England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. While The association in England is directly managed by the UK Headquarters, each of the other nations has its own Scout Council and administration.
Each of national divisions is further broken up into local Counties for England and Northern Ireland, Areas for Wales, Regions for Scotland and a Balliwick in the case of
Guernsey
Guernsey (; Guernésiais: ''Guernési''; french: Guernesey) is an island in the English Channel off the coast of Normandy that is part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, a British Crown Dependency.
It is the second largest of the Channel Islands ...
, which generally follow the boundaries of the
ceremonial counties
The counties and areas for the purposes of the lieutenancies, also referred to as the lieutenancy areas of England and informally known as ceremonial counties, are areas of England to which lords-lieutenant are appointed. Legally, the areas i ...
of Great Britain.
The County/Area/Region can then, in most cases, be broken down further into a number of
Scout Districts which usually cover a town, some or all of a city or a section of a larger region such as the
New Forest
The New Forest is one of the largest remaining tracts of unenclosed pasture land, heathland and forest in Southern England, covering southwest Hampshire and southeast Wiltshire. It was proclaimed a royal forest by William the Conqueror, featu ...
.
These districts are themselves made up of several
Scout Groups.
Scout Groups are the local organisations registered with The Scout Association, and are the direct descendants of the original Scout Patrols and
Scout Troop
A Scout troop is a term adopted into use with Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts and the Scout Movement to describe their basic units. The term troop echoes a group of mounted scouts in the military or an expedition and follows the terms cavalry, mounted infa ...
s. Groups can consist of one or more Beaver Colonies, Cub Packs, and Scout Troops and may also have one or more
Scout Active Support
Scout Active Support is a section of The Scout Association in the United Kingdom that provides support to delivering the youth programme of the Scouts. This support is carried out by Scout Active Support Units, which can be based at every level of ...
Units, or an Explorer Scout Unit attached to it. Scout Groups only manage the first three sections, with Explorer Scouts and Scout Networks managed by the Scout District. Scout Groups are led by a Group Scout Leader whose main role is handling communication between the local District and the Section Leaders and ensuring the Scout Group meets the minimum standard required by the association.
At all levels, Scouts are governed by an executive of
trustees
Trustee (or the holding of a trusteeship) is a legal term which, in its broadest sense, is a synonym for anyone in a position of trust and so can refer to any individual who holds property, authority, or a position of trust or responsibility to t ...
, known as executive committees
– these could be volunteers from the local community who have had ties with the association, either themselves or through their children. An executive normally consists of a chairman, secretary, treasurer, and a number of other officers. In Group Executive Committees, Group Scout Leaders and Section Leaders also form part of the committee. Their role is to ensure that the best interests of the young people and the community are served by the group, district, county, or national levels of the association.
All leaders work as unpaid volunteers, of which there are around 120,000. In addition to this number, the association employs 198 full-time and part-time staff to support the work of its adult volunteers. Senior volunteers in The Scout Association are called 'Commissioners'. Every County/Area/Region and District is headed by a Commissioner who is responsible for ensuring the Districts/Groups under their jurisdiction meet the standards set by the association. They receive support from Growth and Development Officer in England, who are employed by the Regional Services Team and deployed locally to help support the association's objectives. Commissioners in the other nations receive support from Field Commissioners, employed and directed differently. District Commissioners report to the County/Area/Regional Commissioner, who in turn report to the UK Chief Commissioner.
Sections
Core sections
The association has six age programmes to cater for youth aged between 4 and 25 years of age:
The core five sections (Squirrels to Explorers) are led by a Section Leader and aided by Assistant Leaders, Sectional Assistants, parent helpers and
Young Leaders, who are Explorer Scouts trained in leadership techniques. Scout Networks are mainly member led, but are assisted by a Network Commissioner who ensures that the Network is working within the rules of the association. In addition to adult leadership, the association encourages its members themselves to take on positions of responsibility for their section meetings. This can be through responsibility for a group of members, such as the Patrol Leader and Assistant Patrol Leader in Scouts and Sixers and Seconders in Cubs, or through sectional forums to feedback on programmes. The Scout section also have the role of Senior Patrol Leader, usually someone about to move on to Explorers who overlooks all the patrols, and the members of the Explorer section are openly encouraged to run evenings and to plan their own meetings.
Air and Sea Scouts
Some Scout Groups offer special Scouting programmes called
Air Scouts
Air Scouts are a part of the Scout movement with a particular emphasis on an aviation themed programme and/or flying-based activities. Air Scouts follow the same basic programme as other Scouts, but they devote certain amounts of time focused o ...
and
Sea Scouts
Sea Scouts are a part of the Scout movement, with a particular emphasis on boating and other water-based activities on the sea, rivers or lakes (canoeing, rafting, scuba, sailboarding). Sea Scouts can provide a chance to sail, cruise on boats, ...
. Both programmes follow the same core programme in all sections but can add more aeronautical or nautical emphasis, with some Scout Troops or Explorer Scout Units choosing to seek to be recognised by the
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...
or
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...
. In the United Kingdom there are approximately 400 Sea Scout Groups, of which about 25% (101 Groups) are Royal Navy recognised,
whilst of 117 Air Scout Groups, 43 are recognised by the RAF. The number of Troops or Units that can be recognised in either scheme is strictly limited and recognition is only awarded to those which meet the requirements and pass an inspection by a service officer. Recognised Troops or Units are inspected biennially and only retain their recognised status if they have continued to meet the required standards.
Adult roles and appointments
The association's Patron was the late
Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. She was queen ...
. The association's current joint presidents are the
Duke of Kent
Duke of Kent is a title that has been created several times in the peerages of peerage of Great Britain, Great Britain and the peerage of the United Kingdom, United Kingdom, most recently as a Royal dukedoms in the United Kingdom, royal dukedom ...
and
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge
Catherine, Princess of Wales, (born Catherine Elizabeth Middleton; 9 January 1982) is a member of the British royal family. She is married to William, Prince of Wales, heir apparent to the British throne, making Catherine the likely next ...
.
[
Below these are the members of the association's Headquarters, including the association's ]Chief Scout A Chief Scout is the principal or head scout for an organization such as the military, colonial administration or expedition or a talent scout in performing, entertainment or creative arts, particularly sport. In sport, a Chief Scout can be the prin ...
