The Scout and Guide Graduate Association (SAGGA) is an association 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 European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

Scouts 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, backpack ...

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 to more abstract goals such as knowledge or wisdom. Travel and recreation Exp ...

who, largely, were former members of University or College Scout and Guide Clubs, or University

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 Scout Association, The Boy Scouts Assoc ...

crews. It exists to provide skilled service to Scouting and Guiding. SAGGA's membership mainly resides in the UK, with some members overseas.

History

SAGGA was formed on 21 April 1957, and was originally nicknamed the "Peter Pan Club". The association was an affiliated organisation of both

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 ...

and

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 form ...

, but in 1988 it was de-affiliated by both associations. SAGGA celebrated their 50th anniversary in 2007, with special celebrations at the association's Annual Gathering and AGM. In 2014 SAGGA became a Scout Active Support Unit therefore re-affiliating with the Scout Association. It continues to work closely with Girlguiding UK

Organisation

SAGGA as an organisation views itself as a framework within which its members can organise activities for the benefit of themselves or the movement. This framework lets them choose what to do: building up skills and experiences, trying something new, joining activities such as camping, winter walking, sailing and crafts. While most members are graduates and members or former members of the Associations, these are not conditions of joining. Their only criteria for membership are sympathy with their aims, and undertaking a CRB check.

Aims

SAGGA's aims are: * To provide service to the Scout and Guide Movement * To enable its members to use their skills in giving service * To promote Scout and Guide co-operation * To promote discussion and development of ideas relevant to Scouting and Guiding * To maintain communication between SAGGA and other related organisations * To encourage equal opportunities in the Movement * To encourage members and their families to be involved in Scouting and Guiding Activities

Major activities

In the 1960s it was particularly active in pressing for co-educational Scouting and Guiding. To promote this it organised many events, particularly ''SAGA '61'', the first joint Scout and Guide camp, and then ''SAGA '65'', which was a joint Scout and Guide activity in

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...

. Members were also involved in introducing modern youth work methods into Scout and Guide Leader Training, such as

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 skills ...

training courses. SAGGA decided to revisit its roots with the GaSCiT events of 2000 and 2003, and while they brought together members of both halves of the Scout and Guide Movement, the aim this time was to support and train leaders lacking in the skills needed to organise their own camps. In summer 2007 SAGGA supported 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 fou ...

by running 1 in 10 of the community projects referred to on the Jamboree programme as "Starburst". In years when there is no special project SAGGA usually runs a week-long camp using its members' skills to improve facilities at a Scout or Guide camp site. SAGGA continues to run major projects to support the Scout and Guide movement.

References

External links

* {{Scouting in the UK Scouting and Guiding in the United Kingdom