Bandalag íslenskra skáta (BIS, ''Icelandic Boy and Girl Scout Association'') is the national

Scouting Scouting or the Scout Movement is a youth social movement, movement which became popularly established in the first decade of the twentieth century. It follows the Scout method of informal education with an emphasis on practical outdoor activi ...

and Guiding organization of

Iceland Iceland is a Nordic countries, Nordic island country between the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between North America and Europe. It is culturally and politically linked with Europe and is the regi ...

. Scouting was founded in Iceland in 1912 and was among the earlier members of the

World Organization of the Scout Movement The World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM ) is the largest and, after the Order of World Scouts (formed in 1911), is the second-oldest international organization in the Scout Movement, having been established in 1922. It has 176 members. ...

in 1924. Guiding in Iceland was founded in 1922 and among the founding 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 that supports Girl Guides, female-oriented and female-only Guiding and Scouting organizations in 153 countries. It was established in the year 1928 in Parád, H ...

. The organization serves 1,756 Scouts (as of 2021) and 2,002 Guides (as of 2003) in 35 troops.

History

Scouting was introduced in Iceland as early as 1911, when Ingvar Ólafsson, who had entered the Scout Movement in

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

, formed the first

Boy Scout patrol A Scout, Boy Scout, Girl Scout or, in some countries, a Pathfinder is a participant in the Scout Movement, usually aged 10–18 years, who engage in learning scoutcraft and outdoor and other special interest activities. Some Scout organization ...

. At that time Iceland was a part of the Danish Crown, enjoying Home Rule only since 1904. A growing feeling of

nationalism Nationalism is an idea or movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the state. As a movement, it presupposes the existence and tends to promote the interests of a particular nation, Smith, Anthony. ''Nationalism: Theory, I ...

striving for independence for the country led many societies and movements to look for guidance and motives in other countries than Denmark. This is true for the Scout Movement as in 1912 the leaders of Icelandic Scouting turned to the English original and Scouting for Boys as their model for Icelandic Scouting. The first council, ''Skátafelag Reykjavíkur'' (''The Scout Society of Reykjavík'') was established on November 2, 1912, and many of the members of the first Scout patrol became founding members of this new council, which operated in

Reykjavík Reykjavík is the Capital city, capital and largest city in Iceland. It is located in southwestern Iceland on the southern shore of Faxaflói, the Faxaflói Bay. With a latitude of 64°08′ N, the city is List of northernmost items, the worl ...

. A new Scout group was formed on April 23, 1913 with members from the Reykjavík

YMCA YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organisation based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It has nearly 90,000 staff, some 920,000 volunteers and 12,000 branches w ...

. In 1916 a group was formed in

Stykkishólmur Stykkishólmur () is a town and municipality situated in the western part of Iceland, in the northern part of the Snæfellsnes peninsula. It is a center of services and commerce for the area. Most of the people make their living from fishing and ...

, 1917 in

Akureyri Akureyri (, ) is a town in northern Iceland, the country's fifth most populous Municipalities of Iceland, municipality (under the official name of Akureyrarbær , 'town of Akureyri') and the largest outside the Capital Region (Iceland), Capital R ...

to be followed with groups in the principal towns of

Hafnarfjörður Hafnarfjörður, officially Hafnarfjarðarkaupstaður, is a port town and municipality in Iceland, located about south of Reykjavík. The municipality consists of two non-contiguous areas in the Capital Region (Iceland), Capital Region, on the s ...

Eyrarbakki Eyrarbakki () is a fishing village on the south coast of Iceland with a population of about 570 people, not including inhabitants of the prison located there. The village is founded on the Great Þjórsá Lava. History For centuries, the harbou ...

Akranes Akranes () is a port town and municipality on the west coast of Iceland, around north of the capital Reykjavík. The area where Akranes is located was settled in the 9th century; however, it did not receive a municipal charter until 1942. His ...

and

Ísafjörður Ísafjörður (pronounced , meaning ''ice fjord'', literally ''fjord of ices'') is a town in the northwest of Iceland. The oldest part of Ísafjörður with the town centre is located on a spit of sand, or ''eyri'', in Skutulsfjörður, a fjord ...

. Guiding commenced on July 7, 1922 as the YWCA established a group of Girl Guides. A National Association was formed in 1925. The first Chief Scout was Axel V. Tulinius, (1925–1938) followed by Dr. Helgi Tómasson (1938–1958), Jónas B. Jónsson (1958–1971),

Páll Gíslason Páll Gíslason (3 October 1924 – 1 January 2011) was an Icelandic medical practitioner in Reykjavík and a pioneer in vascular surgery in Iceland. Outside of his medical career, he served as the Chief Scout of the Bandalag íslenskra skáta, ...

(1971–1981),

Ágúst Þorsteinsson Ágúst () or Agust is a given name. Notable people with the name include: * Ágúst Björgvinsson (born 1979), Icelandic basketball coach * Ágúst Þór Jóhannsson (born 1977), Icelandic team handball player and coach *Ágúst Ævar Gunnarsson ...