, who is honorary head of the association and its public face, and its chief commissioner, who is in charge of the volunteers in the association and of the other commissioners. Below these are the commissioners for the nations, regions, counties, areas and districts, all of whom are assisted by deputies and assistant commissioners who can oversee and advise on a particular area of responsibility – for example an assistant district commissioner for Beaver Scouts particularly ensures that that section in the district is abiding to the association's rules. The final managerial role in the association is that of the Group Scout Leader and their assistant, who are both in charge of a local Scout group. All of these roles are uniformed and for those volunteer roles from County level downwards training is required in the basic values of the association, safety and child protection, inclusion and advanced managerial skills to achieve their Wood Badge
Wood Badge is a Scouting leadership programme and the related award for adult leaders in the programmes of Scout associations throughout the world. Wood Badge courses aim to make Scouters better leaders by teaching advanced leadership skill ...
.
At the local sectional level, a section is run by a Scout Leader, who is in overall charge of the section, and by Assistant Scout Leaders, who assist the Leader in their role. These roles are uniformed and also require training to achieve their Wood Badge, although their training content consists of the basic values of the association, inclusion, camping and Scout skills and administration. They are also required to complete First Aid, safety and child protection training every three years.
Below leaders are the uniformed role of Sectional Assistant and the non-uniformed role of Occasional Helper. The Sectional Assistant has to complete basic training consisting of the values of the association, safety and child protection only while an occasional helper is a non-uniformed role and requires only to have a criminal records check by the Disclosure and Barring Service
The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) is a non-departmental public body of the Home Office of the United Kingdom. The DBS enables organisations in the public, private and voluntary sectors to make safer recruitment decisions by identifyin ...
. In addition, there are Young Leaders who must complete training in child protection and safety and then have the option to complete further modules on topics that mirror the adult training programme.
Adults can also become members of Scout Active Support
Scout Active Support is a section of The Scout Association in the United Kingdom that provides support to delivering the youth programme of the Scouts. This support is carried out by Scout Active Support Units, which can be based at every level of ...
Units that provide a variety of services to the association at group, district, county/area or national level. These units allow adults to support Association activities without having the full-time commitment of a leadership role.
Programme, badges and awards
Programme history
The youth programme has been developed from Baden-Powell's original Scout training scheme, which aimed to encourage personal achievement and provide a framework for the activities of the Scout Troop. In the Boy Scout section, this consisted of the award of badges for Tenderfoot, Second and First Class Scout and finally King's Scout, which were earned by passing tests in a wide variety of skills associated with the outdoors, health and good citizenship. With the creation of the Wolf Cub section in 1916, a similar system was devised, the awards being Tenderpad, First Star and Second Star, and an award called the Leaping Wolf was added later which required Cubs to move up to the Scout Troop. In parallel with this scheme, Cubs and Scouts were able to earn Proficiency Badges for specific skills and hobbies, an idea that Baden-Powell probably copied from Ernest Thompson Seton
Ernest Thompson Seton (born Ernest Evan Thompson August 14, 1860 – October 23, 1946) was an English-born Canadian-American author, wildlife artist, founder of the Woodcraft Indians in 1902 (renamed Woodcraft League of America), and one of ...
. The test requirements for Baden-Powell's scheme were revised in 1944 and again in 1958 without altering the basic structure.
The 1966 Advance Party Report recommended a wholly new Progressive Training Scheme; for Cub Scouts the Bronze, Silver and Gold Arrows, for Scouts the Scout Standard, Advanced Scout Standard and Chief Scout's Award and for the new Venture Scout Section, the Venture Award and the Queen's Scout Award
A King's Scout is a Scout (Scouting), Scout who has attained the King's Scout Award. The King's Scout Award is the highest youth award achievable in the Scouting movement in the Commonwealth realms, including the United Kingdom, Canada (Queen's ...
which focused on long-term service and commitment as well as the completion of an expedition lasting four days and fifty miles. These changes were implemented in October 1967. From then on, the programme has been subject to regular revision; the Scout standards were replaced in 1984 by the Scout Award, Pathfinder Award and Explorer Award with a fully revised Chief Scout's Award. The Cub arrows were replaced in 1991 with the Cub Scout Award, Adventure Award and Adventure Crest Award. All these awards were replaced following the introduction of the Programme Review in February 2002. A new concept called the Balanced Programme replaced the previous scheme. Challenge Awards could be earned by participating in activities in various Programme Zones such as outdoors, fitness, community or international. Earning a certain number of Challenge Awards and the completion of a personal challenge led to the Bronze Chief Scout's Award for Beavers, Silver for Cubs and Gold for Scouts. Proficiency Badges were revised and renamed Activity Badges. In 2015, the programme was revised again following consultation within the association, the changes being called the Programme Refresh.
Award scheme
The previous Programme Zones have been replaced by three themes, being "outdoor and adventure", "world" and "skills". It is recommended for all sections that about 50% of the programme be devoted to outdoor and adventure skills and activities. The structure of Challenge Badges and Chief Scout's Awards has been retained but the content has been revised and made "more challenging". Beavers have to earn six Challenge Badges to Gain the Bronze Chief Scout's Award, Cubs seven for the Silver and Scouts nine for the Gold. The final three awards, The Chief Scout's Platinum and Diamond Awards and the Queen's Scout Award are available in the Explorer Scout and Scout Network sections. The awards build on the requirements of The Duke of Edinburgh's Award
The Duke of Edinburgh's Award (commonly abbreviated DofE) is a youth awards programme founded in the United Kingdom in 1956 by Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, that has since expanded to 144 nations. The awards recognise adolescents and young ...
at Bronze, Silver and Gold level respectively, consisting of a period of time volunteering in the local community, a prolonged physical activity, the advancement of a skill and the undertaking an expedition, allowing a participant to achieve both the DofE and the Scout award at the same time. In addition, these three awards do not have to be completed in order, and participants can skip straight to a specific award, although additional work is involved. Achieving the Queen's Scout Award is seen as a significant event on a national scale; recipients of the award are invited to join the St George's Day
Saint George's Day is the feast day of Saint George, celebrated by Christian churches, countries, and cities of which he is the patron saint, including Bulgaria, England, Georgia, Portugal, Romania, Cáceres, Alcoy, Aragon and Catalonia.
Sa ...
service at Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle is a royal residence at Windsor in the English county of Berkshire. It is strongly associated with the English and succeeding British royal family, and embodies almost a millennium of architectural history.
The original cast ...
the year after completing the scheme, and parade before the Queen
In the English-speaking world, The Queen most commonly refers to:
* Elizabeth II (1926–2022), Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 1952 until her death
The Queen may also refer to:
* Camilla, Queen Consort (born 1947), ...
or her representative.
