25th World Scout Jamboree 2023 Korea
Tuesday 30 November 2021
25th World Scout Jamboree 2023 Korea
Tuesday 9 November 2021
Document of Germany Scouting
Germany Scouting started in 1909. In West Germany and West Berlin, Scouting was reestablished after 1945, but it was banned in East Germany until 1990 in favor of the Thälmann Pioneers and the Free German Youth. Today it is present in all parts of the unified Federal Republic of Germany.
The DPSG is also a member of the International Catholic Conference of Scouting (ICCS) and of the Bund der Deutschen Katholischen Jugend (BDKJ).
The DPSG was founded in 1929. In the preceding years only a few Catholic Scout groups were active, since most German bishops saw Scouting as a Protestant or secular movement. In the beginning the DPSG did not count more than 800 members. After 1933 membership rose noticeably: Most competing youth organizations were disbanded by the Nazi-authorities or incorporated in the Hitler Youth while the DPSG still enjoyed some degree of protection under the Reichskonkordat. In 1935 membership stood by 16,000 boys in 457 local groups. This development lasted until 1938 when all religious youth organizations were banned.
Catholic Scouting was restarted as soon as World War II was over, thanks to underground networks still existing in some places. The first local groups were reorganized in 1945, mainly in the American occupied zone. In 1946 the national association was restored. When the Ring deutscher Pfadfinderbünde was founded in 1949 the DPSG had about 20,000 members.
The number of members of the association rose also in the following years - with some temporary set-backs - until it reached 100,000 in the early 1980s. Since then membership has stagnated. In 1971, the DPSG did open to girls. Today, nearly all local groups are coeducational but there is also a parallel Guiding organization with strong ties to the DPSG: the Pfadfinderinnenschaft Sankt Georg.
The Scout emblem is a blue symbol, a combination of the Scouting fleur-de-lis with a cross.
Commemorative stamp of the Deutsche Post on the centenary of Scouting in 2007, depicting a Senior Scout and two Rover Scouts.
The DPSG is divided in four sections according to age:
1 - Wölflinge (Cub Scouts) - aged 7 to 10; orange scarf
2 - Jungpfadfinder (cubs) - aged 10 to 13; blue scarf
3 - Pfadfinder (Venture Scouts) - aged 13 to 16; green scarf
4 - Rover (Rover Scouts) - aged 16 to 20; red scarf
The DPSG does not know a common Scout Promise. The promise shall be formulated individually by the respective group and for the respective advancement. Nevertheless some local groups have regular wordings that are in use since the 1960s.
In 2005, the DPSG reintroduced a common Scout Law for the whole association. In the years before, four guidelines[clarification needed] were used instead of a Scout Law.
Als Pfadfinderin .../Als Pfadfinder ...
As a Girl Scout/Boy Scout ...
... I'll meet everybody with respect. All Scouts and Guides are my brothers and sisters.
... gehe ich zuversichtlich und mit wachen Augen durch die Welt.
... I'll meet the world confident and with open eyes.
... bin ich höflich und helfe da, wo es notwendig ist.
... I will be courteous and will help where needed.
... mache ich nichts halb und gebe auch in Schwierigkeiten nicht auf.
... I'll finish my task; I won't give up even if it is difficult.
... entwickle ich eine eigene Meinung und stehe für diese ein.
... I'll develop my own opinion and stand by it.
... sage ich, was ich denke, und tue, was ich sage.
... I'll say what I'm thinking and do what I say.
... lebe ich einfach und umweltbewusst.
... I'll live simply and environmentally aware.
... stehe ich zu meiner Herkunft und zu meinem Glauben.
... I'm aware of my origin,and faith.
The DPSG strongly emphasizes its international partnerships. Since the late 1940s, it is twinned with the Scouts et Guides de France and the Associazione Guide e Scouts Cattolici Italiani. More recently a number of development partnerships were started. These partners include the Scouts de Bénin, the Asociación de Scouts de Bolivia, the Lebanese Scouting Federation, the Association des Scouts du Rwanda and the Association Scoute du Togo.
The DPSG is divided in 25 councils (Diözesanverbände) corresponding to the Catholic dioceses of Germany. Only two dioceses in the former German Democratic Republic are without own structures (Dresden-Meissen and Görlitz), they are served by the neighbouring councils.
Most of the councils are divided in districts (total: 137 districts) and on local level more than 1,400 groups (Stämme, "tribes") are active. Regularly, a local group consists of four troops - one of each section.
Scouting in Germany started in 1909. After World War I, German Scouting became involved with the German Youth Movement, of which the Wandervogel was a part. Another group that, while short-lived, was influential on later German Scouting, was the Deutsche Jungenschaft vom 1.11.1929 founded by Eberhard Koebel; some specifics of German Scouting derive from Koebel's group. German Scouting flourished until 1934-35, when nearly all associations were closed and their members had to join the Hitler Youth. In West Germany and West Berlin, Scouting was reestablished after 1945, but it was banned in East Germany until 1990 in favor of the Thälmann Pioneers and the Free German Youth. Today it is present in all parts of the unified Federal Republic of Germany.
