Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth
movement
Movement may refer to:
Common uses
* Movement (clockwork), the internal mechanism of a timepiece
* Motion, commonly referred to as movement
Arts, entertainment, and media
Literature
* "Movement" (short story), a short story by Nancy Fu ...
employing the
Scout method, a program of informal education with an emphasis on practical outdoor activities, including
camping
Camping is an outdoor activity involving overnight stays away from home, either without shelter or using basic shelter such as a tent, or a recreational vehicle. Typically, participants leave developed areas to spend time outdoors in more nat ...
,
woodcraft
The term woodcraft — or woodlore — denotes bushcraft skills and experience in matters relating to living and thriving in the woods—such as hunting, fishing, and camping—whether on a short- or long-term basis. Traditionally, woodcraft per ...
,
aquatics
Aquatics may refer to:
*Aquatic sports in the Olympics and other international competitions, including the disciplines of swimming, diving, synchronized swimming, water polo, and open water swimming
*Water-related sports more broadly (including boa ...
,
hiking
Hiking is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century.AMATO, JOSEPH A. "Mind over Foot: Romantic Walking and Rambling." In ''On Foot: A Histor ...
,
backpacking
Backpacking may refer to:
* Backpacking (travel), low-cost, independent, international travel
* Backpacking (hiking), trekking and camping overnight in the wilderness
* Ultralight backpacking, a style of wilderness backpacking with an emphasis on ...
, and
sport
Sport pertains to any form of Competition, competitive physical activity or game that aims to use, maintain, or improve physical ability and Skill, skills while providing enjoyment to participants and, in some cases, entertainment to specta ...
s. Another widely recognized movement characteristic is the Scout
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 ...
, by intent hiding all differences of social standing in a country and encouraging equality, with
neckerchief and
campaign hat or comparable headwear. Distinctive uniform insignia include the
fleur-de-lis and the
trefoil, as well as
merit badges
Merit badges are awards earned by members of the Boy Scouts of America, based on activities within the area of study by completing a list of periodically updated requirements. The purpose of the merit badge program is to allow Scouts to examine ...
and other patches.
In 1907,
Robert Baden-Powell, a
Lieutenant General
Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...
in the
British Army
The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...
, held a
Scouting encampment on
Brownsea Island in
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 ...
. Baden-Powell wrote ''
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 ...
'' (London, 1908), partly based on his earlier military books. The Scout Movement of both Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts was well established in the first decade of the twentieth century. Later, programs for younger children, such as
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 ...
(1916), now
Cubs, and for older adolescents, such as
Rovers (1918), were adopted by some Scout organizations. In 1910, Baden-Powell formed 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 ...
, for girls 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 ...
which spread internationally as
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 ...
and includes age programs of (
Brownie Guide,
Girl Guide and Girl Scout
A Girl Guide or Girl Scout is a member of a section of some Girl Guides, Guiding organisations who is between the ages of 10 and 14. Age limits are different in each organisation. The term Girl Scout is used in the United States and several E ...
,
Ranger Guide A Ranger or Ranger Guide is a member of a section of some Guiding organisations who is between the ages of 14–18. It is the female-centred equivalent of the Rover Scouts.
Early history
Girl Guiding had officially been founded in 1910 in the Uni ...
).
In 2007, Scouting and Guiding together had over 38 million members in 216 countries. International umbrella organizations include:
*
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 ...
(WOSM), for boys-only and co-educational organizations
*
World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts
The World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS ) is a global association supporting the Girl Guides, female-oriented and female-only Guiding and Scouting organizations in 152 countries. It was established in 1928 in Parád, Hungary, ...
(WAGGGS), primarily for girls-only organizations but also accepting co-educational organizations
*
World Organization of Independent Scouts
*
Order of World Scouts
The Order of World Scouts (OWS), founded in 1911, is the oldest international Scouting organisation. It is headquartered in England, with the administration headquarters in Italy.
As of November 2008, the Order of World Scouts includes member ...
*
International Union of Guides and Scouts of Europe
The International Union of the Guides and Scouts of Europe - Federation of Scouts of Europe (Union Internationale des Guides et Scouts d’Europe, UIGSE; also known as ''Union Internationale des Guides et Scouts d'Europe – Fédération du Scou ...
*
Confederation of European Scouts
A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a union of sovereign groups or states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...
.
History
Origins
![Scout stone Brownsea](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/31/Scout_stone_Brownsea.jpg)
The trigger for the Scouting movement was the 1908 publication of ''Scouting for Boys'' written by
Robert Baden-Powell.
At
Charterhouse, one of England's most famous
public schools
Public school may refer to:
*State school (known as a public school in many countries), a no-fee school, publicly funded and operated by the government
*Public school (United Kingdom), certain elite fee-charging independent schools in England and ...
, Baden-Powell had an interest in the outdoors.
Later, as a military officer, Baden-Powell was stationed in
British India
The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...
in the 1880s where he took an interest in
military scouting and in 1884 he published ''Reconnaissance and Scouting''.
In 1896, Baden-Powell was assigned to the
Matabeleland
Matabeleland is a region located in southwestern Zimbabwe that is divided into three provinces: Matabeleland North, Bulawayo, and Matabeleland South. These provinces are in the west and south-west of Zimbabwe, between the Limpopo and Zambezi r ...
region in
Southern Rhodesia
Southern Rhodesia was a landlocked self-governing British Crown colony in southern Africa, established in 1923 and consisting of British South Africa Company (BSAC) territories lying south of the Zambezi River. The region was informally kn ...
(now Zimbabwe) as Chief of Staff to Gen.
Frederick Carrington during 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. ...
. In June 1896 he met here and began a lifelong friendship with
Frederick Russell Burnham, the American-born Chief of Scouts for the British Army in Africa.
This was a formative experience for Baden-Powell not only because he had the time of his life commanding reconnaissance missions into enemy territory, but because many of his later Boy Scout ideas originated here.
During their joint scouting patrols into the
Matobo Hills
The Matobo National Park forms the core of the Matobo or Matopos Hills, an area of granite kopjes and wooded valleys commencing some south of Bulawayo, southern Zimbabwe. The hills were formed over 2 billion years ago with granite being forced t ...
, Burnham augmented Baden-Powell's
woodcraft
The term woodcraft — or woodlore — denotes bushcraft skills and experience in matters relating to living and thriving in the woods—such as hunting, fishing, and camping—whether on a short- or long-term basis. Traditionally, woodcraft per ...
skills, inspiring him and sowing seeds for both the programme and for the code of honour later published in ''Scouting for Boys''.
Practised by
frontiersmen of the
American Old West
The American frontier, also known as the Old West or the Wild West, encompasses the geography, history, folklore, and culture associated with the forward wave of American expansion in mainland North America that began with European colonial ...
and
indigenous peoples of the Americas
The Indigenous peoples of the Americas are the inhabitants of the Americas before the arrival of the European settlers in the 15th century, and the ethnic groups who now identify themselves with those peoples.
Many Indigenous peoples of the A ...