Awards for gallantry, meritorious conduct and good service
The Cornwell Scout Badge may be awarded to youth members who display "pre-eminently high character and devotion to duty, together with great courage and endurance". Any member of the association may be awarded the Gilt Cross or the Silver Cross for gallantry, or the Bronze Cross for "special heroism or action in the face of extraordinary risk". The Chief Scout's Commendation for Meritorious Conduct and the Medal of Meritorious Conduct may also be awarded to any member. Adult members are awarded the Chief Scout's Length of Service Award which marks the number of years of service in any role. More distinguished good service by adult members may be marked by the award of the Chief Scout's Commendation for Good Service, the Award of Merit, the Silver Acorn or ultimately, the Silver Wolf, which is the unrestricted gift of the Chief Scout and is awarded for service of "a most exceptional nature".
Promise and law
Variation of a Scout Promise are made by all participants of the association from the Scout section upwards, including Leaders with variations for different faiths or for members from other countries, whose allegiance is pledged to the country and not the monarch:
:On my honour, I promise that I will do my best,
:To do my duty to God and to the King,
:To help other people,
:And to keep the Scout Law.
For Beavers and Cubs, a simpler promise is used: Cub Scouts utilise the normal promise with the omission of the opening 'On my honour' and a change in the final line "to keep the Cub Scout Law", while Beaver Scouts use a different promise altogether:
:I promise to do my best,
:To be kind and helpful,
:And to love God.
In addition to the promise, there is a Scout Law which dictates what qualities a Scout should hold. The Scout Law is as follows:
:#A Scout is to be trusted.
:#A Scout is loyal.
:#A Scout is friendly and considerate.
:#A Scout belongs to the world-wide family of Scouts.
:#A Scout has courage in all difficulties.
:#A Scout makes good use of time and is careful of possessions and property.
:#A Scout has self-respect and respect for others.
This law is used for all sections except Cubs and Beavers. Beaver Scouts have no law, as these values are to be demonstrated through the meetings themselves. The Cub Scout law is different again:
:Cub Scouts always do their best,
:think of others before themselves
:and do a good turn every day.
The motto of the association, as with many other Scouting organisations, is 'Be Prepared'.
Variations of the promise
There are permitted variations to the original Scout Promise to accommodate those whose faith or national allegiance are different. The association expects that the phrases "...duty to God" and "...to love God" will be suitable for most faiths "including Christians
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
, Hindu
Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...
s, Jew
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""Th ...
s, Muslim
Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...
s and Sikh
Sikhs ( or ; pa, ਸਿੱਖ, ' ) are people who adhere to Sikhism, Sikhism (Sikhi), a Monotheism, monotheistic religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Gu ...
s". Muslims who have difficulty with the phrase "On my honour" because of the Islamic proscription of swearing oath
Traditionally an oath (from Anglo-Saxon ', also called plight) is either a statement of fact or a promise taken by a sacrality as a sign of verity. A common legal substitute for those who conscientiously object to making sacred oaths is to ...
s, are able to say "In the name of Allah
Allah (; ar, الله, translit=Allāh, ) is the common Arabic word for God. In the English language, the word generally refers to God in Islam. The word is thought to be derived by contraction from '' al- ilāh'', which means "the god", an ...
, the Most Beneficent the Most Merciful…" instead if they prefer. Also, "...duty to Allah and to the King" may be used. Hindus and Buddhist
Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...
s may promise "...duty to my Dharma
Dharma (; sa, धर्म, dharma, ; pi, dhamma, italic=yes) is a key concept with multiple meanings in Indian religions, such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism and others. Although there is no direct single-word translation for '' ...
".
Foreign nationals resident in the United Kingdom are able to promise to do their "...duty to God and to the country in which I am now living", although British subject
The term "British subject" has several different meanings depending on the time period. Before 1949, it referred to almost all subjects of the British Empire (including the United Kingdom, Dominions, and colonies, but excluding protectorates ...
s must include the King in their promise.
In 2012 the association reviewed its fundamentals and launched a consultation to ask its members whether an alternative version of the Scout Promise should be developed for atheists and those unable to make the existing commitment. In 2013 it was announced that the consultation had led to the addition of an alternative promise for humanist
Humanism is a philosophical stance that emphasizes the individual and social potential and agency of human beings. It considers human beings the starting point for serious moral and philosophical inquiry.
The meaning of the term "humani ...
s and atheists. Taking effect on 1 January 2014, members can choose to replace "duty to God" with "to uphold our Scout values". The change has been welcomed by representatives of the Church of England
The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...
, the Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
, the Free Churches Group and the British Humanist Association
Humanists UK, known from 1967 until May 2017 as the British Humanist Association (BHA), is a charitable organisation which promotes secular humanism and aims to represent "people who seek to live good lives without religious or superstitious b ...
. The alternative promise takes the following form:
:On my honour, I promise that I will do my best,
:To uphold our Scout values, to do my duty to the King,
:To help other people,
:And to keep the Scout Law.
Uniform
History of uniform
In ''Scouting for Boys'', Baden-Powell recommended a distinctive and practical uniform
A uniform is a variety of clothing worn by members of an organization while participating in that organization's activity. Modern uniforms are most often worn by armed forces and paramilitary organizations such as police, emergency services, se ...
that was "very like the uniform worn by my men when I commanded the South African Constabulary
The South African Constabulary (SAC) was a paramilitary force set up in 1900 under British Army control to police areas captured from the two independent Boer republics of Transvaal and Orange Free State during the Second Boer War. Its first ...
". This in turn, seems to have been derived from the dress adopted by Baden-Powell in the Second Matabele War
The Second Matabele War, also known as the Matabeleland Rebellion or part of what is now known in Zimbabwe as the First ''Chimurenga'', was fought between 1896 and 1897 in the region later known as Southern Rhodesia, now modern-day Zimbabwe. ...
of 1896, influenced by his friend and colleague, Frederick Russell Burnham
Frederick Russell Burnham DSO (May 11, 1861 – September 1, 1947) was an American scout and world-traveling adventurer. He is known for his service to the British South Africa Company and to the British Army in colonial Africa, and for teach ...
. The original Boy Scout uniform consisted of a khaki
The color khaki (, ) is a light shade of tan with a slight yellowish tinge.