As mentioned above, today about 150 Scouting associations and federations exist in Germany. Most of them are coeducational, but there are also some single-gender organizations - boys-only as well as girls-only. The most important and/or largest associations and federations are:
* Bund der Pfadfinderinnen und Pfadfinder (interreligious, coeducational, 30,000 members)
* Deutsche Pfadfinderschaft Sankt Georg (Catholic, coeducational, 95,000 members)
* Verband Christlicher Pfadfinderinnen und Pfadfinder (Protestant, coeducational, 50,000 members)
* Bund Moslemischer Pfadfinder und Pfadfinderinnen Deutschlands (Muslim, coeducational, <1,000 members)
2 Ring Deutscher Pfadfinderinnenverbände (World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts member), a federation of
* Bund der Pfadfinderinnen und Pfadfinder
* Pfadfinderinnenschaft Sankt Georg (Catholic, almost girls-only, 10,000 members)
* Verband Christlicher Pfadfinderinnen und Pfadfinder
* Bund Moslemischer Pfadfinder und Pfadfinderinnen Deutschlands
3 Verband Deutscher Altpfadfindergilden, affiliated to International Scout and Guide Fellowship
4 Deutscher Pfadfinderverband, a federation of 18 independent associations (interreligious, coeducational, 29,000 members); one of its members is also member of the World Federation of Independent Scouts:
* Pfadfinderbund Weltenbummler (interreligious, coeducational, 2,000 members)
5 Christliche Pfadfinder Royal Rangers (Protestant, coeducational, 14,500 members); affiliated to Royal Rangers International
6 Christliche Pfadfinderinnen und Pfadfinder der Adventjugend (Adventist, coeducational, 10,000 members); affiliated to Pathfinders International;
7 Ring junger Bünde, an umbrella organization of about 20 independent interreligious Scout and Wandervogel organizations with troops in Germany, Austria and Spain (mostly coeducational, estimated 6,000 members); among its members is
* Deutscher Pfadfinderbund (interreligious, coeducational, 3,000 members)
8 Christliche Pfadfinderschaft Deutschlands (Protestant, coeducational, 4,000 members)
9 Members of the Union Internationale des Guides et Scouts d'Europe:
* Katholische Pfadfinderschaft Europas (Catholic, coeducational, 2,500 members)
* Evangelische Pfadfinderschaft Europas (Protestant, coeducational, 500 members)
Mergers of large male and female associations in the 1970s
The mainly male Bund der Pfadfinder (BdP) merged in 1976 with the female Bund Deutscher Pfadfinderinnen (BDP) to form the Bund der Pfadfinderinnen und Pfadfinder (BdP).
The three Protestant scout organisations Bund Christlicher Pfadfinderinnen (BCP), Evangelischer Mädchen-Pfadfinderbund (EMP) (both female) and Christliche Pfadfinderschaft Deutschlands (CPD) merged in 1973 to form Verband Christlicher Pfadfinderinnen und Pfadfinder (VCP).
The Catholic scout organisation Deutsche Pfadfinderschaft Sankt Georg is also open to girls and women since 1971. The primarily female Catholic organisation Pfadfinderinnenschaft St. Georg decided in 1982 not to merge with the inclusive counterpart.
A large number of international Scout and Guide units from different countries are active in Germany. Most of them developed on military bases, but there are also some at international schools or connected to diplomatic missions. The majority of international Scout and Guide groups dates back to the Allied occupation of Western Germany following World War II. The small remainder were started recently.
Among the foreign associations in Germany are
2 The Girl Scouts of the USA with about 80 units, served by USA Girl Scouts Overseas—North Atlantic (NORAGS) and by USAGSO headquarters
3 Girlguiding UK with about 60 units, served by British Guides in Foreign Countries/Germany County in five divisions (Lower Saxony Division, Westphalia Division, EMS Division, West Rhine Division, and Independent District of Munich)
4 The Scout Association with 11 groups, served by British Scouts Western Europe, Germany District.[10]
5 Scouts Canada (1952–1994)
6 Scouting Nederland
7 Külföldi Magyar Cserkészszövetség - Hungarian Scout Association in Exteris
The Dansk Spejderkorps Sydslesvig offers Scouting to the Danish minority of Southern Schleswig in Schleswig-Holstein. It is affiliated to the Danish Det Danske Spejderkorps as well as to the German Bund der Pfadfinderinnen und Pfadfinder and has about 700 members in 15 troops.