, woodcraft was generally little known to the British Army but well known to the American scout Burnham.
These skills eventually formed the basis of what is now called ''
scoutcraft
Scoutcraft is a term used to cover a variety of woodcraft knowledge and skills required by people seeking to venture into wild country and sustain themselves independently. The term has been adopted by Scouting organizations to reflect skills and k ...
'', the fundamentals of Scouting. Both men recognised that wars in Africa were changing markedly and the British Army needed to adapt; so during their joint scouting missions, Baden-Powell and Burnham discussed the concept of a broad training programme in woodcraft for young men, rich in exploration,
tracking
Tracking may refer to:
Science and technology Computing
* Tracking, in computer graphics, in match moving (insertion of graphics into footage)
* Tracking, composing music with music tracker software
* Eye tracking, measuring the position of t ...
,
fieldcraft
Fieldcraft is the techniques involved in living, traveling, or making military or scientific observations in the field and the methods used to do so. The term "fieldcraft" is used in a broad range of industries including military, oil and gas, wi ...
, and self-reliance.
During this time in the Matobo Hills Baden-Powell first started to wear his signature
campaign hat like the one worn by Burnham, and acquired his
kudu
The kudus are two species of antelope of the genus ''Tragelaphus'':
* Lesser kudu, ''Tragelaphus imberbis'', of eastern Africa
* Greater kudu, ''Tragelaphus strepsiceros'', of eastern and southern Africa
The two species look similar, thou ...
horn, the
Ndebele
Ndebele may refer to:
*Southern Ndebele people, located in South Africa
*Northern Ndebele people, located in Zimbabwe and Botswana
Languages
*Southern Ndebele language, the language of the South Ndebele
*Northern Ndebele language, the language o ...
war instrument he later used every morning at Brownsea Island to wake the first Boy Scouts and to call them together in training courses.
Three years later, in
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 ...
during the
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the Sout ...
, Baden-Powell was
besieged in the small town of Mafikeng (Mafeking) by a much larger Boer army. The
Mafeking Cadet Corps
The Mafeking Cadet Corps was a group of boy cadets formed by Lord Edward Cecil shortly before the 217 day Siege of Mafeking in South Africa during the Second Boer War in 1899–1900. Cecil, the son of the British prime minister, was the staff off ...
was a group of youths that supported the troops by carrying messages, which freed the men for military duties and kept the boys occupied during the long siege. The Cadet Corps performed well, helping in the defence of the town (1899–1900), and were one of the many factors that inspired Baden-Powell to form the Scouting movement.
Each member received a badge that illustrated a combined
compass
A compass is a device that shows the cardinal directions used for navigation and geographic orientation. It commonly consists of a magnetized needle or other element, such as a compass card or compass rose, which can pivot to align itself with ...
point and
spear
A spear is a pole weapon consisting of a shaft, usually of wood, with a pointed head. The head may be simply the sharpened end of the shaft itself, as is the case with fire hardened spears, or it may be made of a more durable material fasten ...
head. The badge's logo was similar to the
fleur-de-lis shaped arrowhead that Scouting later adopted as its international symbol. The siege of Mafeking was the first time since his own childhood that Baden-Powell, a regular serving soldier, had come into the same orbit as "civilians"—women and children—and discovered for himself the usefulness of well-trained boys.
In the United Kingdom, the public, through newspapers, followed Baden-Powell's struggle to hold Mafeking, and when the siege was broken he had become a
national hero
The title of Hero is presented by various governments in recognition of acts of self-sacrifice to the state, and great achievements in combat or labor. It is originally a Soviet-type honor, and is continued by several nations including Belarus, Ru ...
. This rise to fame fuelled the sales of the small instruction book he had written in 1899 about military scouting and wilderness survival, ''Aids to Scouting,''
that owed much to what he had learned from discussions with Burnham.
On his return to England, Baden-Powell noticed that boys showed considerable interest in ''Aids to Scouting'', which was unexpectedly used by teachers and youth organizations as their first Scouting handbook.
He was urged to rewrite this book for boys, especially during an inspection of the
Boys' Brigade(of which he was Vice President at the time), a large
youth movement
The following is a list of youth organizations. A youth organization is a type of organization with a focus upon providing activities and socialization for minors. In this list, most organizations are international unless noted otherwise.
0 ...
drilled with military precision. Baden-Powell thought this would not be attractive and suggested that the Boys' Brigade could grow much larger were Scouting to be used.
He studied other schemes, parts of which he used for Scouting.
In July 1906
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 ...
sent Baden-Powell a copy of his 1902 book ''The Birchbark Roll of the Woodcraft Indians''.
Seton, a British-born Canadian-American living in the United States, met Baden-Powell in October 1906, and they shared ideas about youth training programs.
In 1907 Baden-Powell wrote a draft called ''Boy Patrols''. In the same year, to test his ideas, he gathered 21 boys of mixed social backgrounds (from boy's schools in the London area and a section of boys from the
Poole
Poole () is a large coastal town and seaport in Dorset, on the south coast of England. The town is east of Dorchester and adjoins Bournemouth to the east. Since 1 April 2019, the local authority is Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Counc ...
,
Parkstone
Parkstone is an area of Poole, Dorset. It is divided into 'Lower' and 'Upper' Parkstone. Upper Parkstone - "Up-on-'ill" as it used to be known in local parlance - is so-called because it is largely on higher ground slightly to the north of t ...
,
Hamworthy
Hamworthy is a village, parish, peninsula and suburb of Poole in Dorset, England. It is sited on a peninsula of approximately that is bordered by the town of Upton to the north, Poole Harbour to the south, Lytchett Bay to the west and Hol ...
,
Bournemouth
Bournemouth () is a coastal resort town in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council area of Dorset, England. At the 2011 census, the town had a population of 183,491, making it the largest town in Dorset. It is situated on the Southern ...
, and
Winton Boys' Brigade units) and held a week-long camp in August on
Brownsea Island in
Poole Harbour
Poole Harbour is a large natural harbour in Dorset, southern England, with the town of Poole on its shores. The harbour is a drowned valley (ria) formed at the end of the last ice age and is the estuary of several rivers, the largest being th ...
, Dorset. His organizational method, now known as the Patrol System and a key part of Scouting training, allowed the boys to organize themselves into small groups with an elected patrol leader.
In late 1907, Baden-Powell went on an extensive speaking tour arranged by his publisher,
Arthur Pearson, to promote his forthcoming book, ''
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 ...
''. He had not simply rewritten his ''Aids to Scouting''; he omitted the military aspects and transferred the techniques (mainly
survival skills
Survival skills are techniques that a person may use in order to sustain life in any type of natural environment or built environment. These techniques are meant to provide basic necessities for human life which include water, food, and shelte ...
) to non-military heroes: backwoodsmen, explorers (and later on, sailors and airmen).
He also added innovative educational principles (the
Scout method) by which he extended the attractive game to a personal mental education.