Khaki has been used by many armies around the world for uniforms and equipment, particularly in arid or desert regions, where it provides camouflage relative to sandy ...
shirt and shorts
Shorts are a garment worn over the human pelvis, pelvic area, circling the waist and splitting to cover the upper part of the legs, sometimes extending down to the knees but not covering the entire length of the leg. They are called "shorts" b ...
, a neckerchief
A neckerchief (from ''neck'' (n.) + ''kerchief''), sometimes called a necker, kerchief or scarf, is a type of neckwear associated with those working or living outdoors, including farm labourers, cowboys and sailors. It is most commonly still seen ...
or "scarf", campaign hat
A campaign hat, sometimes called campaign cover, is a broad-brimmed felt or straw hat, with a high crown, pinched symmetrically at the four corners. The campaign hat is occasionally referred to as a Stetson, derived from its origin in the company' ...
and a Scout staff
A Scout staff (or Scout stave) is a shoulder-high wooden pole or quarterstaff, traditionally carried by Boy Scouts as part of their accoutrements. Its main purpose was as a walking stick or Trekking pole, but it had a number of other uses in emer ...
. At the formation of the Wolf Cub section in 1916, Baden-Powell wanted to make the younger boys totally distinct from the older Boy Scouts; the result was a green woollen jersey
Jersey ( , ; nrf, Jèrri, label=Jèrriais ), officially the Bailiwick of Jersey (french: Bailliage de Jersey, links=no; Jèrriais: ), is an island country and self-governing Crown Dependencies, Crown Dependency near the coast of north-west F ...
, shorts, neckerchief and a green cricket cap
A cricket cap is a type of soft cap, often made from felt, that is a traditional form of headwear for players of the game of cricket, regardless of age or gender. It is usually a tight-fitting skullcap, usually made of six or eight sections, w ...
with gold piping
Within industry, piping is a system of pipes used to convey fluids (liquids and gases) from one location to another. The engineering discipline of piping design studies the efficient transport of fluid.
Industrial process piping (and accompan ...
.[''Me Too! – The history of Cubbing in the United Kingdom 1916–present''](_blank)
www.scoutbase.org.uk The Scout Association. Archived from the original on 2 February 2006. Retrieved 21 February 2015 In 1946, the new Senior Scout section were allowed to wear a maroon beret
A beret ( or ; ; eu, txapela, ) is a soft, round, flat-crowned cap, usually of woven, hand-knitted wool, crocheted cotton, wool felt, or acrylic fibre.
Mass production of berets began in 19th century France and Spain, and the beret remains ...
instead of the hat; a green beret became an option for the Boy Scout section in 1954.
In 1966, the Advance Party Report recommended a total redesign and modernisation of the uniform, commenting that there had been much criticism of "the Boer War appearance of our uniforms" and that the "wearing of shorts by members of the Movement is one of the most damaging aspects of our present public image". Although the Cub uniform barely changed, retaining short trousers, the Scout section were to wear a long sleeved dark green shirt and long trousers in a brownish colour described as "mushroom". Venture Scouts and male Scouters had identical khaki shirts and mushroom trousers, but the neckerchief was replaced by a tie, brown for Venture Scouts and green for Scouters. Female Scouters had a dark green dress and a cap similar to those worn by airline flight attendant
A flight attendant, also known as steward/stewardess or air host/air hostess, is a member of the aircrew aboard commercial flights, many business jets and some government aircraft. Collectively called cabin crew, flight attendants are prima ...
s at the time. These recommendations were accepted and implemented from October 1967.
Later amendments included khaki shirts for female Venture Scouts and Scouters, the abolition of all uniform headgear except Sea Scout caps and Air Scout berets, and black long trousers for Cubs as an option to shorts. A grey sweatshirt
A sweatshirt is a long-sleeved pullover shirt fashioned out of thick, usually cotton cloth material. Sweatshirts are almost exclusively casual attire and hence not as dressy as some sweaters. Sweatshirts may or may not have a hood. A sweatshirt w ...
was introduced for the new Beaver Scout section in 1986 and a dark green sweatshirt replaced the Cubs' knitted jersey. The Scout uniforms of this era would feature on the Scout Association's Coat of Arms, which features two bearers wearing uniforms of the pre-Advance Party Report and some that were current at the time of the award in 1969. Certificates with the design would remain in use until May 2021.
In 2001, following a consultation process within the association, a new range of uniforms designed by Meg Andrews was launched on Founder's Day, 22 February.
Uniforms
Squirrel Scouts
Squirrel Scout uniform is a red sweatshirt, a neckerchief and a woggle.
Beaver Scouts
Beaver Scout uniform consists of a turquoise
Turquoise is an opaque, blue-to-green mineral that is a hydrated phosphate of copper and aluminium, with the chemical formula . It is rare and valuable in finer grades and has been prized as a gemstone and ornamental stone for thousands of yea ...
sweatshirt, a neckerchief and woggle
A woggle (or ''neckerchief slide'') is a device to fasten the neckerchief, or scarf, worn as part of the Scout or Girl Guides uniform, originated by a Scout in the 1920s.
Name origin
One story relating to the origin of the word 'woggle' is ...
. Uniform options decided on at the group level include navy blue shorts, a grey fleece jacket
A fleece jacket (or simply a fleece) is a lightweight casual jacket made of a polyester synthetic wool such as polar fleece.
A fleece jacket will typically have a zipper up the middle, rather than buttons or other fasteners. It will provide ...
and a navy blue baseball cap. A navy blue skirt may be worn as a personal choice. Navy blue combat trousers (known officially as "activity trousers") and a turquoise polo shirt may be worn as activity dress.
Cub Scouts
Cub Scout uniform consists of a dark green sweatshirt, a neckerchief and a woggle identifying the cub's six (sub division of a pack). Uniform options decided on at the group level include navy blue shorts, a grey fleece jacket, a navy blue jacket and a navy blue baseball cap. A navy blue skirt may be worn as a personal choice. Navy blue combat trousers and a dark green polo shirt may be worn as activity dress.
Scouts
Scout uniform consists of a teal green long sleeved shirt or blouse, navy blue combat trousers (or navy blue skirt), group neckerchief, woggle and a Scout belt. Uniform options decided on at the group level include navy blue shorts, a grey fleece jacket, a navy blue jacket and a navy blue baseball cap. Navy blue combat trousers and a teal green polo shirt may be worn as activity dress.
