Scouts' Day or Guides' Day is a generic term for special days observed by members of the
Scouting movement
Scouting or the Scout Movement is a youth 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 activities, includin ...
throughout the year. Some of these days have religious significance, while others may be a simple celebration of Scouting. Typically, it is a day when all members of Scouting will re-affirm the
Scout Promise
The Scout Promise (or Oath) is a declaration made by a person joining the Scout movement. Since the publication of ''Scouting for Boys'' in 1908, all Scouts and Girl Guides around the world have taken a Scout (or Guide) promise or oath to live up ...
.
Founders' Days
Worldwide in nearly all Scout associations, Founders' Day is celebrated on February 22, the birthday of
Robert Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell
Lieutenant-general (United Kingdom), 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 Scout Association, The Boy Scou ...
(born in 1857), the founder of
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 coincidentally also of his wife
Olave Baden-Powell (born in 1889).
In
Kenya
Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...
, the
grave of Baden Powell has become a pilgrimage site,
and each year, the members of the
Kenya Scouts Association and
Kenya Girl Guides Association celebrate Scouting at the grave.
Individual associations also celebrate their own founding on other dates, although these are generally restricted to "major" anniversaries, such as a
decennial
An anniversary is the date on which an event took place or an institution was founded.
Most countries celebrate national anniversaries, typically called national days. These could be the List of national independence days, date of independen ...
.
Girl Scouts of the USA
Girl Scouts of the United States of America (GSUSA), commonly referred to as Girl Scouts, is a youth organization for girls in the United States and American girls living abroad.
It was founded by Juliette Gordon Low in 1912, a year after she ...
celebrate Founders Day on 31 October, the birthday of
Juliette Gordon Low.
World Thinking Day
Thinking Day is celebrated on 22 February.
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 ...
(WAGGGS) chose the date as it was the birthday of Scouting and Guiding founder Robert Baden-Powell and of Olave Baden-Powell. It is thus celebrated by Girl Guides and Girl Scouts associations. SAGNOs (those associations which are part simultaneously of WAGGGS and
WOSM) usually take part in it. It is also celebrated by some boy-oriented scout associations belonging to WOSM (i.e. Greece, where it is called ''Imera Skepseos''),
Saint George's Day
Saint George
Saint George (;Geʽez: ጊዮርጊስ, , ka, გიორგი, , , died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was an early Christian martyr who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. According to holy tradition, he was a soldier in the ...
is the patron saint of Scouting. The nearest Sunday to 23 April is observed as a celebration in some countries, for example, the United Kingdom, Portugal, Brazil and Spain. After Founder's Day, it's the biggest celebration in National Scout Organizations.
In the UK many Scouting Districts celebrate the day with a parade of the groups and sections to a church or other suitable venue, often outdoors, where a service is held where the Scout sections all re-affirm their Scout Promises.
However, it is becoming more difficult to encourage participation by the youth membership, so many Districts forego the parade and church service in place of a more family oriented day. The focus of the day is still the affirmation of the Promise by all members.
Windsor and Queen Scouts
Each St. George's Day is also marked by a service in St. George's Chapel in
Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle is a List of British royal residences, royal residence at Windsor, Berkshire, Windsor in the English county of Berkshire, about west of central London. It is strongly associated with the Kingdom of England, English and succee ...
, which is open to all recipients of the
Queen's Scout Award in the previous year.
Scout Sunday, Scout Jumuah, and Scout Sabbath (Boy Scouts of America)
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 ...
have designated the Sunday preceding 8 February, or 8 February if it is a Sunday, as Scout Sunday, the following Friday as Scout Jumuah, and the following Saturday is designated as Scout Sabbath.
The
United Methodist Church
The United Methodist Church (UMC) is a worldwide mainline Protestant Christian denomination, denomination based in the United States, and a major part of Methodism. In the 19th century, its main predecessor, the Methodist Episcopal Church, was ...
and the
Presbyterian Church (USA)
The Presbyterian Church (USA), abbreviated PCUSA, is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination, denomination in the Religion in the United States, United States. It is the largest Presbyterian denomination in the United States too. Its th ...
celebrate Scout Sunday on the second Sunday of February as not to conflict with their Transfiguration Sunday.