Sunday 7 November 2021
Document of Australia Scouting
Australia Scouting
Australia Scouts is a trading name of The Scout Association of Australia which is the largest Scouting organisation in Australia. It is a member organisation of the World Organization of the Scout Movement. It operates personal development programs for children and young adults from 5 to 25 years of age in Australia and Australian territories. It was formed in 1958 and incorporated in 1967. Scouts Australia's programs were opened to girls after 1971.[citation needed]
The current stated purpose of Scouts Australia is to "contribute to the development of young people in achieving their full physical, intellectual, emotional, social and spiritual potentials as individuals, as responsible citizens and as members of their local, national and international communities".
Despite opening participation to girls and ever younger children and Australia having a high population growth rate, well above the world average, participation in the organisation's programs declined in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. According to a 2014 media article, "Scouts Australia is hoping [to] arrest a steady decline in membership. In 1979 the organisation had 114,500 youth members, today there are 52,000." According to its own annual reports participation decreased from 84,502 in 2,126 groups in 2001 to 63,200 in 1,836 groups in 2005, and in 2012 there were 49,181 youth, 2,587 young adult Rovers and 14,113 adult leaders and support roles in 1,486 groups. This means the organisation has an exceptionally high number of adults compared to its number of youth participants with a ratio of more than one adult for every three youths.
Scouts Australia Program Resources
Structure
Australia Scouts is a council consisting of a majority of members elected by the council itself, office bearers appointed by the council or its executive committee, state and territory office bearers appointed by the national executive committee and a smaller number of representatives from state and territory branch councils which are similarly not elected by or representative of the Scouts, the adults in Scouting or Scout groups. The national council usually meets just once a year. Its national executive committee seeks to achieve co-operation and coordination of the state and territory branches. The New South Wales, Victorian and Tasmanian state branches are incorporated under special Acts of the state parliaments. while the Western Australian, South Australian, Queensland, Northern Territory and Australian Capital Territory branches are incorporated by registration under the ordinary Associations Incorporation Acts. Each state or territory branch maintains its own structure and operational methodologies and rules. However, all branches operate programs for children and young adults under a common uniform and common award scheme structure.
The organisation's current Chief Scout is David Hurley, the Governor-General of Australia. The Chief Scout of each state branch had usually been the governor of the state. In 2015, the actor Shane Jacobson was appointed as the Chief Scout of the Victorian branch. In 1942, Sir Leslie Orme Wilson, the Governor of Queensland, resigned as the Boy Scouts Association's Chief Scout of Queensland because of the failure of the Queensland branch to respond to his call for reforms to its centralisation effort that led to the severance of the Mount Morgan Blue Boy Scouts.
New Logo and Identity for Scouts Australia by Cato Brand Partners
History
For the history of Boy Scouts and the Scout Movement in Australia generally, see Scouting and Guiding in Australia. The organisation was formed in 1958, under the name Australian Boy Scouts Association, as a branch of the Boy Scouts Association of the United Kingdom. Prior to its formation, branches of the Boy Scouts Association had been formed in each of the Australian states. Initially each Australian state branch was directly responsible to Imperial Headquarters of the Boy Scouts Association in London. In 1922, the Boy Scouts Association formed its Australian Federal Council, consisting of nominees of its Australian state branches, to achieve co-operation and co-ordination at a national level. The Boy Scouts Association later appointed an Australian commissioner. The Australian Federal Council functioned as a branch of the Boy Scouts Association of the United Kingdom and the Australian commissioner was appointed by the Imperial Headquarters in London. The Australian Federal Council of the Boy Scouts Association became a member of the International Conference of the Boy Scout Movement in 1953, rather than being represented through the Boy Scouts Association of the United Kingdom. In 1958, when the Australian Boy Scouts Association was formed, it succeeded the Australian Federal Council of the Boy Scouts Association.
In 1969 the organisation began a review of its youth programs under its Design for Tomorrow Committee and implemented its New Design program from 1971. The program involved a new name, new branding, new uniforms and new award schemes. It failed to attract an increase in participants and led to considerable disaffection and loss of long-term leaders and supporters and the formation of Australian affiliates of the traditionalist Baden-Powell Scouts'
A further program review commenced in 2013. In 2019, a new program, along with new logo and branding, was launched, again hoping to appeal to a larger audience. Elements of this program include the catchphrases "youth leading, adults supporting", "plan, do, review", another overhaul of its award scheme and a return to a focus on outdoor adventure.
Religion
Scouts Australia is a non-religious organisation. To enrol with Scouts Australia you are required to make the Scout Promise. The unique wording in the Australian Scout Promise of “do my best to do my duty to my God" allows some flexibility and Scouts Australia is open to people of all religious faiths that can make this promise. In 2017, with the launch of "The Adventure Begins", a new promise option allows Scouts to "do my best to be true to my spiritual beliefs", to further open the promise to all religious faiths.
Historically, Scouting in Australia was rooted in Christianity as that was the world view of Scouts founder, Lord Baden-Powell. Although Britain is now a majority non-religious nation Christianity was the dominant faith in both Britain and Australia in Scouting's early days.