Sea Scout uniform is the same as the main Scout uniform except a dark blue jersey and/or a light blue shirt or blouse are worn. Sea Scouts wear a round seaman's cap with "Sea Scout" a "Sea Scout" tally band. An additional group option is for a lanyard with a bosun's call
A boatswain's call, pipe or bosun's whistle is a pipe or a non-diaphragm type whistle used on naval ships by a boatswain.
The pipe consists of a narrow tube (the gun) which directs air over a metal sphere (the buoy) with a hole in the top. The ...
.
Air Scout uniform is the same as the main Scout uniform except that the shirt/blouse is light blue and a blue-grey beret is worn.
Explorer Scouts
As for Scouts, but with a beige
Beige is variously described as a pale sandy fawn color, a grayish tan, a light-grayish yellowish brown, or a pale to grayish yellow. It takes its name from French, where the word originally meant natural wool that has been neither bleached no ...
shirt or blouse and the explorer Scout belt may be worn. The optional activity uniform polo shirt is beige.
Explorer Sea Scouts wear similar uniforms except that a light blue shirt or blouse, smart navy blue trousers and a round seamans cap with "Explorer Sea Scout" tallyband or a white-topped officer's peaked cap
The peaked cap, peaked hat, service cap, barracks cover or combination cap is a form of headgear worn by the armed forces of many nations, as well as many uniformed civilian organisations such as law enforcement agencies and fire departments. It ...
(depending on group). The lanyard and bosun's call is an option decided at group level. Explorer Air Scouts wear the light blue shirt or blouse, smart navy blue trousers and a blue-grey beret. Explorer Sea Scouts and Air Scouts may wear a blue tie instead of the neckerchief, an additional activity uniform top option for both units is a navy blue sweatshirt.
Adult members (including Network)
As for Explorer Scouts, but with a shirt of a light khaki colour, described as "stone" which may be short sleeved. A tie may be worn by all adult members and smart trousers may be worn instead of combat trousers. The activity uniform top is a navy blue polo shirt, an optional navy blue sweatshirt or stone-coloured polo shirt may be worn instead.
Adult members in Sea Scout units wear uniforms similar to Sea Scout explorers except that the only headgear is the officers hat and an option of a tricorne hat for women. Adult members in Air Scout groups wear uniform identical to air Scout explorers.
Kilts
All members in Scotland or those entitled to do so by descent may wear a tartan kilt or skirt. This can be either their own tartan or the Scout tartan pattern; to be worn with a plain leather sporran, green knee-length socks and gartar tabs and black shoes. Members in Northern Ireland or those entitled to do so by descent may wear a saffron kilt or skirt. This should be worn with a plain leather sporran; traditional coloured plain socks; black or brown shoes (all members in a section should wear the same coloured socks and shoes). A tailored outer jacket may be worn with either kilt.
Finances
The association is a registered charity
A charitable organization or charity is an organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being (e.g. educational, religious or other activities serving the public interest or common good).
The legal definition of a ch ...
. The association's finances are collected through a variety of ways. Members pay for association programmes through an annual capitation or membership fee, and subscriptions to the local group, paid termly, monthly or weekly depending on local preference. The membership fee pays for member insurance
Insurance is a means of protection from financial loss in which, in exchange for a fee, a party agrees to compensate another party in the event of a certain loss, damage, or injury. It is a form of risk management, primarily used to hedge ...
and for the services and leader support provided by their district, country (or equivalent) and headquarters. The national membership fee for 2021-22, for all members under 18, is £36.50 (or £36.00 for prompt payment by 23 April 2021), an increase of £7.50 compared to the 2020-21 fee. Of this, £1.50 is a reserved contribution ring-fenced to support any Groups who cannot access funding. Subs are used to pay for the day-to-day running of activities, pay for materials and to finance the section's meeting place.
To lessen the burden on members, many Groups undertake local fundraising and utilise additional methods of funding, such as Gift Aid
Gift Aid is a UK tax incentive that enables tax-effective giving by individuals to charities in the United Kingdom. Gift Aid was introduced in the Finance Act 1990 for donations given after 1 October 1990, but was originally limited to cash gi ...
. In addition, headquarters operates several other ventures open to those outside of the association, the profits of which are returned to the association.
Scout Community Week
Scout Community Week is a campaign of the association and its biggest national fundraising event. It is a revival and updated version of the earlier "Bob-a-Job" Week (started in 1949) and later "Scout Job Week" in which Scouts were paid small sums of money for completing usually domestic tasks for local residents. The modern Scout Community Week involves Scouts from all sections of the association taking part in community work in exchange for a donation to the group. Re-introduced in 2012, the event has attracted media attention.
Commercial ventures
The association operates several ventures that offer an enhancement to its programmes but also services consumers outside its programmes. The profits are returned to the Scout Association to subsidise the running of the Scout programme and to reduce the burden of financing on the members themselves.
The Scout Adventures brand is run directly from within the Scout Association and is responsible for running a network of national activity centres open to members of Scouts and from organisations outside of Scouts including schools and other youth groups. Its turnover and profits form part of the charitable activities of the association and contributed £4.9 million in the year up to 31 March 2020.
In addition, the Scout Association owns 100% of the following subsidiary companies which provide trading income to the association:
* Scout Shops Ltd trading as Scout Store sells Scout Association uniforms, equipment and gifts online and on the high street
High Street is a common street name for the primary business street of a city, town, or village, especially in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth. It implies that it is the focal point for business, especially shopping. It is also a metonym fo ...
by supplying local Scout shops run mostly by Scout Districts. In the year up to 31 March 2020, it had a turnover of £9.4 million with their taxable profits of £3 million returned to the association.
* World Scout Shop Ltd sells similar merchandise and gifts to the Scout Store but to a global market along with exclusive world Scout items. It was created in 2011 at the 22nd World Scout Jamboree
The 22nd World Scout Jamboree (Swedish: ''22:a världsjamboreen'') took place in Rinkaby, Kristianstad, Scania in southern Sweden from 27 July to 7 August 2011. The theme was ''Simply Scouting''. 40,061 Scouts, leaders and adult volunteers parti ...
in Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
and uses the same infrastructure as the Scout Store. In the year up to 31 March 2020, it had a turnover of £500,000 with their taxable profits of £30,000 returned to the association.
* Scout Insurance Services Ltd trading as Unity Insurance Services is an insurance broker
An insurance broker is an intermediary who sells, solicits, or negotiates insurance on behalf of a client for compensation. An insurance broker is distinct from an insurance agent in that a broker typically acts on behalf of a client by negoti ...
providing insurance solutions tailored to the movement and other charities and similar non-profit organisations including Girlguiding
Girlguiding is the operating name of The Guide Association, previously named The Girl Guides Association and is the national guiding organisation of the United Kingdom. It is the UK's largest girl-only youth organisation. Girlguiding is a char ...