![Cairn in Northumberland commemorating first official Scout camp](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e3/Cairn_in_Northumberland_commemorating_first_official_Scout_camp.jpg)
At the beginning of 1908, Baden-Powell published ''Scouting for Boys'' in six fortnightly parts, setting out activities and programmes which existing youth organisations could use.
The reaction was phenomenal, and quite unexpected. In a very short time, Scout Patrols were created up and down the country, all following the principles of Baden-Powell's book. In 1909, the first Scout Rally was held at
Crystal Palace in London, to which 11,000 Scouts came—and some girls dressed as Scouts and calling themselves "Girl Scouts". Baden-Powell retired from the Army and, in 1910, he formed
The Boy Scouts Association
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 form ...
, and later
The Girl Guides. By the time of The Boy Scouts Association's first census in 1910, it had over 100,000 Scouts.
''Scouting for Boys'' was published in England later in 1908 in book form. The book is now the fourth-bestselling title of all time,
and was the basis for the later American version of the ''Boy Scout Handbook''.
At the time, Baden-Powell intended that the scheme would be used by established organizations, in particular the Boys' Brigade, from the founder
William A. Smith.
However, because of the popularity of his person and the adventurous outdoor games he wrote about, boys spontaneously formed Scout patrols and flooded Baden-Powell with requests for assistance. He encouraged them, and the Scouting movement developed momentum. In 1910 Baden-Powell formed
The Boy Scouts Association
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 form ...
in the United Kingdom. As the movement grew,
Sea Scouts,
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 ...
s, and other specialized units were added to the program.
The original Scout Law
The scouts law is for boys, as follows;
*A Scout's honour is to be trusted – This means the scout will try as best as he can to do what he promised, or what is asked of him
*A Scout is loyal – to his king or queen, his leaders and his country.
*A Scout's duty is to be useful, and to help others
*A Scout is a friend to all, and a brother to every other Scout – Scouts help one another, regardless of the differences in status or social class.
*A Scout is courteous – He is polite and helpful to all, especially women, children and the elderly. He does not take anything for being helpful.
*A Scout is a friend to animals – He does not make them suffer or kill them without need to do so.
*A Scout obeys orders – Even the ones he does not like.
*A Scout smiles and whistles
*A Scout is thrifty – he avoids unnecessary spending of money.
*A Scout is clean in thought, word and deed (added later)
The promise of 1908
In his original book on boy scouting, General Baden-Powell introduced the Scout promise, as follows:
"Before he becomes a scout, a boy must take the scout's oath, thus:
:'On my honour I promise that—
:#I will do my duty to God and the King.
:#I will do my best to help others, whatever it costs me.
:#I know the scout law, and will obey it.'
While taking this oath the scout will stand, holding his right hand raised level with his shoulder, palm to the front, thumb resting on the nail of the little finger and the other three fingers upright, pointing upwards:—
This is the scout's salute and secret sign."
Movement
![Olave Baden-Powell](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/44/Olave_Baden-Powell.jpg)
The Boy Scout Movement swiftly established itself 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 ...
soon after the publication of ''Scouting for Boys''. By 1908, Scouting was established in
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 ...
,
Malta
Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...
,
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 ...
,
Malaya
Malaya refers to a number of historical and current political entities related to what is currently Peninsular Malaysia in Southeast Asia:
Political entities
* British Malaya (1826–1957), a loose collection of the British colony of the Straits ...
(YMCA Experimental Troop in Penang) 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 ...
. In 1909 Chile was the first country outside the British dominions to have a Scouting organization recognized by Baden-Powell. The first Scout rally, held in 1909 at
the Crystal Palace
The Crystal Palace was a cast iron and plate glass structure, originally built in Hyde Park, London, Hyde Park, London, to house the Great Exhibition of 1851. The exhibition took place from 1 May to 15 October 1851, and more than 14,000 exhibit ...
in London, attracted 10,000 boys and a number of girls. By 1910, Argentina, Denmark,
Finland
Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...
, France,
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
,
Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...
,
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
, Mexico, the Netherlands, Norway, Russia, Sweden, and the United States had Boy Scouts.
The program initially focused on boys aged 11 to 18, but as the movement grew the need became apparent for leader training and programs for younger boys, older boys, and girls. The first
Cub Scout
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 ...
and
Rover Scout
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 Boy Scouts Association in the United K ...
programs were in place by the late 1910s. They operated independently until they obtained official recognition from their home country's Scouting organization. In the United States, attempts at Cub programs began as early as 1911, but official recognition was not obtained until 1930.
![19370520 Tan 1](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/87/19370520_Tan_1.jpg)
Girls wanted to become part of the movement almost as soon as it began. Baden-Powell and his sister
Agnes Baden-Powell
Agnes Smyth Baden-Powell (16 December 1858 – 2 June 1945) was the younger sister of Robert Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell, and was most noted for her work in establishing the Girl Guide movement as a female counterpart to her older bro ...
introduced 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 ...
in 1910, a parallel movement for girls, sometimes named Girl Scouts. Agnes Baden-Powell became the first president of the Girl Guides when it was formed in 1910, at the request of the girls who attended the
Crystal Palace Rally
The Crystal Palace Rally was a gathering of Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts at the Crystal Palace in London on Saturday, 4 September 1909. The rally demonstrated the rapid popularization of Scouting with an estimated 11,000 boys attending with the pr ...
. In 1914, she started Rosebuds—later renamed
Brownies—for younger girls. She stepped down as president of the Girl Guides in 1920 in favor of Robert's wife
Olave Baden-Powell
Olave St Clair Baden-Powell, Baroness Baden-Powell (''née'' Soames; 22 February 1889 – 25 June 1977) was the first Chief Guide for Britain and the wife of Robert Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell, the founder of Scouting and co-founder o ...
, who was named Chief Guide (for England) in 1918 and World Chief Guide in 1930. At that time, girls were expected to remain separate from boys because of societal standards, though co-educational youth groups did exist. By the 1990s, two-thirds of the Scout organizations belonging to WOSM had become co-educational.
![1st World Jamboree Cubs Grand Howl](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/14/1st_World_Jamboree_Cubs_Grand_Howl.jpg)
Baden-Powell could not single-handedly advise all groups who requested his assistance. Early
Scoutmaster
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 ...
training camps were held in London and
Yorkshire
Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...
in 1910 and 1911. Baden-Powell wanted the training to be as practical as possible to encourage other adults to take leadership roles, so the
Wood Badge course was developed to recognize adult leadership training. The development of the training was delayed by
World War I
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 ...
, and the first Wood Badge course was not held until 1919.
Wood Badge is used by Boy Scout associations and combined Boy Scout and Girl Guide associations in many countries.
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 ...
near London was purchased in 1919 on behalf of
The Scout Association
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 ...
as an adult training site and Scouting
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 ...
.
Baden-Powell wrote a book, ''Aids to Scoutmastership'', to help
Scouting Leaders, and wrote other handbooks for the use of the new Scouting sections, such as Cub Scouts and Girl Guides. One of these was ''Rovering to Success'', written for Rover Scouts in 1922. A wide range of leader training exists in 2007, from basic to program-specific, including the Wood Badge training.