More recently, [clarification needed] participants have come from many faiths and although the majority of Scout groups promote an interfaith approach to religion. Many Scout groups have been formed within existing communities and specific religious traditions as "sponsored groups", such as Coptic Orthodox, Greek Orthodox, Islamic and Jewish.
Youth participants at a Scouts' Own, an informal act of worship, at a Scout campsite
Children & Youth Programs
Age sections
Youth development in the organisation's programs is divided into several age group stages. The age groups encourage movement through the sections as the youth matures. The sections are:
1. Joey Scouts (5–7 years): helping to develop a child's sense of personal identity
2. Cub Scouts (8–10 years): aims to develop a sense of adventure and achievement and a chance to grow their character
3. Scouts (11–14 years): promotes leadership and teamwork, as well as an appreciation of the outdoors
4. Venturer Scouts (15–17 years): develops leadership and management skills, as well as an understanding of camping and the environment
5. Rover Scouts (18–25 years): continues to develop leadership skills, as well as placing a strong emphasis on service to the community and other parts of the organisation
Uniform
The core uniform is a navy blue shirt with the relevant youth section colour across the sleeves and collar, a scarf and woggle. The leaders' shirt is only dark blue.
The section colours are:
1. Tan for Joeys
2. Yellow for Cubs
3. Green for Scouts
4. Maroon for Venturers
5. Red for Rovers
Award Scheme
The youth award scheme in Australian Scouting consists of awards for proficiency in an adventurous activity, participation in major events, recognition of service, gallantry and meritorious service, and for the practice of Scouting (Queen's Scout, Baden-Powell Award, etc.).
Lone Scouts
The Lone Scout Group is for youth unable to attend or find a local Scout group. Lones include people with disabilities and are therefore unable to attend regular group meetings, people who are constant travellers or go to places at which they are unable to attend a group i.e. boarding school or isolated communities. They hold annual week-long camps for members and their families. Lone scouts have meetings over the radio.
The organisation operates in the non-sovereign Australian Indian Ocean Territories of:
Christmas Island
Cocos (Keeling) Islands
Two Scout troops in Singapore are affiliated with the organisation. The organisation is a founder member of the Asia-Pacific Region of the World Organization of the Scout Movement. In the field of support and co-operation with other national member organisations of the Asia Pacific region, the organisation has contributed to a number of international friendship and community development oriented projects. Over the years, Australian Scouts have supported emerging Scout organisations in the South Pacific. A twinning project with the Bangladesh Scouts, known as the "Bangladesh-Australia Child Health" (BACH) project, made a dramatic impact on child health in project villages during its operation from 1986 to 1992. The organisation has a twinning project with the Nepal Scouts known as NATURE Project and involves the reforestation of the Kristi Landslide.
Saturday 6 November 2021
Document of Russia Scouting
History - 1908 to 1922
In 1908, Baden-Powell's book Scouting for Boys came out in Russia by the order of Tsar Nicholas II. It was called Young Scout (Юный Разведчик, Yuny Razvedchik). On April 30 [O.S. April 17] 1909, a young officer, Colonel Oleg Pantyukhov, organized the first Russian Scout troop Beaver (Бобр, Bobr) in Pavlovsk, a town near Tsarskoye Selo, St. Petersburg region. In 1910, Baden-Powell visited Nicholas II in Tsarskoye Selo and they had a very pleasant conversation, as the Tsar remembered it. In 1914, Pantyukhov established a society called Russian Scout (Русский Скаут, Russkiy Skaut). The first Russian Scout campfire was lit in the woods of Pavlovsk Park in Tsarskoye Selo. A Russian Scout song exists to remember this event. Scouting spread rapidly across Russia and into Siberia, and by 1916, there were about 50,000 Scouts in Russia. Nicholas' son Tsarevich Aleksei was a Scout himself.
With the advent of communism after the October Revolution of 1917, and during the Russian Civil War from 1917 to 1922, most of the Scoutmasters and many Scouts fought in the ranks of the White Army and interventionists against the Red Army. In Soviet Russia the Scouting system started to be replaced by ideologically-altered Scoutlike organizations, such as "ЮК" ("Юные Коммунисты", or young communists; pronounced as yuk), that were created since 1918. There was a purge of the Scout leaders, many of whom perished under the Bolsheviks. Those Scouts who did not wish to accept the new Soviet system either left Russia for good, like Pantyukhov and others, or went underground. However, clandestine Scouting did not last long. On May 19, 1922 all of those newly created organizations were united into the Young Pioneer organization of the Soviet Union, which existed until 1990. From that date, Scouting in the USSR was banned.
However, some features of Scouting remained in the modified form. The Scout motto "Bud' Gotov" ("Be Prepared") was modified into the Pioneer motto "Vsegda Gotov" ("Always Prepared"). Mention of God was removed, replaced by Lenin and the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. There were no separate organizations for girls and boys, and many new features were introduced, like Young Pioneer Palaces.