. In the year up to 31 March 2020, it had a turnover of £2.4 million and a pre-tax profit of £1.2 million.
* Scout Insurance (Guernsey) Ltd. acts as the insurance underwriters
Insurance is a means of protection from financial loss in which, in exchange for a fee, a party agrees to compensate another party in the event of a certain loss, damage, or injury. It is a form of risk management, primarily used to hedge ...
for the association and Unity and paid its net profit pre-tax of £200,000 as a dividend to the association.
* Scout Services Ltd. manages the association's property, runs the conference centres located at Gilwell Park
Gilwell Park is a camp site and activity centre in East London located in the Sewardstonebury area of Waltham Abbey, within Epping Forest, near the border with Chingford. The site is owned by The Scout Association, is used by Scouting and Gu ...
and 65 Queen's Gate and manages sponsorship and marketing for the association such as selling advertising space in member focused ''Scouting Magazine
''Scouting'' magazine was a bi-monthly publication of The Scout Association. The magazine included information, resources and support for both young people and adults involved with The Scout Association and Scouting. It was supplied free of direc ...
''. In the year up to 31 March 2020, it had a turnover of £3.8 million and a pre-tax profit of £700,000. This subsidiary has been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
as the association announced the cessation of the printed ''Scouting Magazine'', the closure of the Gilwell Park conference centre and the selling of the 65 Queen's Gate site.
Former commercial ventures include the Scout Holiday Homes Trust which operated ten properties across the UK catering for those with low incomes or disabilities between 1969 and 2011 when the assets were transferred to the independent Holiday Homes Trust which maintains some links with the Scouts.
Campsites
Across the country, over 900 campsite
A campsite, also known as a campground or camping pitch, is a place used for overnight stay in an outdoor area. In British English, a ''campsite'' is an area, usually divided into a number of pitches, where people can camp overnight using te ...
s are owned by the association; usually they are owned and operated by a Scout District or County. These campsites are also used by others outside the association to gain additional income for the Scout county or district.
Twelve sites are branded and operated as Scout Adventure Centres, providing camping sites and affordable adventurous activities. These are Gilwell Park
Gilwell Park is a camp site and activity centre in East London located in the Sewardstonebury area of Waltham Abbey, within Epping Forest, near the border with Chingford. The site is owned by The Scout Association, is used by Scouting and Gu ...
on the London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
/Essex
Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...
border, Buddens in Dorset
Dorset ( ; archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the unitary authority areas of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Dorset (unitary authority), Dors ...
, Crawfordsburn
Crawfordsburn () is a small village in County Down, Northern Ireland. The village, which is now effectively a commuter suburb, lies between Holywood and Bangor to the north of the A2 road, about 4 km west of Bangor town centre. Bounded to ...
in County Down
County Down () is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the traditional thirty-two counties of Ireland. It covers an area of and has a population of 531,665. It borders County Antrim to the ...
, Downe
Downe, formerly Down, () is a village in Greater London, England, located within the London Borough of Bromley but beyond the London urban sprawl. Downe is south west of Orpington and south east of Charing Cross. Downe lies on a hill, and ...
in Kent
Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...
, Fordell Firs in Fife
Fife (, ; gd, Fìobha, ; sco, Fife) is a council area, historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries with Perth and Kinross (i ...
, Great Tower in the Lake District
The Lake District, also known as the Lakes or Lakeland, is a mountainous region in North West England. A popular holiday destination, it is famous for its lakes, forests, and mountains (or ''fells''), and its associations with William Wordswor ...
, Hawkhirst in Northumberland
Northumberland () is a county in Northern England, one of two counties in England which border with Scotland. Notable landmarks in the county include Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Hadrian's Wall and Hexham Abbey.
It is bordered by land on ...
, Lochgoilhead
Lochgoilhead ( gd, Ceann Loch Goibhle, IPA: kʰʲaun̴̪ˈɫ̪ɔxˈkɤilə is a village on the Cowal peninsula, in Argyll and Bute, Scottish Highlands. It is located within the Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park and is widely consider ...
on Loch Lomond
Loch Lomond (; gd, Loch Laomainn - 'Lake of the Elms'Richens, R. J. (1984) ''Elm'', Cambridge University Press.) is a freshwater Scottish loch which crosses the Highland Boundary Fault, often considered the boundary between the lowlands of Ce ...
, Meggernie in Perthshire
Perthshire (locally: ; gd, Siorrachd Pheairt), officially the County of Perth, is a historic county and registration county in central Scotland. Geographically it extends from Strathmore in the east, to the Pass of Drumochter in the north, ...
, Woodhouse Park in Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn and the entire Forest of Dean.
The county town is the city of Gl ...
, Youlbury in Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the north west of South East England. It is a mainly rural county, with its largest settlement being the city of Oxford. The county is a centre of research and development, primarily ...
and Yr Hafod in Snowdonia
Snowdonia or Eryri (), is a mountainous region in northwestern Wales and a national park of in area. It was the first to be designated of the three national parks in Wales, in 1951.
Name and extent
It was a commonly held belief that the nam ...
.
In addition to these sites, the association runs two conference centres, one within Gilwell Park
Gilwell Park is a camp site and activity centre in East London located in the Sewardstonebury area of Waltham Abbey, within Epping Forest, near the border with Chingford. The site is owned by The Scout Association, is used by Scouting and Gu ...
, and another at a separate site in central London, Baden-Powell House
Queen's Gate House, still commonly known by its previous name of Baden-Powell House, is a conference centre in South Kensington, London. It was built as a tribute to Lord Baden-Powell, the founder of Scouting, and has served as the headquarters ...
. Baden-Powell House is an Association hostel
A hostel is a form of low-cost, short-term shared sociable lodging where guests can rent a bed, usually a bunk bed in a dormitory, with shared use of a lounge and sometimes a kitchen. Rooms can be mixed or single-sex and have private or shared b ...
, providing cheap accommodation for central London trips.