Influences
![Calvin Coolidge receiving statue of Boy Scout outside the White House 1927](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8c/Calvin_Coolidge_receiving_statue_of_Boy_Scout_outside_the_White_House_1927.jpg)
Important elements of traditional Scouting have their origins in Baden-Powell's experiences in education and military training. He was a 50-year-old retired army general when he founded Scouting, and his revolutionary ideas inspired thousands of young people, from all parts of society, to get involved in activities that most had never contemplated. Comparable organizations in the English-speaking world are the Boys' Brigade and the non-militaristic
Woodcraft Folk
Woodcraft Folk is a UK-based educational Youth organisations in the United Kingdom, movement for children and young people. Founded in 1925 and grown by volunteers, it has been a registered charity since 1965 Registered Charity since 2013. and a ...
; however, they never matched the development and growth of Scouting.
Aspects of Scouting practice have been criticized as too
militaristic.
![Members of Scouts Australia from several groups attending](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/93/Members_of_Scouts_Australia_from_several_groups_attending_%22Scouts_Own%22_in_camp.jpg)
Local influences have also been a strong part of Scouting. By adopting and modifying local ideologies, Scouting has been able to find acceptance in a wide variety of cultures. In the United States, Scouting uses images drawn from the U.S.
frontier
A frontier is the political and geographical area near or beyond a boundary. A frontier can also be referred to as a "front". The term came from French in the 15th century, with the meaning "borderland"—the region of a country that fronts o ...
experience. This includes not only its selection of animal badges for Cub Scouts, but the underlying assumption that
American native peoples are more closely connected with nature and therefore have special wilderness survival skills which can be used as part of the training program. By contrast, British Scouting makes use of imagery drawn from the Indian subcontinent, because that region was a significant focus in the early years of Scouting. Baden-Powell's personal experiences in India led him to adopt
Rudyard Kipling
Joseph Rudyard Kipling ( ; 30 December 1865 – 18 January 1936)''The Times'', (London) 18 January 1936, p. 12. was an English novelist, short-story writer, poet, and journalist. He was born in British India, which inspired much of his work.
...
's ''
The Jungle Book
''The Jungle Book'' (1894) is a collection of stories by the English author Rudyard Kipling. Most of the characters are animals such as Shere Khan the tiger and Baloo the bear, though a principal character is the boy or "man-cub" Mowgli, ...
'' as a major influence for the Cub Scouts; for example, the name used for the Cub Scout leader,
Akela (whose name was also appropriated for the
Webelos), is that of the leader of the wolf pack in the book.
The name "Scouting" seems to have been inspired by the important and
romantic
Romantic may refer to:
Genres and eras
* The Romantic era, an artistic, literary, musical and intellectual movement of the 18th and 19th centuries
** Romantic music, of that era
** Romantic poetry, of that era
** Romanticism in science, of that e ...
role played by military scouts performing reconnaissance in the wars of the time. In fact, Baden-Powell wrote his original military training book, ''Aids To Scouting'', because he saw the need for the improved training of British military-enlisted scouts, particularly in initiative, self-reliance, and observational skills. The book's popularity with young boys surprised him. As he adapted the book as ''Scouting for Boys'', it seems natural that the movement adopted the names ''Scouting'' and ''Boy Scouts.''
"Duty to God" is a principle of Scouting, though it is applied differently in various countries.
The
Boy Scouts of America
The Boy Scouts of America (BSA, colloquially the Boy Scouts) is one of the largest scouting organizations and one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with about 1.2 million youth participants. The BSA was founded i ...
(BSA) take a strong position, excluding
atheists.
The Scout Association
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 ...
in the United Kingdom permits variations to its Promise, in order to accommodate different religious obligations. While for example in the predominantly atheist Czech Republic the Scout oath doesn't mention God altogether with the organization being strictly irreligious, in 2014, United Kingdom Scouts were given the choice of being able to make a variation of the Promise that replaced "duty to God" with "uphold our Scout values",
Scouts Canada defines Duty to God broadly in terms of "adherence to
spiritual principles" and leaves it to the individual member or leader whether they can follow a Scout Promise that includes Duty to God.
Worldwide, roughly one in three Scouts are Muslim.
Movement characteristics
Scouting is taught using the Scout method, which incorporates an informal educational system that emphasizes practical activities in the outdoors. Programs exist for Scouts ranging in age from 6 to 25 (though age limits vary slightly by country), and program specifics target Scouts in a manner appropriate to their age.
Scout method
The Scout method is the principal method by which the Scouting organizations, boy and girl, operate their units. WOSM describes Scouting as "a voluntary nonpolitical educational movement for young people open to all without distinction of origin,
race or
creed
A creed, also known as a confession of faith, a symbol, or a statement of faith, is a statement of the shared beliefs of a community (often a religious community) in a form which is structured by subjects which summarize its core tenets.
The ea ...
, in accordance with the purpose, principles and method conceived by the Founder".
It is the goal of Scouting "to contribute to the development of young people in achieving their full physical, intellectual, social and spiritual potentials as individuals, as responsible citizens and as members of their local, national and international communities."
The principles of Scouting describe a code of behavior for all members, and characterize the movement. The Scout method is a progressive system designed to achieve these goals, comprising seven elements:
law and
promise
A promise is a commitment by someone to do or not do something. As a noun ''promise'' means a declaration assuring that one will or will not do something. As a verb it means to commit oneself by a promise to do or give. It can also mean a capacity ...
, learning by doing, team system, symbolic framework, personal progression, nature, and adult support.
While community service is a major element of both the WOSM and WAGGGS programs, WAGGGS includes it as an extra element of the Scout method: service in the community.
The Scout Law and Promise embody the joint values of the Scouting movement worldwide, and bind all Scouting associations together. The emphasis on "learning by doing" provides experiences and hands-on orientation as a practical method of learning and building
self-confidence
Confidence is a state of being clear-headed either that a hypothesis or prediction is correct or that a chosen course of action is the best or most effective. Confidence comes from a Latin word 'fidere' which means "to trust"; therefore, having ...
. Small groups build unity, camaraderie, and a close-knit fraternal atmosphere. These experiences, along with an emphasis on trustworthiness and personal honor, help to develop
responsibility,
character
Character or Characters may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Literature
* ''Character'' (novel), a 1936 Dutch novel by Ferdinand Bordewijk
* ''Characters'' (Theophrastus), a classical Greek set of character sketches attributed to The ...
,
self-reliance, self-confidence, reliability, and
readiness; which eventually lead to
collaboration
Collaboration (from Latin ''com-'' "with" + ''laborare'' "to labor", "to work") is the process of two or more people, entities or organizations working together to complete a task or achieve a goal. Collaboration is similar to cooperation. Most ...
and
leadership
Leadership, both as a research area and as a practical skill, encompasses the ability of an individual, group or organization to "lead", influence or guide other individuals, teams, or entire organizations. The word "leadership" often gets view ...