Scouting in Russia
In Exile
The organization then went into exile, and continued in many countries where fleeing White Russian émigrés settled, establishing groups in France, Serbia, Bulgaria, Argentina, Chile, and Paraguay. A much larger mass of thousands of Russian Scouts moved through Vladivostok to the east into Manchuria and south into China.
Colonel Pantyukhov, Chief Scout of Russia, first resided in France and then moved to the United States, where large troops of Russian Scouts were established in cities such as San Francisco, Burlingame, California, and Los Angeles. He returned to Nice, France where he died.
Russian Scouting was recognized as a member of the World Organization of the Scout Movement, in exile, from 1928 to 1945.
Russian Scouting eventually split into two organizations over ideological differences. These are the modern-day National Organization of Russian Scouts (NORS) and Organization of Russian Young Pathfinders (ORYuR/ОРЮР). As neither organization was created ex nihilo, they may both be considered legitimate successors to the Русский Скаут heritage.
After 1990
he Scout movement began to reemerge and was reborn within Russia in 1990, when relaxation of government restrictions allowed youth organizations to be formed to fill the void left by the Pioneers, with various factions competing for recognition. Some former Pioneer leaders have also formed Scout groups, and there is some controversy as to their motivations in doing so.
The World Organization of the Scout Movement asked the Scout Association of the United Kingdom to assist the Scout Organizations in the Moscow and Saint Petersburg regions. Other national Scout organizations are involved in helping other regions; the Boy Scouts of America are involved in the regions to the east of the Urals, for instance.
As with many European nations, several Scout associations were actively supporting the growth of Scouting in Russia, and served Scouts with regards to persuasion of faith, national orientation and geography.
At the end of the 1990s, several of the associations formed the All-Russian National Scouting Organisation (ARNSO) (Всероссийская Национальная Скаутская Организация (ВНСО), Vserossiyskaya Natsionalnaya Skautskaya Organizatsiya (VNSO)), guided by WOSM. In 2000, it became a member of WOSM.
14 Russian Scouts were invited to take part in the 19th World Scout Jamboree in 1999.[1] Russia was represented 2003 at the 20th World Scout Jamboree in Thailand.[2] 504 Scouts from the association Russian Association of Scouts/Navigators took part in the 21st World Scout Jamboree in 2007.[3]
The membership was transferred in 2004 to the RAS/N, following the disintegration of ARNSO. RAS/N is also an umbrella federation of different associations, some of them former members of ARNSO.
Russia Scouting Organizations
Russia is served by at least ten different nationwide Scouting organizations and about 30 regional and local associations. Most of the nationwide organizations consist of both regional associations and directly served units - in some cases even in the same cities. The given membership numbers of the organizations are quite rough and in some cases inconsistent since no annual census is conducted.
New National Scout Organization – “All Russian Scout Association” World Scouting
Document of United States America (USA) Scouting
The United States America Scouting is dominated by the 1.2 million-member Boy Scouts of America and the Girl Scouts of the USA and other associations that are recognized by one of the international Scouting organizations. There are also a few smaller, independent groups that are considered to be "Scout-like" or otherwise Scouting related.
Origins
The progressive movement in the United States was at its height during the early twentieth century. With the migration of families from rural to urban centers, there were concerns among some people that young men were no longer learning patriotism and individualism. Starting in the 1870s, the YMCA was an early promoter of social welfare and other reforms involving young men around a program of mental, physical, social and religious development. Early corn clubs for farm boys began to develop into the 4-H around 1902. In 1896, years before the Scouting movement was founded by Baden-Powell he met the American born Chief of Scouts in British Africa, Frederick Russell Burnham, and learned from him the fundamentals of scouting, inspiring him and giving him the plan for the program and the code of honor of Scouting for Boys, and thus restoring the old traditions of American Youth.
Other groups used the Scout name, but did not provide the Scouting program. Colonel Cody's Boy Scouts were formed in 1909 and continue as the American Cadet Alliance. The Michigan Forest Scouts were organized in 1911 as auxiliaries for forest fire service and was a model copied by New York. These Forest Scouts were considered affiliated with the BSA.
In 1975, the Camp Fire Girls of America changed its membership policy to being co-ed and its name to Camp Fire.
In 2001, SpiralScouts International was formed at the Wiccan Aquarian Tabernacle Church in Index, Washington. Although it serves a Wiccan community, it is open to members of any faith or no faith.[7] The group is small and co-ed, claiming a membership of 150 adult volunteers and 350 scouts in 2013. With BSA membership controversies, the SpiralScouts offered their highest rank to those Eagle Scouts that turn in their badges to the BSA in protest.
In 2003, a Boy Scouts troop in New York City's East Harlem neighborhood and sponsored by the Unitarian Church of All Souls broke away from the BSA over the exclusionary membership policies to start the Navigators USA, a co-ed scouting group.