Relations with other organisations
Girlguiding UK
The Scout Association and Girlguiding UK
Girlguiding is the operating name of The Guide Association, previously named The Girl Guides Association and is the national guiding organisation of the United Kingdom. It is the UK's largest girl-only youth organisation. Girlguiding is a char ...
are separate organisations, but were both founded by Robert Baden-Powell and share similar aims and methods. Co-operation between the association and GirlGuiding UK is encouraged at all levels. ’Joint Groups’ of Scout and Guide units meeting separately in the same headquarters and operating under the same support structure are recognized and encouraged by both associations. It is also possible to have a ’Joint Unit’, which may consist of Rainbow Guides and Beaver Scouts, or Brownie Guide
Brownies are the section in the Girl Guides (or in the United States, Girl Scouts) organization for girls aged seven years old to ten years old. Exact age limits are slightly different in each organization.
History
Brownies, originally called ...
s and Cub Scouts, or Guide
A guide is a person who leads travelers, sportspeople, or tourists through unknown or unfamiliar locations. The term can also be applied to a person who leads others to more abstract goals such as knowledge or wisdom.
Travel and recreation
Expl ...
s and Scouts. They meet together as a single unit, sharing leadership and facilities but individual members wear the uniform and follow the training programme of the association that they belong to. Members of Girlguiding UK are invited to join the United Kingdom Scout Contingent to participate in the World Scout Jamboree
The World Scout Jamboree is a Scouting jamboree of the World Organization of the Scout Movement, typically attended by several tens of thousands of Scouts from around the world, aged 14 to 17.
The first World Scout Jamboree was organized by T ...
s every four years.
The Scout Association in Ireland
The Scout Association of Northern Ireland co-exists in the province with Scouting Ireland
Scouting Ireland ( ga, Gasóga na hÉireann) is one of the largest youth movements on the island of Ireland, a voluntary educational movement for young people with over 45,000 members, including over 11,000 adult volunteers . Of the 750,000 peo ...
which is the World Organization of the Scout Movement recognized association for the Republic of Ireland
Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern side of the island. A ...
. The two associations have been increasingly working in partnership; they jointly run a project called "Scoutlink" which delivers citizenship and peace building programmes with a range of groups in Northern Ireland and the border counties of the Republic.
The Duke of Edinburgh's Award
The Scout Association is one of more than 2,600 "Licensed Organisations" that operate the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme. Scout participation in the scheme started in February 1959, having been unable to join the 1956 experimental launch due to the 1957 Golden Jubilee of Scouting events and the 1958 revision of the Scout badge programme.
Notable former Scouts
The association has had many notable past members, with the following selection being the best known:
* David Attenborough
Sir David Frederick Attenborough (; born 8 May 1926) is an English broadcaster, biologist, natural historian and author. He is best known for writing and presenting, in conjunction with the BBC Natural History Unit, the nine natural histor ...
– broadcaster and naturalist
* David Beckham
David Robert Joseph Beckham (; born 2 May 1975) is an English former professional footballer, the current president and co-owner of Inter Miami CF and co-owner of Salford City. Known for his range of passing, crossing ability and bending fr ...
– England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
international footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...
and former captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
* Tony Blair
Sir Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born 6 May 1953) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007. He previously served as Leader of th ...
– former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The prime minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government of the United Kingdom. The prime minister advises the sovereign on the exercise of much of the royal prerogative, chairs the Cabinet and selects its ministers. As modern pr ...
* Chris Bonington
Sir Christian John Storey Bonington, CVO, CBE, DL (born 6 August 1934) is a British mountaineer.
His career has included nineteen expeditions to the Himalayas, including four to Mount Everest.
Early life and expeditions
Bonington's father, w ...
– mountaineer
Mountaineering or alpinism, is a set of outdoor activities that involves ascending tall mountains. Mountaineering-related activities include traditional outdoor climbing, skiing, and traversing via ferratas. Indoor climbing, sport climbing, an ...
* David Bowie
David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...
– singer-songwriter, producer and actor
* Richard Branson
Sir Richard Charles Nicholas Branson (born 18 July 1950) is a British billionaire, entrepreneur, and business magnate. In the 1970s he founded the Virgin Group, which today controls more than 400 companies in various fields.
Branson expressed ...
– Virgin Group
Virgin Group Ltd. is a British multinational venture capital conglomerate founded by Richard Branson and Nik Powell in February 1970.
Virgin Group's date of incorporation is listed as 1989 by the Companies House, who class it as a holding c ...
Founder[
* ]Ronnie Corbett
Ronald Balfour Corbett (4 December 1930 – 31 March 2016) was a Scottish actor, broadcaster, comedian and writer. He had a long association with Ronnie Barker in the BBC television comedy sketch show ''The Two Ronnies''. He achieved promine ...
– actor and comedian who worked with Ronnie Barker
Ronald William George Barker (25 September 1929 – 3 October 2005) was an English actor, comedian and writer. He was known for roles in British comedy television series such as '' Porridge'', ''The Two Ronnies'', and ''Open All Hours''.
...
in the British television comedy series ''The Two Ronnies
''The Two Ronnies'' is a British television comedy sketch show starring Ronnie Barker and Ronnie Corbett. It was created by Bill Cotton and aired on BBC1 from April 1971 to December 1987. The usual format included sketches, solo sections, seria ...
''
* Bear Grylls – adventurer and television personality and the association's Chief Scout
* John Major
Sir John Major (born 29 March 1943) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from 1990 to 1997, and as Member of Parliament ...
– former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
* Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained worldwide fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John Lennon. One ...
– singer/songwriter/bassist of the Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developme ...
and Wings
* John Lennon
John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...
– singer/songwriter of the Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developme ...
attended the 3rd Allerton Scout Group in Liverpool.
* George Michael
George Michael (born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou; 25 June 1963 – 25 December 2016) was an English singer and songwriter. He is considered one of the most significant cultural icons of the MTV generation and is one of the best-selling musici ...
– singer/songwriter
* Cliff Richard
Sir Cliff Richard (born Harry Rodger Webb; 14 October 1940) is an Indian-born British musican, singer, producer, entrepreneur and philanthropist who holds both British and Barbadian citizenship. He has total sales of over 21.5 million s ...
– singer
* Keith Richards
Keith Richards (born 18 December 1943), often referred to during the 1960s and 1970s as "Keith Richard", is an English musician and songwriter who has achieved international fame as the co-founder, guitarist, secondary vocalist, and co-princi ...
– guitarist and songwriter of the Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the g ...
[
* ]Harold Wilson
James Harold Wilson, Baron Wilson of Rievaulx, (11 March 1916 – 24 May 1995) was a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from October 1964 to June 1970, and again from March 1974 to April 1976. He ...