. A program with a variety of progressive and attractive activities expands a Scout's horizon and bonds the Scout even more to the group. Activities and games provide an enjoyable way to develop skills such as
dexterity. In an outdoor setting, they also provide contact with the natural environment.
Since the birth of Scouting, Scouts worldwide have taken a Scout Promise to live up to ideals of the movement, and subscribe to the Scout Law. The form of the promise and laws have varied slightly by country and over time, but must fulfil the requirements of the WOSM to qualify a National Scout Association for membership.
The
Scout Motto
The Scout Motto of the Scout movement is, in English, "Be Prepared", with most international branches of the group using a close translation of that phrase. These mottoes have been used by millions of Scouts around the world since 1907. Most of t ...
, 'Be Prepared', has been used in various languages by millions of Scouts since 1907. Less well-known is the
Scout Slogan
The Scout method is the informal educational system used in the Scouting Movement. The aim of Scouting is character training with the goal of helping participants become independent and helpful, and thereby become "healthy, happy, helpful citizen ...
, 'Do a good turn daily'.
Activities
![Guides Łosiniec](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7c/Guides_%C5%81osiniec.jpg)
Common ways to implement the Scout method include having Scouts spending time together in small groups with shared experiences,
ritual
A ritual is a sequence of activities involving gestures, words, actions, or objects, performed according to a set sequence. Rituals may be prescribed by the traditions of a community, including a religious community. Rituals are characterized, b ...
s, and activities, and emphasizing 'good
citizenship
Citizenship is a "relationship between an individual and a state to which the individual owes allegiance and in turn is entitled to its protection".
Each state determines the conditions under which it will recognize persons as its citizens, and ...
' and decision-making by young people in an age-appropriate manner. Weekly meetings often take place in local centres known as Scout dens. Cultivating a love and appreciation of the outdoors and outdoor activities is a key element. Primary activities include
camping
Camping is an outdoor activity involving overnight stays away from home, either without shelter or using basic shelter such as a tent, or a recreational vehicle. Typically, participants leave developed areas to spend time outdoors in more nat ...
,
woodcraft
The term woodcraft — or woodlore — denotes bushcraft skills and experience in matters relating to living and thriving in the woods—such as hunting, fishing, and camping—whether on a short- or long-term basis. Traditionally, woodcraft per ...
,
aquatics
Aquatics may refer to:
*Aquatic sports in the Olympics and other international competitions, including the disciplines of swimming, diving, synchronized swimming, water polo, and open water swimming
*Water-related sports more broadly (including boa ...
,
hiking
Hiking is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century.AMATO, JOSEPH A. "Mind over Foot: Romantic Walking and Rambling." In ''On Foot: A Histor ...
, backpacking, and
sport
Sport pertains to any form of Competition, competitive physical activity or game that aims to use, maintain, or improve physical ability and Skill, skills while providing enjoyment to participants and, in some cases, entertainment to specta ...
s.
Camping is most often arranged at the unit level, such as one Scout troop, but there are periodic camps (known in the US as "
camporee
A camporee is a local or regional gathering of Scouting units for a period of camping and common activities. Similar to a camporee, a jamboree occurs less often and draws units from the entire nation or world. It should not be confused with the ...
s") and "
jamborees". Camps occur a few times a year and may involve several groups from a local area or region camping together for a weekend. The events usually have a theme, such as
pioneering.
World Scout Moot
The World Scout Moot is an event for senior branches of Scouting (traditionally called Rover Scout, Rovers) and other young adult Scouts, gathering up to 5,000 people. Moots provide an opportunity for young adults in Scouting to meet, with the o ...
s are gatherings, originally for
Rover Scout
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 Boy Scouts Association in the United K ...
s, but mainly focused on
Scout Leader
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. Jamborees are large national or international events held every four years, during which thousands of Scouts camp together for one or two weeks. Activities at these events will include games, Scoutcraft competitions,
badge, pin or patch trading, aquatics, woodcarving,
archery
Archery is the sport, practice, or skill of using a bow to shoot arrows.Paterson ''Encyclopaedia of Archery'' p. 17 The word comes from the Latin ''arcus'', meaning bow. Historically, archery has been used for hunting and combat. In m ...
and activities related to the theme of the event.
![Scout mem jamb 1979 1980 perry lakes gnangarra](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/10/Scout_mem_jamb_1979_1980_perry_lakes_gnangarra.jpg)
In some countries a highlight of the year for Scouts is spending at least a week in the summer engaging in an outdoor activity. This can be a camping, hiking,
sailing
Sailing employs the wind—acting on sails, wingsails or kites—to propel a craft on the surface of the ''water'' (sailing ship, sailboat, raft, windsurfer, or kitesurfer), on ''ice'' (iceboat) or on ''land'' (land yacht) over a chosen cour ...
, or other trip with the unit, or a summer camp with broader participation (at the council, state, or provincial level). Scouts attending a summer camp work on
Scout badges, advancement, and perfecting Scoutcraft skills. Summer camps can operate specialty programs for older Scouts, such as sailing, backpacking,
canoeing
Canoeing is an activity which involves paddling a canoe with a single-bladed paddle. Common meanings of the term are limited to when the canoeing is the central purpose of the activity. Broader meanings include when it is combined with other acti ...
and
whitewater
Whitewater forms in a rapid context, in particular, when a river's gradient changes enough to generate so much turbulence that air is trapped within the water. This forms an unstable current that froths, making the water appear opaque and ...
,
caving, and fishing.
At an international level Scouting perceives one of its roles as the promotion of international harmony and peace.
Various initiatives are in train towards achieving this aim including the development of activities that benefit the wider community, challenge prejudice and encourage tolerance of diversity. Such programs include co-operation with non-Scouting organisations including various NGOs, the United Nations and religious institutions as set out in ''The Marrakech Charter''.
Uniforms and distinctive insignia
![Ideal Scout](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/35/Ideal_Scout.png)
The Scout uniform is a widely recognized characteristic of Scouting. In the words of Baden-Powell at the 1937 World Jamboree, it "hides all differences of social standing in a country and makes for equality; but, more important still, it covers differences of country and race and creed, and makes all feel that they are members with one another of the one great brotherhood".
The original uniform, still widely recognized, consisted of a
khaki button-up shirt, shorts, and a broad-brimmed
campaign hat. Baden-Powell also wore shorts, because he believed that being dressed like a Scout helped to reduce the age-imposed distance between adult and youth. Uniform shirts are now frequently blue, orange, red or green and shorts are frequently replaced by long trousers all year or only under cold weather.
While designed for smartness and equality, the Scout uniform is also practical. Shirts traditionally have thick seams to make them ideal for use in makeshift stretchers—Scouts were trained to use them in this way with their staves, a traditional but deprecated item. The leather straps and toggles of the
campaign hats or Leaders'
Wood Badges could be used as emergency
tourniquets, or anywhere that string was needed in a hurry.