In 2008, the Baden-Powell Service Association was found after a Cub Scout Pack leader, David Atchley, in Washington, Missouri fought over adopting a nondiscrimination policy for the pack. The group reported 19 units in 2013.
Document of United Kingdom ( England ) Scout Association
This article is about the scouting organisation in the United Kingdom calling itself The Scout Association. For other Scouting organisations in the United Kingdom, see Scouting in the United Kingdom. For other Scouting organisations with 'The Scout Association' as part of the name, see The Scout Association (disambiguation).
United Kingdom 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 formed in 1910 and incorporated in 1912 by a royal charter under its previous name of The Boy Scouts Association.
The association is the largest national Scout organisation in Europe, representing 35% of the membership of the European Scout Region.
As of 2018, the association claims to provide activities to 464,700 young people (aged 5+3⁄4–25) in the UK with over 116,400 adult volunteers which is more than one adult for each 4 young people.[6] Its programmes include Squirrel Scouts (aged 4–6), Beaver Scouts (aged 5+3⁄4–8), Cub Scouts (aged 8–10+1⁄2), Scouts (aged 10+1⁄2–14), Explorer Scouts (aged 14–18) and adult Network members (aged 18–25).
The association aims to provide fun, adventure and skills for life and give young people the opportunity to enjoy new adventures, experience outdoors and take part in a range of creative, community and international activities, interact with others, make new friends, gain confidence and have the opportunity to reach their full potential.
The association is led by its Chief Scout, the television presenter, adventurer and author Bear Grylls, alongside a UK chief commissioner, Carl Hankinson, and chief executive, Matt Hyde. The association's joint presidents are the Duke of Kent and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, and its patron is Queen Elizabeth II.
The association is a member of the National Council for Voluntary Youth Services.
Gender
From 1912 to 1967 the association's name was The Boy Scouts Association and until 1976 only boys were admitted to its programmes. In 1976, girls were allowed to join the Venture Scouts section for 16- to 20-year-olds. This expanded to all the association's programme sections in 1991, although the admission of girls was optional and has only been compulsory since 2007. As of 2018, Girls make up 27% of all-age participants with a total of 99,989 female participants aged between 6 and 25 and a further 69,460 women involved in volunteer roles (being more than 1 adult female for every 2 female young people), while new recruits are now 71% girls (approx. 2.5 girls for every boy). The Scout Association's activities and leadership positions are open to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and other (LGBT+) young people and adults.
Faith
The association is open to all faiths with variations to the Scout Promise available to accommodate to those of different religious obligations or national beliefs. Following criticisms of the lack of provision for atheists, in 2012 the association consulted members about the possibility of creating an additional alternative Promise for those without a religion, and in October 2013, announced that an alternative version of the promise would be available from January 2014 for those without a pronounced faith.
Disability
Sir Baden-Powell was keen to allow young people with disabilities to take part in Scouting programmes, and the Disabled Scout Branch (later known as Extension Scouting) was formed in 1926. After the Second World War, specialist Agoonoree Scout camps were run to cater for those unable to camp with their own Scout Groups. Latterly, emphasis has been placed on integrating young people with disabilities into mainstream Groups. Flexibility is built-in to badges and awards for those with special needs and many Scout Counties and Areas have a specialist commissioner or adviser to support inclusion.
History of Formation
The Boy Scouts Association was formed in 1910, in order to provide a national body in the United Kingdom which could organise and support the rapidly growing number of Scout Patrols and Troops, which had begun to form spontaneously following the publication of Scouting for Boys and The Scout magazine in 1908. It was also the wish of Sir Baden-Powell to wrest control of Scouting from his book's publishers as it was felt the Scout Movement was not given the status it deserved as the publisher C. Arthur Pearson controlled much of Scouting.
1910 to 1920:
Originally, Scouting was for boys aged between 11 and 18. However, many girls and younger boys wanted to join in. One group of "Girl Scouts" participated in the 1909 Crystal Palace Rally. Edwardian principles could not accept young girls participating in the rough and tumble, and "wild" activities of the Scouts, and so the Girl Guides were created by Baden-Powell and his sister, Agnes, to provide a more "proper" programme of activities. The solution for younger boys was the creation of the younger Wolf Cubs Section, which was trialed from 1914 and openly launched in 1916.[24] Later, many of those who had grown out of Scouts still wanted to be a part of Scouting resulting in another section, the Rover Scouts, for those over 18 being created in 1918.
The Boy Scouts Association organised the first World Jamboree for Scouts, held in Olympia, London in 1920 together with an international conference for leaders which founded the World Organization of the Scout Movement of which The Boy Scouts Association was a founding member. Baden-Powell continued to guide the Scouts and Girl Guides, going on world tours throughout the rest of his life until ill health caused him to retire to Kenya in 1938 where he died on 8 January 1941.
