The Oxford University Scout and Guide Group (OUSGG) is the oldest student Scout and Guide club 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 ...

, having been founded in 1919. When

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 ...

were part of Scouting in the UK, the Group included a Rover Crew, the 13th Oxford. The stated aim of the group is to enable members of the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

to “maintain, acquire, or renew an interest in the

Scout Scout may refer to: Youth movement *Scout (Scouting), a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement **Scouts (The Scout Association), section for 10-14 year olds in the United Kingdom **Scouts BSA, sectio ...

and Guide Movements”.

History

The group was founded in 1919 under the name of "O.U.B.P. Scout Club", with the first formal meeting held on 24 November that year. Women were first admitted to OUSGG the following year. For a number of years, the Club ran in parallel with Oxford University Rover Crew and Oxford University Girl Guide Club, until 1939, when these merged into the Scout group. In 1940 the O.U. Guide Club was reformed, though it turned out it had never officially disbanded. Missing records make the exact tracking of various mergers and separations between the Rover, Scout, and Guide groups difficult, but the name Oxford University Scout and Guide Group was officially accepted when the group constitution was rewritten in 1962. For 50 years the Group camped in the Easter vacation, and the late summer vacation, at the Ennerdale Scout Camp of the Cumbria Scout Country. The Group was responsible for organising the first two international Scout and Guide camps 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 ...

in 1959 and 1961. These events are called Witans, named after the

Anglo-Saxon The Anglo-Saxons were a Cultural identity, cultural group who inhabited England in the Early Middle Ages. They traced their origins to settlers who came to Britain from mainland Europe in the 5th century. However, the ethnogenesis of the Anglo- ...

gathering of the wise called a Witan.

Membership

Its membership mainly comprises members of the University of Oxford; however, within certain limits other people may join. It is affiliated to the Student Scout and Guide Organisation (

SSAGO The Student Scout and Guide Organisation (SSAGO) exists to support Scouts, Guides, and people who have never been members of a Scout or Guide Association, who are students at Colleges and Universities in the United Kingdom, and who are interest ...

). During the University's term the group meets on Monday nights, with a lunchtime meeting (‘NnN’) held on Thursdays. During University vacations the group goes on trips, the most notable being “Winter Walking” held over the New Year.

Mascot

The mascot of the group is Erik the Panda. Erik is a stuffed toy, given to the group in 1974, by a member formerly of

St Hugh's College St Hugh's College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford. It is located on a site on St Margaret's Road, to the north of the city centre. It was founded in 1886 by Elizabeth Wordsworth as a women's college, and accepte ...

. At this time, his name was spelled Eric; this has changed over the years, and has even at times been spelled with a backwards k. His "birthday" is celebrated at the meeting preceding Shrove Tuesday. Erik's official costume is sub-fusc, including a commoners' gown embroidered with the group name, and a mortarboard - though the latter has been lost.

Publication

''PostScript'' is the thrice-termly publication of the Group. It is not only a

newsletter A newsletter is a printed or electronic report containing news concerning the activities of a business or an organization that is sent to its members, customers, employees or other subscribers. Newsletters generally contain one main topic of int ...

informing members, ex-members and old members of upcoming events and activities, but also serves as a permanent record of the group's history. A copy of each new issue is stored in the

Bodleian Library The Bodleian Library () is the main research library of the University of Oxford, and is one of the oldest libraries in Europe. It derives its name from its founder, Sir Thomas Bodley. With over 13 million printed items, it is the second- ...

at the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

.''Postscript'' magazine
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References

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External links