Neckerchiefs were chosen as they could easily be used as a sling or triangular bandage by a Scout in need. Scouts were encouraged to use their
garters
A garter is an article of clothing comprising a narrow band of fabric fastened about the leg to keep up stockings. In the eighteenth to twentieth centuries, they were tied just below the knee, where the leg is most slender, to keep the stocking ...
for
shock cord file:Bungee Cord PICT6882a.jpg, Bungee cords equipped with metal hooks
A bungee cord (sometimes spelled bungle; also known as a shock cord) is an elastomer, elastic cord composed of one or more elastic strands forming a core, usually covered in a w ...
where necessary.
Distinctive insignia for all are Scout uniforms, recognized and worn the world over, include the Wood Badge and the World Membership Badge. Scouting has two internationally known symbols: the
trefoil is used by members of the
World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts
The World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS ) is a global association supporting the Girl Guides, female-oriented and female-only Guiding and Scouting organizations in 152 countries. It was established in 1928 in Parád, Hungary, ...
(WAGGGS) and the
fleur-de-lis by member organizations of the WOSM and most other Scouting organizations.
The
swastika
The swastika (卐 or 卍) is an ancient religious and cultural symbol, predominantly in various Eurasian, as well as some African and American cultures, now also widely recognized for its appropriation by the Nazi Party and by neo-Nazis. It ...
was used as an early symbol by the
Boy Scouts Association
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 form ...
of the United Kingdom and others. Its earliest use in Scouting was on the Thanks Badge introduced in 1911.
Lord Baden-Powell's 1922 design for the Medal of Merit added a swastika to the Scout Arrowhead to symbolize good luck for the recipient. In 1934, Scouters requested a change to the design because of the connection of the swastika with its more recent use by the
German National Socialist Workers (Nazi) Party. A new Medal of Merit was issued by the Boy Scouts Association in 1935.
Age groups and sections
![Cub Scouts of Hong Kong at Scout Rally](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/87/Cub_Scouts_of_Hong_Kong_at_Scout_Rally.jpg)
Scouting and Guiding movements are generally divided into sections by age or school grade, allowing activities to be tailored to the maturity of the group's members. These age divisions have varied over time as they adapt to the local culture and environment.
[p. 12]
Scouting was originally developed for
adolescents—youths between the ages of 11 and 17. In most member organizations, this age group composes 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 ...
or
Guide section. Programs were developed to meet the needs of young children (generally ages 6 to 10) and young adults (originally 18 and older, and later up to 25). Scouts and Guides were later split into "junior" and "senior" sections in many member organizations, and some organizations dropped the young adults' section. The exact age ranges for programs vary by country and association.
The national programs for younger children include
Tiger Cubs,
Cub Scout
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 ...
s,
Brownies,
Daisies,
Rainbow Guides,
Beaver Scouts Beavers is a program associated with some Scouting organizations generally for children aged 6 to 8 who are too young for the Cub program.
Beavers programs had their origins in the Northern Ireland organization ''The Little Brothers'', founded in ...
,
Joey Scouts
Joey Scouts is the section of Scouts Australia for boys and girls aged 5 to 7 (inclusive), often known simply as 'Joeys'. The Joey Scout section is the first age section in the Australian Scout Movement and comes before Cub Scouts. Joey Scouts we ...
,
Keas, and
Teddies. Programs for post-adolescents and young adults include the
Senior Section,
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 ...
,
Senior Scouts
Senior Scouts or Seniors is a section of the Baden-Powell Scouts' Association for 14- to 18-year-olds. The aim of the section is to provide a flexible and active Scouting programme for adolescents, with an emphasis on personal challenge and adven ...
,
Venture Scout
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 ...
s,
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 ...
, and the
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 ...
. Many organizations also have a program for members with special needs. This is usually known as
Extension Scouting, but sometimes has other names, such as
Scoutlink
Jamboree on the Internet, known by its acronym JOTI, is an international Scouting activity held annually. Participants, through the use of designated Chats from all over the world, can contact their fellow Scouts by means of the Internet. Common c ...
. The Scout Method has been adapted to specific programs such as
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 ...
,
Sea Scouts, Rider Guides and Scoutingbands .
In many countries, Scouting is organized into neighborhood
Scout Groups, or Districts, which contain one or more sections. Under the umbrella of the Scout Group, sections are divided according to age, each having their own terminology and leadership structure.
[p. 210]
Adults and leadership
![Sir R](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/50/Sir_R._Baden_-_Powell_LCCN2014719329cr2.jpg)
Adults interested in Scouting or Guiding, including former Scouts and Guides, often join organizations such as the
International Scout and Guide Fellowship
The International Scout and Guide Fellowship (ISGF) is a worldwide organization of adults in support of Scouting and Guiding.
The International Scout and Guide Fellowship is open to former members of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl ...
. In the United States and the Philippines, university students might join the co-ed service
fraternity
A fraternity (from Latin language, Latin ''wiktionary:frater, frater'': "brother (Christian), brother"; whence, "wiktionary:brotherhood, brotherhood") or fraternal organization is an organization, society, club (organization), club or fraternal ...
Alpha Phi Omega
Alpha Phi Omega (), commonly known as APO, but also A-Phi-O and A-Phi-Q, is a coeducational service fraternity. It is the largest collegiate fraternity in the United States, with chapters at over 350 campuses, an active membership of over 25,0 ...
. In the United Kingdom, university students might join the
Student Scout and Guide Organisation, and after graduation, the
Scout and Guide Graduate Association
The Scout and Guide Graduate Association (SAGGA) is an association in the United Kingdom of Scouts and Guides who, largely, were former members of University or College Scout and Guide Clubs, or University Rover Scout crews. It exists to provide ...
. In some countries, it's possible to join scouting and guiding organizations as a show of support without accepting an active volunteering position, one option being joining a group specifically for adults, such as ScoutLink or a Trefoil Guild.
Scout units are usually operated by adult volunteers, such as parents and carers, former Scouts, students, and community leaders, including teachers and religious leaders.
Scout Leader
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 ...
ship positions are often divided into 'uniform' and 'lay' positions. Uniformed leaders have received formal training, such as the
Wood Badge, and have received a warrant for a rank within the organization. Lay members commonly hold part-time roles such as meeting helpers, committee members and advisors, though there are a small number of full-time lay professionals.
[, p. 2–15]
A unit has uniformed positions—such as the Scoutmaster and assistants—whose titles vary among countries. In some countries, units are supported by lay members, who range from acting as meeting helpers to being members of the unit's committee. In some Scout associations, the committee members may also wear uniforms and be registered Scout leaders.
Above the unit are further uniformed positions, called Commissioners, at levels such as district, county, council or province, depending on the structure of the national organization. Commissioners work with lay teams and professionals. Training teams and related functions are often formed at these levels. In the UK and in other countries, the national Scout organization appoints the Chief Scout, the most senior uniformed member.
Around the world
![Partioparaati 2012 Lounais-Suomi puhe](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a2/Partioparaati_2012_Lounais-Suomi_puhe.jpg)
Following its foundation in the United Kingdom, Scouting spread around the globe. The first association outside the British Empire was founded in Chile on May 21, 1909 after a visit by Baden Powell. In most countries of the world, there is now at least one Scouting (or Guiding) organization. Each is independent, but international cooperation continues to be seen as part of the Scout Movement. In 1922 the WOSM started as the governing body on policy for the national Scouting organizations (then male only). In addition to being the governing policy body, it organizes the
World Scout Jamboree every four years.
