Związek Harcerstwa Rzeczypospolitej (''Scouting Association of the Republic'', ZHR) is a Polish
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 ...
organization founded on February 12, 1989. At present, Związek Harcerstwa Rzeczypospolitej has over 17,500 members. At present, Związek Harcerstwa Rzeczypospolitej is an associate member of the
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
In 1956, after
Stalin's
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili; – 5 March 1953) was a Georgian revolutionary and Soviet political leader who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. He held power as General Secreta ...
and
Bierut's death, the communist party youth movement ZMP OH was transformed and renamed to
ZHP, the same name the Polish Scouting association had before
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 ...
. After 1958 many pre-war instructors were removed from the new ZHP or marginalized, and the original oath, law, educational content and methods were changed. After pope
John Paul II
Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...
's first pilgrimage to Poland in August 1980, some "non-conforming" instructors inside the ZHP created the
Andrzej Małkowski Circle of Scout Instructors (KIHAM), with the objective to restore original Scout ideals. After the 7th Congress of ZHP at the beginning of 1981 rejected all their motions and the
martial law
Martial law is the imposition of direct military control of normal civil functions or suspension of civil law by a government, especially in response to an emergency where civil forces are overwhelmed, or in an occupied territory.
Use
Marti ...
was imposed in December 1981, they went underground. The underground movement came to light in the fall of 1988. After they were unsuccessful in reforming the ZHP their way, the ZHR was founded.
History of ZHR
Organization
The association is divided into Girl Guide and Boy Scout Organizations which involve:
* Cub Scouts (7–10 years old)
* Boy and Girl Scouts (11–14 years old)
* Boy and Girl Wanderers (15–18 years old)
* Senior Boy and Girl Scouts (over 18).
ZHR is divided into 13 Districts. Each District consists of a girl scout company and a boy scout company. The companies consists of troops which consist of squads.
The logo of the ZHR and the Boy Scout Organization is a white Fleur-de-Lis
The fleur-de-lis, also spelled fleur-de-lys (plural ''fleurs-de-lis'' or ''fleurs-de-lys''), is a lily (in French, and mean 'flower' and 'lily' respectively) that is used as a decorative design or symbol.
The fleur-de-lis has been used in the ...
with the Polish Flag. The logo of the Girl Guide Organization is a modified ZHR logo on a blue trefoil
A trefoil () is a graphic form composed of the outline of three overlapping rings, used in architecture and Christian symbolism, among other areas. The term is also applied to other symbols with a threefold shape. A similar shape with four rin ...
.
See also
* History of the Scout movement in Poland
Notes
External links
official homepage
(Polish, English)
official English homepageGirl Scouts homepage
(Polish)
Boy Scouts homepage
(Polish)
{{Scouting in Poland
Non-aligned Scouting organizations
Youth organisations based in Poland
Youth organizations established in 1989
Scouting and Guiding in Poland