In 1929, the Boy Scouts Association hosted the 3rd World Scout Jamboree at Arrowe Park in Cheshire; some 56,000 Scouts from 35 countries attended, making it the largest World Scout Jamboree to date. The first Gang Show, produced by Ralph Reader, opened at the Scala Theatre in London in October 1932. Following the outbreak of World War II, over 50,000 Scouts trained under the National War Service scheme. Tasks undertaken included police messengers and stretcher bearers. The Air Scout branch was launched in January 1941, allowing Scout Troops to specialise in activities related to aircraft and flying. Lord Baden-Powell died in 1941 and was succeeded as the association's Chief Scout by Lord Somers. Starting in 1944, the Scout International Relief Service (SIRS) sent teams of Rover Scouts and Scouters to continental Europe to provide humanitarian aid; ten SIRS teams worked at the recently relieved Bergen-Belsen concentration camp.
After years of trial schemes, the Senior Scout Section was officially launched in 1946, allowing Boy Scouts aged fifteen to eighteen years to form separate patrols or troops, with age appropriate activities and badges. Scouts were prominent in their support of the 1948 Summer Olympics, playing leading roles in the open and closing ceremonies at Wembley Stadium and the sailing events at Torbay. The first Bob a Job Week took place in April 1949, in which Scouts did small tasks for the public in return for a "bob" (5 new pence) to raise funds for the association and for C. Arthur Pearson's fund for the blind. In the early 1950s, a handful of Boy Scouts were dismissed or marginalized in their Scout Groups due to their involvement with the Young Communist League or related communist activities – the most high-profile case being that of Paul Garland from Bristol in 1954 which resulted in a media frenzy and debate in the House of Lords, where following a robust defence of the association's position by Lord Rowallan, the matter was withdrawn without a division. In 1957, to commemorate fifty years of Scouting and the centenary of Baden-Powell's birth, the association hosted the 9th World Scout Jamboree at Sutton Park in Birmingham.
The Boy Scouts Association and its programmes in Britain went largely unchanged until it underwent a major review in the 1960s. The Chief Scouts' Advance Party was formed in 1964 and was sent to survey the association to see why membership numbers were falling. Their report was published in 1966 and changes were implemented later that year and throughout 1967. As a result, the word "boy" was dropped from the association's name which was changed to The Scout Association and major changes were made to the sections and their respective programmes. The youngest section were now named Cub Scouts, the Boy Scout section was renamed simply as the Scout section and the Senior Scouts and Rover Scout section was replaced with Venture Scouts for 16- to 20-year-olds. The Scout Uniform was also changed with the inclusion of long trousers for the Scouts, as opposed to the compulsory wearing of knee-length shorts, and the wearing of a Beret instead of the Campaign hat.
The Advance Party Report was not welcomed by all members and a rival report, "A Boy Scout Black Paper", was produced in 1970 by "The Scout Action Group".[40] This provided alternative proposals for the development of the association and asked for groups that wished to continue to follow Baden-Powell's original scheme to be permitted to do so. The rejection of these proposals resulted in the formation of the Baden-Powell Scouts' Association.
Several developments were made over the following years, including the introduction of co-educational units of boys and girls, initially restricted to the Venture Scouts section in 1976, but from 1991 thanks to a young girl named Elizabeth Hainsworth, junior sections were allowed to become mixed as well, starting in Bradford, West Yorkshire and working its way throughout the U.K. Parents involved with the association in Northern Ireland also began to organise activities for their children who were too young for Cub Scouts. Originally, only the leaders of the new section, nicknamed Beavers, were members of the association with the young people themselves becoming Scouts officially in 1986. In the late 1990s, a Muslim Scout Fellowship was formed, which by the end of 2007, had assisted the establishment of 13 Muslim Scout Groups in England and Wales.
Despite these changes, and many other minor ones, The Scout Association fell into a decline through the 1990s with falling membership levels. This spurred a major review into the causes of the decline in 1999.
The association found itself competing for young people's time against many other extracurricular activities and schools themselves which were increasingly venturing into the same types of activities. In addition, adult leaders became concerned with the growing litigation culture in the UK and the negative stereotype as being old fashioned.
To keep up with trends and appeal to audience new generation, a new uniform, designed by Meg Andrew, was launched in 2001. The uniform included a variety of bold colours, with the younger sections wearing sweatshirts and activity trousers.
Further changes took place in 2003 when the association's Adult Training Scheme was relaunched to be more focused and targeted to the volunteers individual role as opposed to the more general training received before.
The association also began to change in its focus, with a renewed emphasis on outdoor adventure and it now offers over 200 fun and adventurous activities for Scouts, from abseiling and archery while also offering a wider range of development opportunities, from coding to music and drama. In 2004 the association appointed television presenter Peter Duncan as its Chief Scout, who was succeeded by adventurer Bear Grylls in July 2009. The first UK Chief Commissioner, Wayne Bulpitt was appointed on the same day, with a particular remit to support volunteers, grow and develop the association.