In 1928 the WAGGGS started as the equivalent to WOSM for the then female-only national Scouting/Guiding organizations. It is also responsible for its four international centres:
Our Cabaña
Our Cabaña (or Nuestra Cabaña) is an international Girl Guide centre of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS) located in Cuernavaca, Mexico, It opened in July 1957 as a Baden-Powell centennial memorial. The centre can hou ...
in Mexico,
Our Chalet
Our Chalet is an international Girl Guide/Girl Scout centre and one of five World Centres of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS). The others are Our Cabaña, Sangam, Kusafiri and Pax Lodge. Our Chalet is just outside A ...
in Switzerland,
Pax Lodge
Pax Lodge is the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS) World Centres in Hampstead, London, England. It was opened on 15 March 1991, preceded by ''Olave House'' (1959–1988), named after Olave Baden-Powell (World Chief Guid ...
in the United Kingdom, and
Sangam in India.
Today at the international level, the two largest umbrella organizations are:
*
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 ...
(WOSM), for boys-only and
co-educational organizations.
*
World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts
The World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS ) is a global association supporting the Girl Guides, female-oriented and female-only Guiding and Scouting organizations in 152 countries. It was established in 1928 in Parád, Hungary, ...
(WAGGGS), primarily for girls-only organizations but also accepting co-educational organizations.
Co-educational
![1996-Rover Moot-Fahnengruß](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/84/1996-Rover_Moot-Fahnengru%C3%9F.jpg)
There have been different approaches to co-educational Scouting. Some countries have maintained separate Scouting organizations for boys and girls,
In other countries, especially within Europe, Scouting and Guiding have merged, and there is a single organization for boys and girls, which is a member of both the WOSM and the WAGGGS.
The United States-based
Boy Scouts of America
The Boy Scouts of America (BSA, colloquially the Boy Scouts) is one of the largest scouting organizations and one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with about 1.2 million youth participants. The BSA was founded i ...
permitted girls to join in early 2018.
In others, such as Australia and the United Kingdom, the national Scout association has opted to admit both boys and girls, but is only a member of the WOSM, while the national Guide association has remained as a separate movement and member of the WAGGGS. In some countries like Greece, Slovenia and Spain there are separate associations of Scouts (members of WOSM) and guides (members of WAGGGS), both admitting boys and girls.
![Gerakan Pramuka Indonesia Scouts 8th Indonesian National Rover Moot 2003](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/25/Gerakan_Pramuka_Indonesia_Scouts_8th_Indonesian_National_Rover_Moot_2003.jpg)
The Scout Association in the United Kingdom has been co-educational at all levels since 1991, and this was optional for groups until the year 2000 when new sections were required to accept girls. The Scout Association transitioned all Scout groups and sections across the UK to become co-educational by January 2007, the year of Scouting's centenary.
The
traditional
A tradition is a belief or behavior (folk custom) passed down within a group or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common examples include holidays or ...
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 ...
has been co-educational since its formation in 1970.
In the United States, the Cub Scout and Boy Scout programs of the BSA were for boys only until 2018; it has changed its policies and is now inviting girls to join, as local packs organize all-girl dens (same uniform, same book, same activities). For youths age 14 and older,
Venturing has been co-educational since the 1930s. The
Girl Scouts of the USA
Girl Scouts of the United States of America (GSUSA), commonly referred to as simply Girl Scouts, is a youth organization for girls in the United States and American girls living abroad. Founded by Juliette Gordon Low in 1912, it was organized a ...
(GSUSA) is an independent organization for girls and young women only. Adult leadership positions in the BSA and GSUSA are open to both men and women.
In 2006, of the 155 WOSM member National Scout Organizations (representing 155 countries), 122 belonged only to WOSM, and 34 belonged to both WOSM and WAGGGS. Of the 122 which belonged only to WOSM, 95 were open to boys and girls in some or all program sections, and 20 were only for boys. All 34 that belonged to both WOSM and WAGGGS were open to boys and girls.
WAGGGS had 144 Member Organizations in 2007 and 110 of them belonged only to WAGGGS. Of these 110, 17 were coeducational and 93 admitted only girls.
Membership
As of 2019, there are over 46 million registered Scouts
and as of 2020 9 million registered Guides
around the world, from 216 countries and territories.
Nonaligned and Scout-like organizations
![Harcerki Związek Harcerstwa Rzeczypospolitej-Confédération Européenne de Scoutisme](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f5/Harcerki_Zwi%C4%85zek_Harcerstwa_Rzeczypospolitej-Conf%C3%A9d%C3%A9ration_Europ%C3%A9enne_de_Scoutisme.jpg)
Fifteen years passed between the first publication of ''Scouting for Boys'' and the creation of the current largest supranational Scout organization, WOSM, and millions of copies had been sold in dozens of languages. By that point, Scouting was the purview of the world's youth, and several Scout associations had already formed in many countries.
Alternative groups have formed since the original formation of the Scouting "Boy Patrols". They can be a result of groups or individuals who maintain that the WOSM and WAGGGS are more political and less youth-based than envisioned by Lord Baden-Powell. They believe that Scouting in general has moved away from its original intent because of political machinations that happen to longstanding organizations, and want to return to the earliest, simplest methods.
Others do not want to follow all the original ideals of Scouting but still desire to participate in Scout-like activities.
In 2008, there were at least 539 independent Scouting organizations around the world,
367 of them were a member of either WAGGGS or WOSM. About half of the remaining 172 Scouting organizations are only local or national oriented. About 90 national or regional Scouting associations have created their own international Scouting organizations. Those are served by five international Scouting organizations:
*
Order of World Scouts
The Order of World Scouts (OWS), founded in 1911, is the oldest international Scouting organisation. It is headquartered in England, with the administration headquarters in Italy.
As of November 2008, the Order of World Scouts includes member ...
– the first international Scouting organisation, founded in 1911.
*
International Union of Guides and Scouts of Europe
The International Union of the Guides and Scouts of Europe - Federation of Scouts of Europe (Union Internationale des Guides et Scouts d’Europe, UIGSE; also known as ''Union Internationale des Guides et Scouts d'Europe – Fédération du Scou ...
, an independent faith-based Scouting organization founded in 1956.
*
Confederation of European Scouts
A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a union of sovereign groups or states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...
, established in 1978.
*
World Federation of Independent Scouts
The World Federation of Independent Scouts (WFIS) is a non-governmental international Scouting organization with over 7 million members in 151 affiliated Scout organizations in 65 countries. WFIS was formed in Laubach, Germany, in 1996 by Lawrie ...
, formed in Laubach, Germany, in 1996.
*
World Organization of Independent Scouts, mostly South-American, founded in 2010.