– former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
Scout Association overseas
History
Following the origin of Scouting, Scout organisations formed in many parts of the British Empire
The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts esta ...
. Some of these organisations later became branches of The Boy Scouts Association after its formation. In other cases, The Boy Scouts Association started branches itself in parts of British Empire. The Boy Scouts Association's "Headquarters" in London was renamed "Imperial Headquarters" (IHQ). The Boy Scouts International Bureau was formed in 1920 and became fully functional under the International Conference of the Boy Scout Movement in 1922. Subsequently, The Boy Scouts Association branches in the Dominion
The term ''Dominion'' is used to refer to one of several self-governing nations of the British Empire.
"Dominion status" was first accorded to Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Newfoundland, South Africa, and the Irish Free State at the 1926 ...
s of Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
, Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
, New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
, Newfoundland
Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...
, and South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
were given the option of being "separately represented" with the Boy Scouts International Bureau, but chose instead to remain under IHQ control. Over time, many of the branches of The Scout Association became direct members of the World Organization of the Scout Movement; for instance, Scouts Canada
Scouts Canada is a Canadian Scouting association providing programs for young people, aged 5 to 26, with the stated aim "to help develop well rounded youth, better prepared for success in the world". Scouts Canada, in affiliation with the Frenc ...
in 1946 and The Scout Association of Hong Kong
The Scout Association of Hong Kong is the largest scouting organisation in Hong Kong. Scout training was first introduced in Hong Kong in 1909 and 1910 by the Protestant based Boys' Brigade, Chums Scout Patrols and British Boy Scouts. The Catho ...
in 1977.
Overseas branches
The association has branches in the British overseas territories
The British Overseas Territories (BOTs), also known as the United Kingdom Overseas Territories (UKOTs), are fourteen dependent territory, territories with a constitutional and historical link with the United Kingdom. They are the last remna ...
and Crown Dependencies, as well as some small independent nations.
Non-sovereign territories in which the association operates programmes include:
* Anguilla
Anguilla ( ) is a British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean. It is one of the most northerly of the Leeward Islands in the Lesser Antilles, lying east of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands and directly north of Saint Martin. The territo ...
* Bermuda
)
, anthem = "God Save the King"
, song_type = National song
, song = " Hail to Bermuda"
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, image_map2 =
, mapsize2 =
, map_caption2 =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name =
, e ...
* Cayman Islands
The Cayman Islands () is a self-governing British Overseas Territory—the largest by population in the western Caribbean Sea. The territory comprises the three islands of Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac and Little Cayman, which are located to the ...
* Falkland Islands
The Falkland Islands (; es, Islas Malvinas, link=no ) is an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean on the Patagonian Shelf. The principal islands are about east of South America's southern Patagonian coast and about from Cape Dubouzet ...
(Groups are part of the British Scouting Overseas Area)
* Gibraltar
)
, anthem = " God Save the King"
, song = " Gibraltar Anthem"
, image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg
, map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe
, map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green
, mapsize =
, image_map2 = Gib ...
* Montserrat
Montserrat ( ) is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean. It is part of the Leeward Islands, the northern portion of the Lesser Antilles chain of the West Indies. Montserrat is about long and wide, with r ...
* Saint Helena
Saint Helena () is a British overseas territory located in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is a remote volcanic tropical island west of the coast of south-western Africa, and east of Rio de Janeiro in South America. It is one of three constitu ...
(Groups are part of the British Scouting Overseas Area)
* British Virgin Islands
)
, anthem = "God Save the King"
, song_type = Territorial song
, song = "Oh, Beautiful Virgin Islands"
, image_map = File:British Virgin Islands on the globe (Americas centered).svg
, map_caption =
, mapsize = 290px
, image_map2 = Brit ...
* Turks and Caicos Islands
The Turks and Caicos Islands (abbreviated TCI; and ) are a British Overseas Territory consisting of the larger Caicos Islands and smaller Turks Islands, two groups of tropical islands in the Lucayan Archipelago of the Atlantic Ocean and n ...
* Isle of Man
)
, anthem = "O Land of Our Birth"
, image = Isle of Man by Sentinel-2.jpg
, image_map = Europe-Isle_of_Man.svg
, mapsize =
, map_alt = Location of the Isle of Man in Europe
, map_caption = Location of the Isle of Man (green)
in Europe ...
Sovereign countries in which the association operates programmes, as they are without independent Scouting organisations, include:
* Saint Kitts and Nevis
Saint Kitts and Nevis (), officially the Federation of Saint Christopher and Nevis, is an island country and microstate consisting of the two islands of Saint Kitts and Nevis, both located in the West Indies, in the Leeward Islands chain of ...
* Tonga
Tonga (, ; ), officially the Kingdom of Tonga ( to, Puleʻanga Fakatuʻi ʻo Tonga), is a Polynesian country and archipelago. The country has 171 islands – of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in ...
* Tuvalu
Tuvalu ( or ; formerly known as the Ellice Islands) is an island country and microstate in the Polynesian subregion of Oceania in the Pacific Ocean. Its islands are situated about midway between Hawaii and Australia. They lie east-northeast ...
* Vanuatu
Vanuatu ( or ; ), officially the Republic of Vanuatu (french: link=no, République de Vanuatu; bi, Ripablik blong Vanuatu), is an island country located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is east of no ...
British Scouting Overseas
The UK Scout programme is also offered to British citizens living outside of the United Kingdom via the British Scouting Overseas (BSO) Area. BSO has 4 Scout "Districts" in Southern Europe, Middle East, Northern Europe and Rest of the World, and a total of 55 Scout Groups, in 26 countries.
British Scouting Overseas was formed, on 1 April 2012, from an amalgamation of the British Groups Abroad and British Scouts in Western Europe Scout "Areas". At that point, there were 5 districts in France & Iberia, Middle East, Benelux & Scandinavia, Germany and Rest of the World. Since that point, Benelux & Scandinavia has merged with Germany, to create the Northern Europe district. In June of 2021 France & Iberia District transitioned into Southern Europe after the addition of a group in Italy.
See also
* World Organization of the Scout Movement
The World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM ) is the largest international Scouting organization. WOSM has 173 members. These members are recognized national Scout organizations, which collectively have around 43 million participants. WOS ...
References
Further reading
*
*
External links
The Scout Association Homepage
*
Official British Scouting Overseas Webpage
{{DEFAULTSORT:Scout Association
1908 establishments in the United Kingdom
Organisations based in Essex
World Organization of the Scout Movement member organizations
Youth organizations established in 1908