The day is meant to mark the founding of the Scouts in the United States. Observation varies by unit and locale. Scouts go to their places of worship in uniform and help with the service.
In the United States, Scouting has been used by churches, temples, synagogues, and many other religious organizations as part of their youth ministries. Approximately 50 percent of all Scouting units are chartered to religious groups. These observances offer an opportunity for congregations to honor Scouts and Scouters, as well as to learn more themselves about the value of Scouting as a youth program.
Girl Scout Week (Girl Scouts of the USA)
In the
Girl Scouts of the USA
Girl Scouts of the United States of America (GSUSA), commonly referred to as Girl Scouts, is a youth organization for girls in the United States and American girls living abroad.
It was founded by Juliette Gordon Low in 1912, a year after she ...
, the equivalent holiday is Girl Scout Sunday or Girl Scout Sabbath, celebrated in Girl Scout Week the week that includes 12 March, the day the first Girl Scout troop was founded by
Juliette Gordon Low in Savannah, Georgia in 1912.
Scout-Guide Week (Canada)
In Canada both the Guides and the Scouts celebrate Scout-Guide Week which is the week (Sunday-Sunday) in which 22 February falls (not including the first Sunday). It is often used to have joint events between the two groups.
Africa Scout Day
Africa Scout Day is a day of celebration for Scouts in Africa and is held annually on 13 March. At the 62nd ordinary session of the Council of Ministers of the then
OAU, (currently
African Union
The African Union (AU) is a continental union of 55 member states located on the continent of Africa. The AU was announced in the Sirte Declaration in Sirte, Libya, on 9 September 1999, calling for the establishment of the African Union. The b ...
) in
Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa (; ,) is the capital city of Ethiopia, as well as the regional state of Oromia. With an estimated population of 2,739,551 inhabitants as of the 2007 census, it is the largest city in the country and the List of cities in Africa b ...
in 1995, a resolution was passed that Scouting in Africa must be recognized and as such 13 March would be celebrated as Africa Scout Day.
World Scout Scarf Day

World Scout Scarf Day, August 1st, commemorates the first Scout Camp on
Brownsea Island
Brownsea Island is the largest of the islands in Poole Harbour in the county of Dorset, England. The island is owned by the National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, National Trust with the northern half managed by the Do ...
in 1907.
On World Scout Scarf Day, all active and former scouts are encouraged to wear their scarfs, or
neckerchief
A neckerchief (from ''neck'' (n.) + ''kerchief''), also kerchief, scarf, and bandana, is a type of neckwear associated with those working or living outdoors, including farm labourers, cowboys and sailors. It is most commonly still seen today in ...
s as a visible commemoration of Scouting.
Scout Service and Public Relationship Week (Sri Lanka)
Scout Service and Public Relationship Week is held annually on June–July. Scouts will call on the public during this week in uniform. The event began with the participation of Scouts from all 37 districts simultaneously numbering approximately 40,000 between the ages of 7 and 18. A Patrol consisting of four Scouts or more in uniform will carry an official card given by Sri Lanka Scout Association for public contributions. Scouts find money for their Scout Group through the Service and Relationship week each year. They go to houses and work places and help their owners with small work they can do. People give them work and then give some amount of money for their effort. The association requests the public to contribute to them generously as this is the main fund raising project for them.
Dates celebrated by country
See also
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Religion in Scouting
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Scout Law
Scout Law is a set of codes in the Scout movement. Since the publication of '' Scouting for Boys'' in 1908, all Scouts and Guides around the world have taken a Scout Promise or oath to live up to the ideals of the movement and have subscribed to ...
– A Scout is reverent.
*
Scouting 2007 Centenary
The Scouting 2007 Centenary comprised celebrations around the world in which Scouting, Scouts celebrated 100 years of the world Scout movement. The original celebrations were focused on the United Kingdom, such as the camp on Brownsea Island Scou ...
– celebrations for 100 years of Scouting
External links
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Further reading
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References
{{reflist
Scouting events
January observances
February observances
March observances
April observances
May observances
July observances
August observances
October observances