Some Scout-like organizations are also served by international organizations, many with religious elements, for example:
*
Pathfinders – A youth organization of the
Seventh-day Adventist Church
The Seventh-day Adventist Church is an Adventist Protestant Christian denomination which is distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the seventh day of the week in the Christian (Gregorian) and the Hebrew calendar, as the Sabbath, and ...
, formed in 1950.
*
Royal Rangers
Assemblies of God youth organizations include two youth organizations operating under the auspices of the Assemblies of God, the Royal Rangers and the Mpact Girls Clubs (formerly known as the Missionettes).
Royal Rangers
Royal Rangers is an adve ...
– A youth organization of the
Assemblies of God
The Assemblies of God (AG), officially the World Assemblies of God Fellowship, is a group of over 144 autonomous self-governing national groupings of churches that together form the world's largest Pentecostal denomination."Assemblies of God". ...
, formed in 1962.
Influence on society
After the inception of Scouting in the early 1900s, some nations' programs have taken part in social movements such as the nationalist
resistance movements in India. Although Scouting was introduced to Africa by British officials as a way to strengthen their rule, the values they based Scouting on helped to challenge the legitimacy of
British imperialism. Likewise, African Scouts used the Scout Law's principle that a Scout is a brother to all other Scouts to collectively claim full imperial citizenship.
A study has found a strong link between participating in Scouting and Guiding as a young person, and having significantly better mental health. The data, from almost 10,000 individuals, came from a lifelong UK-wide study of people born in November 1958, known as the
National Child Development Study
The National Child Development Study (NCDS) is a continuing, multi-disciplinary longitudinal study which follows the lives of 17,415 people born in England, Scotland and Wales from 17,205 women during the week of 3–9 March 1958. The results from ...
.
Controversies
In the United Kingdom,
The Scout Association
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 ...
had been criticised for its insistence on the use of a religious promise, leading the organization to introduce an alternative in January 2014 for those not wanting to mention a god in their promise. This change made the organisation entirely non-discriminatory on the grounds of race, gender, sexuality, and religion (or lack thereof).
The
Boy Scouts of America
The Boy Scouts of America (BSA, colloquially the Boy Scouts) is one of the largest scouting organizations and one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with about 1.2 million youth participants. The BSA was founded i ...
was the focus of criticism in the United States for not allowing the open participation of homosexuals until removing the prohibition in 2013.
Communist states such as the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
in 1920 and fascist regimes like
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...
in 1934 often either absorbed the Scout movement into government-controlled organizations, or
banned Scouting entirely.
In film and the arts
Scouting has been a facet of culture during most of the twentieth century in many countries; numerous films and artwork focus on the subject.
Movie critic Roger Ebert mentioned the scene in which the young Boy Scout,
Indiana Jones
''Indiana Jones'' is an American media franchise based on the adventures of Dr. Henry Walton "Indiana" Jones, Jr., a fictional professor of archaeology, that began in 1981 with the film '' Raiders of the Lost Ark''. In 1984, a prequel, '' Th ...
, discovers the Cross of Coronado in the movie ''
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
''Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade'' is a 1989 American action film, action-adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg, from a story co-written by executive producer George Lucas. It is the third installment in the Indiana Jones, ''Indiana ...
'', as "when he discovers his life mission".
The works of painters
Ernest Stafford Carlos
Ernest Stafford Carlos (4 June 1883 – 14 June 1917) was a British Painting, painter and war artist. He is best known for his works depicting the early days of the Scout Movement. He joined the British Army and was killed during the First World ...
,
Norman Rockwell
Norman Percevel Rockwell (February 3, 1894 – November 8, 1978) was an American painter and illustrator. His works have a broad popular appeal in the United States for their reflection of Culture of the United States, the country's culture. Roc ...
,
Pierre Joubert and
Joseph Csatari
Joseph Csatari (born 1929, South River, New Jersey, as son of Hungarian immigrants) is a realist artist who worked with Norman Rockwell. As a boy, Csatari had painstakingly recreated '' Saturday Evening Post'' covers that Rockwell had painted. I ...
and the 1966 film ''
Follow Me, Boys!
''Follow Me, Boys!'' is a 1966 American drama film produced by Walt Disney Productions. It is an adaptation of the 1954 novel ''God and My Country'' by MacKinlay Kantor and was the final live action film produced by Walt Disney, who died two week ...
'' are prime examples of this ethos. Scouting is often dealt with in a humorous manner, as in the 1989 film ''
Troop Beverly Hills
''Troop Beverly Hills'' is a 1989 American comedy film. It is produced by the Weintraub Entertainment Group and directed by Jeff Kanew, starring Shelley Long, Craig T. Nelson, Betty Thomas, Mary Gross, Stephanie Beacham and introducing Jenny Lewis ...
'', the 2005 film ''
Down and Derby
''Down and Derby'' (released as ''Racing Ace'' outside of North America) is a 2005 American comedy film written and directed by Eric Hendershot and starring Greg Germann, Lauren Holly, Adam Hicks, and Pat Morita. The movie was filmed outside St ...
'', and the film ''
Scout Camp
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 ...
br>
'. In 1980,
Scottish people, Scottish singer and songwriter
Gerry Rafferty recorded ''I was a Boy Scout'' as part of his ''Snakes and Ladders'' album.
See also
*
Camp Fire Girls
Camp Fire, formerly Camp Fire USA and originally Camp Fire Girls of America, is a co-ed youth development organization. Camp Fire was the first nonsectarian, multicultural organization for girls in America. It is gender inclusive, and its prog ...
*
Kibbo Kift
The Kindred of the Kibbo Kift was a camping, hiking and handicraft group with ambitions to bring world peace. It was the first of three movements in England associated with the charismatic artist and writer John Hargrave (1894–1982). The Kindred ...
*
Order of Woodcraft Chivalry
The Order of Woodcraft Chivalry is a scouting-like movement operating in the United Kingdom, which was founded in 1916 by Ernest Westlake. It was inspired by Ernest Thompson Seton's Woodcraft Indians, and Seton was its honorary Grand Chieftain. Wh ...
*
Pioneer movement
A pioneer movement is an organization for children operated by a communist party. Typically children enter into the organization in elementary school and continue until adolescence. The adolescents then typically join the Young Communist League ...
*
SpiralScouts International
SpiralScouts International is a United States-based youth organization based on Wiccan symbolism and values.
History
The program was created in 1999 as a loosely organized children's program at the Aquarian Tabernacle Church
The Aquarian Tabern ...
References
Further reading
*
László Nagy, ''250 Million Scouts'', The World Scout Foundation and Dartnell Publishers, 1985
* World Organization of the Scout Movement, ''Scouting 'round the World. Facts and Figures on the World Scout Movement.'' 1990 edition.
*
* World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts, World Bureau, ''Trefoil Round the World''. 11th ed. 1997.
External links
Milestones in World ScoutingScoutwiki – international wiki for ScoutingThe Scouting Pages – All sorts of Scouting Facts*
{{Featured article
Organizations established in 1907
1907 establishments in the United Kingdom