The association hosted several major events during this time including EuroJam in 2005, hosting 10,000 Scouts and Guides from 40 countries, the 21st World Scout Jamboree in 2007 as well as playing a major role in the centenary celebrations of Scouting that same year, with celebration events organised on Brownsea Island.
The association claims one of its biggest challenges is encouraging more adults to volunteer to reduce the number of young people on waiting lists (cited at around 40,000). However, by its reported figures (above) it has a high ratio of more than 1 adult volunteer to 4 participant young people (see above), and "young people" includes adults aged 18 to 25. The effort to attract new volunteers received a boost when the Duchess of Cambridge announced her intention to become a volunteer leader for the association with a Scout Group near her Anglesey home. In the decade up to 2014, the number of adult volunteers increased by 14,596 to a total of over 104,000.
In October 2015, as part of the commitment to developing Community Impact, the association launched a three-year community impact project called "A Million Hands" to mobilise half a million Scouts to support four social issues chosen by their young people. Its aim is to build real and lasting relationships in communities that will enable young people to continue taking "social action" long into the future. The project works in partnership with six key charities; Mind, Alzheimer's Society, Leonard Cheshire Disability, Guide Dogs, Water Aid and Canal & River Trust to support the four key issues of Dementia, Disability, Mental wellbeing and resilience and Clean water and sanitation.
Also in 2015, Dr Ann Limb was appointed Chair of the association, the first woman to hold the post.[56] The following year in September 2016, Tim Kidd replaced Wayne Bulpitt as the association's chief commissioner.[9] Kidd has been involved with the association his whole life, starting as a Cub Scout and then as a volunteer, in various leadership roles including Scout Leader, District Commissioner and County Commissioner. In the 2016 Birthday Honours, Kidd received an OBE for services to young people.[57] Kidd's term will end in September 2021, with applications open for a replacement in September 2020.
Throughout 2016, the association celebrated the centenary of the Cub Scout section, named Cubs100. Although Cubs began on an experimental basis in 1914, the centenary celebrations marked the launch of the fully developed Wolf Cub programme on 16 December 2016, a date which is regarded as the "official birthday of Cubs". Adventurer Steve Backshall was appointed Cubs100 Ambassador to raise the profile of the anniversary year.[59] A range of events took place throughout 2016, from Adventure Camps to locally organised Promise Parties on 16 December itself, at which Cubs renewed their Promises. One Promise Party in Kings Lynn was attended by the Duchess of Cambridge.
In May 2018, Scouts' new 'Skills For Life' strategy was announced to outline the focus of the Scout Association between 2018 and 2023. Its objectives are similar (with the same outcomes of Growth, Inclusivity, Youth Shaped Scouting and Community Impact), however there is now more of a framework to develop, and achieve the objectives.
Alongside the new strategy launch, the Scout Association also launched a new brand to support the strategy, and change the then 17-year-old logo. The major changes included a new typeface for documents and literature from the organisation, new colours with an updated corporate logo. This was introduced to the movement on a two-year transition period.
As a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic, in March 2020 face-to-face Scouting was suspended and weekly meetings had to be delivered through "Scouting by Zoom". To support this, the Scout Association launched an online package of activities called "The Great Indoors" and a national fund raising campaign called "Hike to the Moon" in aid of those affected by the crisis, as well as online briefings for adult leaders. Despite these initiatives, in May 2021 it was announced that membership numbers had fallen by over 100,000 (from 480,083 to 362,752), with the number of adult leaders falling from 156,000 in 2020 to just under 141,000. This was reported to be the largest drop in numbers since 1941.[64] It prompted the organisation to launch the Good For You campaign which had an aim of recruiting 10,000 leaders as the association had noticed young people were returning to the movement quickly but without sufficient adults to build capacity.
Announced as part of the Skills For Life strategic plan in May 2018, since 2019 the Scout Association has been trialling an early years programme section. The name initially chosen for the pilots, involving children aged 4-6 years, was Hedgehogs and involved a programme funded by the Department for Education and delivered either as a scout-led programme, a parent-led programme or a partner-led early years programme. The aim of the pilot was to explore early years provision with children of this age and determine whether this is a route the Scout Association should take.[66] The association decided to proceed with the pilot and the phased roll out of the section over a period of years until it was in a position to introduce the section formally, now under the name Squirrels, in September 2021. The name was chosen after field testing in communities underrepresented in Scouting, and because of the support of the Northern Ireland Squirrel Association that subsequently merged into Scouting after 25 years of independent operation alongside Scouting in Northern Ireland. The name is also recognised by many due its links to the popular children's programme Hey Duggee. Squirrels wear a red sweatshirt uniform and meet in Dreys organised within the Scout group. The initial 200 dreys were targeted to areas previously under-served by Scouting including diverse areas and those comprising a high number of low income households.