(1981–1988), Gunnar H. Eyjólfsson (1988–1993) and

Ólafur Ásgeirsson Ólafur () is a common name in Iceland, derived from the Old Norse Óláfr , meaning "ancestor's relic". According to Icelandic custom, people are generally referred to by first and middle names and patronyms are used if disambiguation is require ...

(1993–2005). In 1981, Mr. Gislason was awarded the ''Bronze Wolf'', the only distinction of the World Organization of the Scout Movement, awarded by the

World Scout Committee The World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM ) is the largest and, after the Order of World Scouts (formed in 1911), is the second-oldest international organization in the Scout Movement, having been established in 1922. It has 176 members. ...

for exceptional services to world Scouting. In 2005, Margrét Tómasdóttir became the first female Chief Scout. As Iceland became an independent kingdom in personal union with Denmark in 1918, it was possible for Icelanders and Icelandic associations to join international organizations. One of the first associations of the new kingdom to do this, was the Boy Scout Association, which joined the World Movement in 1924. The Icelandic Girl Guides joined the WAGGGS in 1928. Icelandic Scouts have been present at all International Jamborees since Ermelunden in 1924. Scouting had a firm start in Iceland and grew fast during the thirties as in 1940 the number of Scouts and Guides was around 3,000, out of population of 130,000. In 1938 the Icelandic Scouts and Guides made history as the first joint councils of Boy Scouts and Girl Guides were formed in

Keflavík Keflavík (pronounced , meaning ''Driftwood Bay'') is a town in the Reykjanes region in southwest Iceland. It is included in the municipality of Reykjanesbær whose population as of 2016 is 15,129. In 1995, Keflavík merged with nearby Njar ...

and

Vestmannaeyjar Vestmannaeyjar (, sometimes anglicized as Westman Islands) is a municipality and archipelago off the south coast of Iceland. The largest island, Heimaey, has a population of 4,414, most of whom live in the archipelago's main town, Vestmannaeyja ...

. In 1939 the Girl Guide Association was formed with Jakobína Magnúsdóttir as Chief Commissioner and the Crown Princess Ingirid as patron. And again the Icelandic Scouts and Guides made Scout history when they formed the first joint association of Scouts and Guides in the world in 1944. The Icelandic Scout and Guide Association is an active movement in Iceland tending to their own training and program needs. The first Scout handbook appeared in Icelandic in 1919 and easily adapting

Baden-Powell Lieutenant-General Robert Stephenson Smyth Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell, ( ; 22 February 1857 – 8 January 1941) was a British Army officer, writer, founder of The Boy Scouts Association and its first Chief Scout, and founder, with ...

's ideas to the possibilities of this country. Scout Magazines have been published since 1919, the one run by the National Association, ''Skátablaðið'', has been published since 1935. In 1942 the association leased the farm '' Úlfljótsvatn'' near Reykjavík, which has ever since been the center of training and camping activities. A new center at '' Hamrar'' near Akureyri in the northern part of Iceland has been built within the last decade. Icelandic Scouts have been very active in international Scouting, working together with the

Nordic countries The Nordic countries (also known as the Nordics or ''Norden''; ) are a geographical and cultural region in Northern Europe, as well as the Arctic Ocean, Arctic and Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic oceans. It includes the sovereign states of Denm ...

, effective in the preparation of the Nordjamb 1975 (World Scout Jamboree in Norway), and participating in annual program prepared by the Nordic Scout Council.

Jamborees

National Jamborees have been an integral part of Icelandic Scouting starting in 1925. At first, they were held every four years and now they are normally triennial. Recent ones are:

Program sections

* Fjölskylduskátar (i.e. Family Scouts) - for families * Hrefnuskátar (i.e. Whale Scouts) - ages 5 to 7 * Drekaskátar (i.e. Dragon Scouts) - ages 7 to 9 * Fálkaskátar (i.e. Falcon Scouts) - ages 10 to 12 * Dróttskátar -(i.e. King's Court Scouts) ages 13 to 15 * Rekkaskátar (i.e. Ranger Scouts) - ages 16 to 18 * Róverskátar (i.e. Rover Scouts) - ages 19 to 25 * Eldri skátar (i.e. Older scouts) - ages 25+ * Rescue Teams - ages 17 and up 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 ...

is ''Ávallt viðbúinn'', ''Always Prepared''.

International Scouting units in Iceland

* In addition, there were American Boy Scouts in

, linked to the

Direct Service There have been American Scouts overseas since almost the inception of the movement, often for similar reasons as the present day. Within the Scouting America formerly the Boy Scouts of America (BSA), these expatriate Scouting, Scouts are now se ...

branch of the

Boy Scouts of America Scouting America is the largest scouting organization and one of the largest List of youth organizations, youth organizations in the United States, with over 1 million youth, including nearly 200,000 female participants. Founded as the Boy Sco ...

, which supports units around the world.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bandalag Islenskra Skata World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts member organizations World Organization of the Scout Movement member organizations Scouting and Guiding in Iceland Youth organizations established in 1912 1912 establishments in Iceland